Optimism Is On The Rise For Bonac Girls Lacrosse Team As It Moves Back Down To Division II This Season

A drop back down to Division II should allow for the East Hampton/Pierson/Bridgehampton/Ross girls lacrosse team to be competitive this season.

After going 4-10 in Division I/Class A last season, the Bonackers are making the move back to Division II where they had played for years prior. That move, coupled with the fact that a good portion of the team remains intact, should bode well for the girls, head coach Jessica Sanna said.

“Although we have a young team, many girls are returning to the game as varsity players.”

Three of the four seniors the Bonackers lost to graduation at the conclusion of last season included three starters — Pierson’s Grace Perello and East Hampton’s Asha Hokanson and Lucy Short. Perello was the team’s leading scorer and someone who consistently took the draw for the team, while Hokanson and Short made impacts on both sides of the field.

But aside from those losses, much of the team remains intact and numbers are high overall within the program, with 85 players trying out last week between both varsity and junior varsity. Sanna said that those numbers will allow the program to field a pair of JV teams this season.

Melina Sarlo, an East Hampton sophomore, will take over draws from the departed Perello.

“She stepped up at the end of the season last year and has been working hard in the off season,” Sanna said. “She has a good sense of the field and I expect her to be a leader this year.”

Sanna said Pierson junior Eva McKelvey will be effective in Bonac’s midfield and defense.

“She’s a ‘Yes, coach’ kind of player and will work the ball on both sides of the field.”

East Hampton senior Melanie Lugue will be the team’s mainstay on defense. Sanna said Lugue is athletic and fast and has taken command of her stick skills and the Bonackers will look for her to clear the ball.

East Hampton senior Laura Calderon will continue as the team’s starting goalie, entering her third year in that role. Sanna said Calderon has made vast improvements the last few years and, “we are very proud of her.”

The Bonackers also have a number of young players ready to make an impact this season in East Hampton freshman Ava Tintle and Pierson sophomore Lily Perello and eighth-grader Ally Rascelles. Sanna expects both Tintle and Perello to provide some offense for the team, while Rascelles will contribute as a midfielder.

Sanna said the team’s goal this season is to continue to build the program.

“We will work to build the knowledge and skills of our players at all levels in our program.”

Although it’ll play a number of different Division II teams in its schedule this season, when it comes to postseason play, East Hampton will compete with fellow Class C teams such as nationally-ranked Bayport-Blue Point (5), Elwood-John Glenn, Hampton Bays, Harborfields, Islip, Kings Park, Miller Place, Mount Sinai, Rocky Point, Sayville and Shoreham-Wading River.

East Hampton will play its first three games on the road, starting this Saturday, March 26, at Babylon at 10 a.m. It will play its first home game at East Hampton High School on April 1 against Islip at 4:30 p.m.