Two out of three isn’t bad, but three out of four would certainly be better.

A seasoned and talented Mattituck/Greenport/Southold girls lacrosse team is aiming for another Suffolk County title this spring, and hopefully more.

Head coach Logan McGinn has 14 seniors on his roster, many of whom have played together for years. The defending county Class D champions are hungry for more.

“Our goal is to be a state championship team,” he said. “I would put us up against anybody in the state. We’re excited to play some of those teams that have gotten the better of us in the past. Hopefully, it swings our way this time with some of our depth.”

McGinn isn’t the only one who feels that way.

“We’ve been fighting for years to get to that point,” midfielder Gianna Calise said. “We always make the LIC’s [Long Island championship], but Cold Spring Harbor tends to get the best of us sometimes. I believe we’ve got it this year.”

Added attack Grace Quinn: “We haven’t gone to states and won it since 2019, and I want to be the group that does it again.”

Team chemistry has been built for years.

“We’ve all been working together for so long,” said midfielder-attack Page Kellershon, who added that she, Claire McKenzie, Allison Heidtmann, Calise and Quinn, “have been playing since kindergarten together mostly. That is a gift.”

Said midfielder Olivia Zehil: “We’re just all so close. We’ve grown to love everything about each other.”

How talented is this team?

Nine players will continue their careers in Division I or II college programs: defenders McKenna Clark (Flagler College), Reese McKenna (Manhattan), Kate Oliver (Marietta), and Heidtmann (St. Leo), midfielders Zehil (St. Anselm), Calise (James Madison), Kellershon (Navy), and attack Quinn (Siena) and McKenzie (Rollins).

The Tuckers boast a scary one-two punch of Kellershon (third in the county, 58 goals, 31 assists, 89 points) and Calise (26th at 45-21-66).

This team, however, is far from a two-woman show. The Tuckers have plenty of depth, as Quinn (22-27-49), Zehil (29-10-39) and McKenzie (36-13-49) can find the net, as well.

“This is a team sport,” Kellershon said. “It doesn’t rely on just two people. Being able to have that depth and move the ball that much quicker is extreme.”

“It’s not often where you have so many, so many girls that can be playmakers,” McGinn added. “If [opponents] faceguard Page, we have six other girls. If they face Calise, six other girls. We have anyone who can score on offense, which is a pretty cool thing.”

The depth is impressive.

“We did lose two really valuable seniors last year, but we found people that can fill in the spots and do really well,” Quinn said. “All of us have so much talent and different strengths and weaknesses that we can work off of.”

Junior Emily Manwaring, last season’s goalie, is slated to play midfield. Junior Hunter Mackey will guard the net.

“Emily is a ballhawk,” McGinn said. “She can read the ball. I think she’s going to get us a lot of turnovers.”

After years of trying, McGinn finally convinced Greenport/Southold senior basketball star Francesca Santacroce to play lacrosse.

“She’s a kid that already understands the concepts, because she’s so gifted in basketball,” he said. “Usually, you don’t get that many kids that pick up a lacrosse stick for their senior year. That can be a role player. She can be an influential part for us.”

Several juniors are expected to make an impact, including All-County defense selection Madison Smith and the versatile McKenna.

Smith, who has been playing with the group since seventh grade, said that practicing against a talented offense “makes me a better player. It challenges me playing against top players.”

McGinn hoped that Clark, a senior defender who missed the basketball season with a muscle tear, could return this season.

A welcome addition is Heidtmann, a senior who missed last year due to the reconstruction of her right knee.

“I’m so excited,” she said. “I’m so grateful to be back. I’m just so happy to be back with this team. They’re my life. They make school better.”

Babylon, which has been Mattituck’s biggest rival in recent campaigns, might not play that role this year. Bayport-Blue Point (21-1), the defending state Class C champions, dropped down to D.

Last year, the Tuckers lost to Bayport, 20-5. They aren’t scheduled to meet in the regular season, but the two could tussle for the title in May.

“They are the real deal,” McGinn said.

“Everyone says that Bayport is going to beat Mattituck,” McKenzie said. “We want to prove everyone wrong.”

The Tuckers open their season with a non-league encounter at Longwood on Tuesday, March 24, before visiting Babylon in its Division II opener two days later on Thursday, March 26.

“I’m already watching film in the first week, because I want to do everything I can,” McGinn said.

The post Girls lacrosse team aims for county, state titles appeared first on The Suffolk Times.

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