NORTH SALEM, N.Y. - As we moved into May there has been no shortage of excitement in Tiger town! With the playoffs looming, all of North Salem’s squads have been roaring down the stretch with big victories and a number of individual achievements.
Golf
For the first time since 2018, the varsity golf team brought the league championship back to North Salem.
The Tigers swept their match against Carmel and Brewster on Tuesday, May 13, to improve to 5-1 in league play.
Taking the links at Centennial Golf Club, the squad was powered by solid rounds from sophomores James Nemeth and Lucas Virzi.
Nemeth carded a 39, while Virzi shot a season-best 44 to help propel the Tigers to victory.
Nemeth now advances to sectionals at Waccabuc Country Club on May 19.
The accomplishment came as a result of a total team effort from Nemeth, Virzi, Liam Barrett, Steven Collins, Patrick Dooley, Arianna Doering, Ben Guiliano, Jameson Juan, Liam Keegan, William Lehr, Connor Meehan, Sean Randall, Henry Rossi, Lucas Salvatore, Aidan Santis, and Maddie Tuosto.
"I am just so proud of these kids," said Coach Chris Brandt. “The extra practicing, lessons, and playing on weekends, they put in the work to win us a league title this season. The competitiveness within this group, which drives each player to improve themselves, is the motivating factor behind their success. Each kid made the other better.”
Boys Lacrosse
The Tigers continued racking up wins, starting the month with a pair of shutout performances and a thrilling victory over Brewster.
Adding an exclamation point to the already exciting season were a pair of milestone performances. On May 2, junior Max Cotrone scored his 100th career goal against Hastings, while senior goalie Mike Bonelli notched his 400th career save against Brewster on May 6.
North Salem 16, Hastings 0
Friday, May 2
The Tigers were on the road and handled Hastings in dominant fashion. Cotrone led the charge with 5 goals and 4 assists, and North Salem shared the wealth with an offensive clinic.
Drew Karam (3 goals, 1 assist), George Naber (2 goals, 1 assist), Juben Lazri (2 goals, 1 assist), Nico Rouse (2 goals), Justin Major (1 goal, 1 assist), and John Gogo (1 goal, 1 assist) all chipped in for the win. Bonelli had 14 saves to keep the Yellow Jackets off the board.
North Salem 18, Port Chester 0
Saturday, May 3
The squad celebrated Salem Fest in style with another huge shutout win. Cotrone shredded the Rams’ defense for an 8-goal performance, with Karam (3 goals, 1 assist), Dillon Coughlan (2 goals, 2 assists), Major (2 goals, 1 assist), Lazri (2 goals), Rouse (1 goal, 1 assist), Gogo (1 assist), and Orlando Mulaj (1 assist) getting in on the action.
Before the game, the Tigers honored seniors Jack Fryer, John Gogo, George Naber, Nick Naber, Justin Major, Dillon Coughlan, Michael Bonelli, Jack Newman, and Malachi Andrews.
North Salem 11, Brewster 10
Tuesday, May 6
After two lopsided wins, the squad had to dig deep when they squared off with the Bears at home. Senior Justin Major won 14 face-offs and scored 6 goals to set the tone as the Tigers came out on top of a barnburner.
Cotrone (3 goals, 2 assists), Gogo (1 goal), Coughlan (1 goal), and Karam (2 assists) helped power the offense, and Bonelli had 12 saves in goal.
Westlake 17, North Salem 10
Thursday, May 8
After starting the season 9-0, the squad finally tasted defeat against a tough Westlake squad. Cotrone had 5 goals in the effort.
North Salem 16, Albertus Magnus 4
Saturday, May 10
It didn’t take long for the Tigers to bounce back, upending Magnus at home during the One Love Game. Cotrone (5 goals, 3 assists) and Major (3 goals, 1 assist) led the charge, with seven different North Salem players finding the back of the net.
The win also marked the 400th career victory for Coach Vin Savastano.
North Salem 21, Edgemont 6
Monday, May 12
North Salem rolled over the Panthers behind stellar performances from Cotrone (7 goals, 5 assists) and Coughlan (5 goals, 2 assists). Gogo and Karam had hat tricks in the win.
Haldane 13, North Salem 8
Tuesday, May 13
The Tigers came up short against the Blue Devils on the road. Coughlan had a hat trick in the effort.
