Port Washington boys lacrosse is one of the most talked about teams in the entire town.  During this season, the squad was able to win many important games both on the road and at home.  The group has been able to defend their home turf and earn important victories on the road.  The team took home a big midseason win against Oceanside, defeating them 9-8.  This contributed to their overall record of 8-7, which is very impressive considering their difficult schedule.  

Port is in Conference A, which is one of Nassau County’s best conferences.  In Conference A lies Massapequa, one of the strongest teams on Long Island.  They have 11 Division 1 college commits and multiple All-American players.  It is impressive how Port continues to succeed even with all of the great players they are facing on the field.  This forces Port to work hard and stay focused when facing off against these elite teams.

There are a couple players on our side that are just as impressive.  Port has junior Mikey Beil committed to Fairfield, senior Steven Betsch going to Springfield, and Zander Stapleton, a junior, is committed to play at Boston University.  With two of these commits going to Division 1 colleges, Port has some intimidating players in their roster.  This makes Port a big competitor for the county championship.

With the regular season coming to a close, the team reflected upon the results, but they know they need to focus on the task at hand in the playoffs.  The 8-7 overall record in Conference A is impressive from an outsider’s perspective. The boys had to work very hard to achieve this record after a very disappointing start to the season.

“There were a lot of bumps in the road.  We faced a lot of adversity to overcome our 3-5 start.  The fact that we ended at 8-7 speaks for itself,” said sophomore Chris Shroyer.

The team is proud of their quick turn around, especially because a slow start to a season can be extremely difficult to overcome. Many times, the attitude around a team can either bring them down or lift them up.  Port was able to create positive energy to make the impressive turn around.   

The team is currently in the middle of the intense playoffs, and they are coming off of a commanding win against Oceanside.  Oceanside went 9-6 during the regular season, which was very similar to Port.  

However, in order to advance in the playoffs, the team will need to continue to improve. 

“We need to get more conditioned… we need to improve our shooting.  We’ve been shooting the ball at the goalie’s stick,” said sophomore Jared Morales.  “If we can improve on those two things, then we can run with anyone.”

  The team is hopeful for this year’s playoff run and feels that a championship is within reach.  They’re going to need to be completely focused on their goal if they want to reach it, though.

Not only is the team shining currently, but many players are optimistic of what’s to come.  Many are anticipating that next season, with the rising underclassmen, will be more successful than the current season.

“We could win a county championship next year because we mostly have the same team and we’re starting to play well together,” said sophomore Andrew Morales.

The team will be getting closer and closer all throughout the offseason in preparation for the season ahead.  Players feel this will improve their chemistry on the field.  

Port lacrosse is an exciting program to keep an eye upon.  With many improvements coming to the team and players coming close together, the program will continue to evolve in the future.  The playoffs are entertaining to watch, and there is no telling how far the team can go.  The previous regular season was action packed with great wins for Port, and the squad hopes the winning can continue into the postseason.