Yesterday afternoon, we saw a very physical and competitive game between West Babylon and West Islip, with West Babylon coming out on top, 16-9.
The first half was a very competitive one. West Babylon was led by 4 goals by senior, Kayla Downey, and 2 by sophomore, Alyssa Apuzzo. They also did a good job in the assist column with 2 by senior, Emily Heller, 2 by sophomore, Ellie Downey, 1 by freshman, Emma Blloshmi, and, 1 by Alyssa Apuzzo. West Islip was led by 2 goals from sophomore, Maggie Davidson, 2 from senior, Danielle Marino, and 1 each from junior, Catie Lang, and senior, Jillian Caroselli. Caroselli and Marino also had one assist each in the first half. Both of these teams played tremendous defense as well, and both goalies were rock solid in the net.
With the game tied at 6 going into the 2nd half, the West Babylon ladies took control by dropping 10 goals on the Lady Lions. Their leading scorers in the second half were Alyssa Apuzzo (3 goals), Kayla Downey (2 goals), her sister, Lacey Downey (2 goals), Emily Heller (2 goals), and Hannah Heller (1 goal). They also were very unselfish as they put up numbers in the assist column led by Hannah Heller (2 assists), Emma Blloshmi, (1 assist), Lacey Downey (1 assist), and Ellie Downey (1 assist). West Islip only scored twice in the second half with a goal by Jillian Caroselli ,and one from Danielle Marino. Junior, Jaden Hampel also contributed with an assist. Ultimately, West Babylon closed it out strong. Their defense only allowed two goals from a very good West Islip offense. West Islip put up a great fight and played strong to the end. West Babylon displayed excellent ball control with only allowing West Islip to have the ball for a very short amount of time in the second half, and doing a great job at protecting the ball.
West Islip won nine draw controls this game as Danielle Marino (1), junior Amanda Sgueglia (1), and Jaden Hampel (7). They also scooped up 9 ground balls this game, Catie Lang and Maggie Davidson each had 1, and Jaden Hampel had 7. A big reason why West Babylon came out with the victory is because they were dominated on the draws, as they won 11 draws as a team. Emily Heller had 6, Hannah Heller had 2, Kayla Downey had 1, Olivia Vergano had 1, and, Delilah Doyle had 1 as well. They also were effective in the ground ball battle as they picked up 8. Kayla Downey, Olivia Vergano, Emily Heller, and Hannah Heller each had 2, and Lacey Downey, and Delilah Doyle each had 1. Both teams’ goalies had big day’s in the net as Lilly Bilello of West Islip had 9 saves, and West Babylon’s Kayla Lanzotti had 4 saves.
After the game, I got to speak with West Babylon Head Coach, Collen Kilgus. I asked for her thoughts on how they played today, “it was a tight first half, but draw controls and good offense and defense helped us to secure the victory.” I also got a chance to speak with Kayla Downey, who had a big day with 6 goals, 1 draw control, and 2 ground balls. I asked for her thoughts on todays’ game to which she replied, “I was nervous all day but the hardwork paid off.”
West Islip Takeaways
Overall, it’s never easy to lose a game in the playoffs, but West Islip should keep their head held high. They have their core returning in 2020, and they will be in the thick of things next year. Jillian Caroselli, Maggie Davidson, Jaden Hampel, Catie Lang, and Lily Bilello all had phenomenal seasons, and next year they will only improve. West Islip will no doubt be a top contender to win the county championship next spring.
West Babylon Takeaways
For West Babylon, this game should serve as a momentum builder against Eastport South Manor. These teams met in the regular season as ESM got the better of the Lady Eagles in a one goal game where they lost, 6-5. In the first half of that game, West Babylon did a great job of shutting down Kasey Choma, but in the second half, Choma went off and dominated the rest of the game. Stopping Kasey Choma will be the key in this game, and if West Babylon can stop Choma like they did in the first half, they have a very good chance to win this game. ESM also has other weapons that the Lady Eagles must be aware of, as the first time they met, Choma was locked off, and she got her other teammates open and they did damage. The key will be the draws as it was even last time. West Babylon’s goalie, Kayla Lanzotti was strong between the pipes last time these two teams met, and if she can stay strong in the net like she did last time, West Babylon will be in good shape.