Girls Lacrosse
North Salem 13, Ardsley 2
Tuesday, April 29
The Tigers were away, pounding the Panthers with a balanced offensive attack. Senior defender Nicky Berganza netted her first varsity goal, and Kylie Robinson (3 goals), Noemi Torres (3 goals), Abby Cassidy (2 goals, 2 assists), Ashley Cindrich (2 goals, 2 assists), Sienna Paldin (1 goal, 1 assist), Taylor Fogle (1 goal), Sydney Merriman (1 assist), and Emma Greenberg (1 assist), all poured on the points.
On defense, Ruby Molina had 7 ground balls and caused a pair of turnovers, while Kylie Dell and Maja Olsson split keeper duties with 4 saves each.
North Salem 21, Rye Neck 5
Friday, May 2
The squad picked up another victory on the road, led by Cindrich (6 goals) and Fogle (4 goals, 1 assist). Freshman Jaella Henry scored her first varsity goal.
North Salem 8, Brewster 6
Tuesday, May 6
The Tigers improved to 2-0 in league play with a big win over the Bears. Cindrich once again led the charge with 6 goals, with Greenberg, and Paldin also finding the back of the net for North Salem. Dell and Olsson kept things locked down in goal with 6 and 5 saves, respectively.
Track
Inclement weather played havoc with a pair of recent meets, but couldn’t stop the Tigers from turning in strong performances.
Big Red Invitational
Saturday, May 3
Before a thunderstorm forced the meet to be cut short, the boys 4x200 relay team (Tyler Spar, Dylan Sheridan, Skyler Smith, Jack Proctor) finished 8th and the girls 4x200 relay team (Emma Gautier, Shailey Ray, Jen Killeen, Grace Barbarossa) finished 10th. Sophomore Freyja Smith had a solid showing in her first Pentathlon, taking 5th place.
League Championship Meet
Monday, May 5
The squad was once again racing the rain at Putnam Valley High School, with more events being postponed. The Tigers made the best of the situation, with the girls 4x800 relay team (Killeen, Barbarossa, Smith, Gautier) taking the league championship while the boys 4x800 (Proctor, Sheridan, Spar, Jack Roche) took 4th. Other highlights included Gautier taking 2nd in the 400m, Ray finishing 4th in the 400m, the girls 4x400 finishing 3rd, and Smith taking 3rd in the shot put.
Softball
North Salem 14, Croton-Harmon 2
Tuesday, April 29
The Tigers kicked off the week on the road, battering Croton on their home turf. The squad combined for 16 hits, with Sophia Aqeel (3-5, 5 RBI), Ana Brewster (4 RBI), Kat Ocdenaria (4-6, 2 RBI), Cora Kennedy (3-4, 2 RBI), and Marissa Ferrara (3 runs) all getting in on the action. Chloe Matt picked up the win.
North Salem 23, Putnam Valley 11
Thursday, May 1
Aqeel once again led the way, going 4-5 with two doubles and a triple and 6 RBI. Ferrara (3-3, 2 RBI), Kennedy (2-4, 2 RBI), Ocdenaria (2-4, RBI) and Erica Saez (1 RBI) all chipped in for another big win. Matt struck out 6.
North Salem 13, Pawling 1
Saturday, May 3
The Tigers celebrated Salem Fest in a big way, pounding Pawling behind standout showings from the squad’s three seniors. Ana Brewster had three stolen bases, Avery Schoenberg went 3-4 with a pair of doubles and two RBI, and Chloe Matt struck out six batters on the day.
3rd and 4th grade players from the North Salem Scorchers helped to honor the seniors before the game.
Continuing their recent surge of momentum, the Tigers also received plenty of offensive support from Ferrara (2-3, triple, 3 RBI), Kennedy (2-run HR), Aqeel (2-3, 2 doubles, 2 RBI), and Ocdenaria (2-3, double).
John Jay 4, North Salem 3
Wednesday, May 7
The squad came up short against the Wolves during the Brooke D'Aleo Memorial Game.
Horace Greeley 9, North Salem 7
Saturday, May 10
RBIs from Aqeel and Ocdenaria in the first inning and a solo home run from Kennedy in the third put the Tigers in front early, but couldn’t overcome a 5-run Greeley outburst in the bottom of the fourth.
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