Girls Lacrosse: Syosset 2011 Preview

Head Coach: Diane Malley (4th season).

Last Season: Missed playoffs by one game.

Key Returnees: Meg Gulmi, Dominique Compito, Tory Harrison.

Key Newcomers: Connor Bird, Maria Tejera.

Losses: Julie Baharestani, Nicole Imundo.

Season Outlook: If you wanted to subtitle the story of 2011 Syosset Braves girls lacrosse season, it would take about two seconds to come up with one. More than likely, it would read something like this:

"Syosset Braves Girls Lacrosse: When Young Teams Mature."

In a flash, Malley’s 2010 squad that was filled with mostly freshmen and sophomores has turned into a group laden with juniors. The experience of last year is sure to launch a competitive run at a playoff spot, one that slipped away in the final game of the season last year.

Although the majority of the roster is intact, the Braves will need to find ways to replace Imundo and Baharestani. Imundo, a defender, was known for her limitless energy and uncanny leadership. Baharestani, a goaltender, was effective splitting time with Gulmi.

Now, Gulmi will be asked to carry the majority of the load in net. Malley does not believe this will be a difficult transition.

“The girls are used to playing in front of Meg,” Malley said. “She’s very verbal, she’s very aggressive.”

But aggressiveness is only one of Gulmi’s many assets in goal.

“She’s a lefty,” Malley said with a grin. “A lot of teams don’t face that everyday, so usually it takes them a while to transition to that.”

The goaltender will no doubt be aided by a strong midfield.

“We have some fit young ladies who can do things both offensively and defensively,” Malley said. “We are returning the primary people in our defense. We only have one, maybe two changes there. That’s always good.”

Within Conference A-I, Massapequa and Farmingdale are considered the top contenders. How Syosset does against those two will be a good test.

“Over the years, we have developed a rivalry with Hicksville,” Malley said. “Our Oceanside game is always tough. We’ve been with these teams for awhile, so we’ve battled back and forth.”

The Braves opened up their season with a 5-4 non-league victory over East Meadow on March 19, then fell to Division 16-1 on March 23 in their first conference game.

The girls will head to Freeport next on Monday, March 28 for a 4:15 p.m. conference game. 

Big Games to Watch

Friday 4/1 –

Wednesday 4/6-

Monday 4/11 – Syosset @ Port Washington, 4:30pm

Saturday 5/7 – Syosset vs. Hicksville @ Walker Memorial Park, 7pm

Wednesday 5/11- Oceanside @ Syosset, 4:30pm

Download the movie