YORKTOWN, N.Y.—Coaches like it when their players share the ball, and Yorktown certainly did that in its 17-3 opening-day win against visiting Albertus Magnus on March 25.
Yorktown had 11 of its players score at least one goal, which put a smile on the face of Yorktown coach Heather Raniolo after the game.
“Coming into this year, we have a lot of girls that have a lot of experience, new girls that are working every day, getting right into the flow and the mix of things, and it’s great to see the depth that we have,” Raniolo said. “It’s great to have a lot of goal scorers because that is going to help us be more successful.”
Scoring three goals consecutively was senior attacker Brie Gaccino, whose natural hat trick extended the Huskers’ advantage from 3-1 to 6-1 with 2:49 to go in the opening quarter.
“It felt really good,” Gaccino said. “It goes back to how well we were playing as a team. We all know our strengths and weaknesses, so we know how to play with each other. We know when someone is going to drive. My team helped me create space and get around my defender. Even though I did score, my teammates helped me with that.”
Freshman attacker Sydney Sateriale (3G, 3A, 4 draw controls) gave Yorktown an 8-1 lead 52 seconds into the second quarter off an assist from Ava Ryan (1G, 1A).
“It felt amazing,” Sateriale said. “Everyone worked together. It was great just to have everyone work together and to have different people score.”
Sateriale got valuable experience by playing last year as an eighth grader, and the benefits of that showed against Magnus.
“Getting that experience last year was key,” Raniolo said. “Her experience, her hustle that she brings every day, she really wants it. She puts in that effort every single day to be the best player that she can be.”
Yorktown upped its lead to 13-2 at halftime and didn’t look back.
“It was because of the chemistry we have together,” Sateriale said of getting the lead. “Everyone worked together. We are very close.”
Gaccino said that it was “amazing” to start off with a great team win.
“So many people contributed, everyone was able to play,” said Gaccino, a senior captain. “We’ve been working really hard in the preseason to come together, and this game shows all the hard work we’ve put in since October to now.”
Ava Cunneen (2G, 3 draw controls), Sofia Boucher (2G), Lily Diaz (1G, 1A, 7 draw controls), Annie Cunneen (1G, 1A, 3 draw controls), Megan Durante (1G, 1A), Mia Capellini (1G), Isabelle Wilson (1G), Khloe Clarkin (1G, 1 draw control), Caitlin Mulvihill (1 draw control), and Annie Durante (4 saves) also got into the box score for the Huskers.
Yorktown’s Claire Sullivan, Juliet Horton, Kendall Kardon, Gianna Boucher, Siobhan Mulvihill, Serena Zimmerman, and Addison Schluter saw playing time as well.
“Just the movement and having everyone not be selfish, not just driving every time,” Sateriale said of the Huskers’ ability to share the ball.
The game was also the debut of the 90-second shot clock, stationed behind each end zone of the football field.
“I didn’t notice it as much, but it’s just great for high school lacrosse in general,” Gaccino said. “It’s really good. It keeps the game moving fast. It’s new and not everyone is used to it, but it’s a great addition to lacrosse. We played really well with it today.”
The shot clock didn’t affect the Huskers against Magnus, as they got off most of their shots with at least a minute to spare on it.
“The 90-second shot clock is going to speed up the game a little bit,” Raniolo said. “Today, it wasn’t a big change for us. It’s nice to know that we have a lot more time than we recognized. It’s going to keep the game moving fast.”
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