South Fork Boys Lacrosse Team Falls Short of Making Playoffs

Charlie Corwin isn’t the South Fork boys lacrosse program’s leading scorer by accident.

And despite coming up empty shot after shot last Thursday, May 11, the junior midfielder kept fighting and finally found the back of the net when it mattered most — scoring the game-winning goal in overtime for a 12-11 win at Patchogue-Medford that kept the Islanders in the hunt for a final playoff spot.

“It was a tough matchup, but I just kept pushing at the top, got myself free, shot and it went in,” said Corwin, who finished with 35 goals and 11 assists on the season. “It’s kind of surreal. It was a huge game for us. Hopefully, this bumps us into the playoffs. It’s just a great feeling.”

Unfortunately, the Islanders’ efforts were not enough as South Fork fell short of a postseason berth.

Head coach Matt Babb said regardless of the result, he’s proud of his team’s accomplishments.

“I know these guys were hungry for it, and I think they earned that last spot,” he said. “We were hoping things would shake out in our favor, but the win is a nice feeling to have — we’re happy going home with the ‘W.’”

The coach said key players like Corwin and faceoff specialist Jack Cooper have been weapons all season, and he’s excited for what they can do in another year.

Cooper, a sophomore, won over 80 percent of his battles at ‘X’ this season and in the win on May 11. Knowing his strength in the circle all but assured the team they’d get the ball to start the 4-minute extra-session.

“Jack Cooper has been amazing — he’s been a weapon for us — really stepped up this year and he should be an All-American. His win percentage is unheard of, and he scores goals when we need him to,” Babb said. “So going into overtime, I thought we had the guys on the field that we needed to have and we got the looks we wanted. Charlie did what Charlie does, and that’s go to the cage and score. That’s why he leads our team in goals and why he should be an All-County selection.”

But the team wasn’t as self-assured to start, with South Fork beginning the contest down a quick 3-0. Cooper’s faceoff win after faceoff win earned his team crucial time of possession, especially amid a flurry of turnovers, and the Islanders (9-7 overall, 8-6 in Division II) began to make quick work with the ball. With each scoop-up during the second quarter, the team capitalized. But South Fork also scored off two of senior goalkeeper Cooper Ceva’s 13 saves. Senior midfielder J.P. Amaden did so when he notched his second goal to tie the game at 5-5, and Cooper’s win with just over a minute left in the first half led to freshman attack Luca Lattanzio’s good goal just seconds later to knot it again at 6-6 heading into halftime.

“He really helped us out a lot,” Corwin said of Cooper. “We got some good fast-break goals off his wins, which really got us back into the game.”

“We always have possession, so we always know we’re going to have our chances offensively,” Babb added. “And we have the talent that can put the ball in the net.”

But the Islanders found themselves in another hole to start the second half, with just Lattanzio tacking on his hat trick goal in the third as South Fork went down, 10-7, after the 12 minutes.

“We talked about the hustle and fundamentals like ground balls, passing and catching,” Corwin said. “Once we picked that up, we started getting back in it.”

Cooper (four goals, two assists) dominating the circle in the second half was also crucial. He took the opening win of the third all the way for a score, and kicked the ball to longstick midfielder Luke Castillo on the ensuing faceoff before recording his second straight goal to pull South Fork within one, 10-9, with 7:42 left in regulation. Cooper won the battle in the circle yet again, but this was one rare occasion when Patchogue-Medford (8-8, 7-7) found the netting after his win. It came after a wide shot by Corwin and a South Fork penalty amid a scrum for the rebound that put the Islanders a man down. Cooper was early on the next faceoff, but all hope was not lost for the Islanders, as Castillo scooped up another ground ball and Babb called timeout with 54 seconds on the clock to draw up a play. With eight seconds left in regulation, Amaden faked a shot and dished the ball to Slate Glick in front of the goal. The sophomore attack, who had been unlucky twice before, with his second shot attempt hitting the post just two minutes prior, found a clear opening this time to send the game into overtime.

“I knew we were going to have possession with Jack on the faceoff, and I just thought if we did our thing we’d end up winning the game, and that’s what happened,” Corwin said. “It’s a big momentum boost. This one is a good for our confidence.”

Babb said his athletes, who have been battle-tested all year, have had slow starts and given up leads, but likes that they never put their heads down and panic in the moment.

“They all make a lot of sacrifices, and I’m happy they’ve had these moments and opportunities to play together and even play the game of lacrosse,” Babb said. “Without each of these guys from each of these schools contributing, we wouldn’t have a program anywhere on the East End. They all rise to every challenge, and that’s why we’re able to face adversity, because we do it every day.”