East Meadow on the rise

Seeded seventh out of 10 teams in Nassau Conference III girls’ lacrosse, look no further than East Meadow to find the county’s biggest surprise in the early going.
Sophomores Emma Terino (four) and Carly Howell combined for seven goals and freshmen Gina Giambald and Lindsay Solenski added a pair apiece last Saturday morning as the Lady Jets (7-7 in 2018) continued their ascent with a 14-6 victory at Calhoun. The win was their seventh straight out of the gate, matching last year’s total, and fourth in conference play after going 3-6 in III last spring.
“Our chemistry was great from the start,” East Meadow second-year coach Kara Fiorillo said. “We had expectations and the girls are exceeding them so far. It’s been amazing to see them grow every game and play with so much confidence.”
Despite the Lady Jets soaring to a 7-1 halftime lead over Calhoun, Fiorillo said it didn’t feel like it. “The whole game was intense and felt a lot closer than the score,” she said. “We didn’t want to give in to them. We know they’re a strong team.”
Calhoun became the third opponent East Meadow flipped a result against from last season, following Hicksville and Bethpage. Against Bethpage on March 28, Turino scored with 6.8 seconds remaining to cap a thrilling come-from-behind 9-8 victory. Solenski and junior Mary Fitzsimmons also found the back of the net in the latter stages, and sophomore goalie Kate Laico had a breakout performance with eight saves.

“We fell behind against Hicksville and Bethpage and I’m not sure we would’ve won those types of games last year,” Fiorillo said. “Now the girls know they’re never out of it.”
One of the biggest differences for East Meadow has been scoring depth, according to the coach. “Our attack has taken a huge burden off the middies,” Fiorillo said. “We’re getting goals from all over.” Through seven games, the top attack group consisting of newcomers Solenski and Giambald had 16 and 12 goals, respectively, and junior Hailey Dazzo had 14. Dazzo, a lefty, also had eight assists. “Hailey is a stronger presence and the freshmen have made big contributions in spots we needed to fill,” Fiorillo said.
Howell’s 23 goals sets the pace and the All-Conference midfielder also thrives on the defensive end. Terino, another All-Conference selection, takes the majority of draws and has a high success rate. “She’s our quarterback,” Fiorillo said of Terino. “She has a laser shot and is a strong passer.” Fitzsimmons is a returning starter whose quickness is a factor in the open field.
While the offense is averaging 14 goals per game, the defense is holding up its half of the bargain. Only one opponent has scored in double figures. Senior captains Taylor Keicher (Honorable Mention All-County) and Rebecca Homan (All-Conference) do the dirty work in the crease and anchor a unit that includes junior Stephanie Sparkowski and freshman Ashlee Sjoholm.
“A lot of teams are on equal playing ground,” Fiorillo said. “We’re just taking it one game at a time.”