Syosset Girls Lacrosse Falls to Baldwin, 11-4

The conference schedule hasn’t been very kind to the Syosset Braves as of late. 

A win on Saturday against Hicksville presented the chance for a little momentum, but it was not to be. The Braves fell to Baldwin 11-4 on Tuesday afternoon at , dropping their record to 1-4 in Conference A-I, 5-6 overall.

Baldwin lulled the Braves to sleep with their deliberate attack, focused mainly on ball control and careful shot selection. They built a 3-0 lead early in the first half, thanks to two goals from Jessica Markowitz and one by Allie Rodgers. Rodgers would find the net three more times before the end of the evening.

Turnovers caused trouble for the Braves in the early going. Syosset’s Meg Gulmi prevented the first turnover from hurting Syosset, saving a Courtney Berg meter shot and keeping the deficit at one. Gulmi wasn’t so lucky moments later when Markowitz doubled the lead.

The Braves only threat of the afternoon came midway through the first half, following a timeout. After a Dominique Compito goal cut the Baldwin lead to 3-1, momentum began to shift. Gulmi made one of her best plays of the day, intercepting a pass from behind the net, turning a quality Baldwin chance into a Syosset possession.

Tori Harrison broke through moments later, cutting the Baldwin lead to 3-2. But this is as close as Syosset would get. Baldwin goalie Caroline Winters saved two Syosset shots, one from Compito and one from Harrison, to end Syosset’s only run. Cohen and Rodgers put goals past Gulmi before halftime, giving Baldwin a 6-2 lead.

Baldwin dominated the second half even more than they did the first. They built a 9-2 lead before Harrison skidded one past Winters late in the second half.

The Braves sit in sixth place in Conference A-I, while Baldwin (9-5, 4-3) is in third.

Hero: - She finished the afternoon with two goals and one assist. The co-captain brought the Braves to within one goal midway through the first half, leading an improbable comeback. But it was not to be. Baldwin was too much for Syosset.

Turning Point: Cohen’s goal towards the end of the first half quelled the Syosset rally. She followed it moments later with another net finder, restoring Baldwin’s three goal advantage and marking the beginning of the rout.

Bottom Line: Little mistakes proved big for the Braves on this afternoon. An inability to generate consistent offensive possessions resulted in a lack of rhythm. Dropped balls in the midfield prevented potentially solid scoring chances from materializing. Suffocating Baldwin defense prevented Gulmi from finding outlets to start the offense, leading to blind heaves that resulted in turnovers. Goals won’t be scored in large numbers without the consistent execution of cross field passes.

Key Stat: Baldwin’s Winters had 15 saves.

Who’s Next: Calhoun @ Syosset, Thursday 4:15p.m

Box Score

Scoring

Baldwin: Rodgers (4), Cohen (3), J. Markowitz (2), N. Markowitz, Gardianos.

Syosset: Harrison (2), Compito (2).

Saves: Baldwin: Winters - 15  Syosset: Gulmi - 8