Winners of the last two Suffolk County Championships and the New York State title the last time it was played, Northport has won an incredible 34 games in a row dating back to 2019. They are ranked #2 in the entire country by USA Lacrosse magazine and are eyeing a return trip to the New York State Championship Tournament come June.

The Gatorade bath never gets old, but is sure seems to get colder every year,” said the affable Coach Rose.

The girls look to put the longtime, insanely-decorated coach’s windbreaker to the test yet again in 2022 as they start the regular season on Wednesday at home against the Middle Country Lady Cougars.

With many of their stars returning, the Lady Tigers seem to be as formidable as ever. Kaylie Mackiewicz, named as an All American, scored 66 goals in 18 games last year and Shannon Smith, all-Division and fresh off her NYS field hockey championship in the Fall of 2021, had 39 goals.  That’s a potent One-Two punch by any definition.

“We know it’s going to be a hard season and people will be gunning for us,” said Smith. “We have won a lot over the years, but we know that we can’t just throw our sticks on the field and expect to win. We have to work hard for it.”

Duke-bound Mackiewicz is a run-and-gun sniper that can score from any stick angle and Smith loves to skulk from behind the net and strike like a viper when given any millimeter of room to come out in front. The two together are a nightmare for opposing defenses and goalies. Attackers Tara Walsh and Emma DeMarco have graduated but Junior Grace McCarthy had double digit goals in 2021 and Julia Huxtable had 5 goals as a freshman. As is Northport’s wont, the bullets in the gun have simply been reloaded.

The Lady Tiger middies are also quite capable of tickling the twine. All-County players Isabella Germani and Ella Cabrera, who both received Honorable Mention All America nods, and all-Tournament Emma McLam combined for 58 goals last year and they all return. McLam is also a field hockey star and Cabrera is a fan favorite for the Basketball Lady Tigers. She is a long strider who eats up the turf quickly, getting up and back from offense to defense in the blink of an eye.

“My legs are really long and my long strides definitely contribute to my game,” said the future UNC Tar Heel Cabrera. “It’s very important to my teammates and our scheme that I can run up and down the field as fast as I can. “

Cabrera and defender Charlotte McGroarty, who is a three-sport star, both played for Coach Rich Castellano on the basketball team and she thinks this will translate to the lacrosse pitch.

“I was so happy that Charlotte and I played basketball this year and I truly think being on a team is so special because of the bonds and friendships that you make,” she said. “Charlotte and I haven’t played basketball in years, and it was amazing to feel so welcomed on the team. It allowed us to stay active and we learned a lot from Coach Castellano. Many of the concepts and footwork are the same in basketball, so I think it will help us in lacrosse.”

Cabrera is usually tasked with marking the most lethal scoring weapon on the other team, as McGroarty and fellow field hockey champion Angelina Longo will anchor the backend closer to their own net.

“It would be awesome to be able to win another State Championship in the same year,” said Longo, who along with Smith, McLam, and McGroarty were teammates on the #NotDoneYet championship field hockey squad. “It’s gonna come with the work and we have to go game-by-game, but that is the goal of this season.”

Smith concurs.

“To know that you are a better team than everyone else in the state is just surreal to me. I still can’t believe it sometimes,” said Smith.  “To do it in two different sports in the same year would be so special and a great way to end our senior year.”

Longo’s defensive unit will be complementing the play of returning junior Goalkeeper Megan Morris, who statistically was one of the top five Goalies in Suffolk County with a .540 save percentage, 101 total saves and a 4.78 Goals Against Average. She also made a number of key saves in big moments in the county tournament, which was much more hotly contested than what Massapequa had to offer in Long Island Championship game. Standout defenders Lindsay Lindvall and Sophia Lamendola have gone to the next level, but Rose has a number of talented candidates to replace them, including basketball star Kennedy Radziul and Madison Dunleavy. The cupboard is never bare at Northport when it comes to refueling and retooling lacrosse talent.

So with all this fire power returning and up and coming underclassman emerging, the question remains for the Lady Tiger Lacrosse Program, can they re-gift another bath for Coach Rose on her birthday.

.Scroll down a little further for photos of Lady Tigers Lax scrimmage v Lady Friars.   Click on any photo for Gallery view