The Harrison lacrosse team might not have a ton of experience coming into the year, but through the first two games of the season, it doesn’t appear that the Huskies’ youth is going to be a problem. With two straight wins to start the season, Harrison could emerge as a contender in a deep league that may be one of the best around.
On Wednesday, March 27, the Huskies overcame a slow start in their opener, outscoring visiting Nyack 8-1 in the second half of play to come away with a 9-3 victory. According to head coach Matt Cipolla, a strong defensive effort highlighted by eighth grade goalie Ryan Kaplan’s 17 saves proved the difference-maker as Harrison took some time to find an offensive rhythm.
“The best way to win games is by playing good defense, but we don’t have a lot of experience back there,” Cipolla said. “We have played well, which was a little bit unexpected, but there’s still room to improve.”
Offensively, Harrison was forced to take on the Indians without the services of one of its top scorers, Connor Novak, but received a tremendous boost from three-year starter Austin Mueller who had three goals and three assists in the win.
Novak would make his season debut on March 30, scoring six goals in a 12-6 win over White Plains.
“Connor is one of the more important players we have, same with Austin, Alejandro Aguirre and Teddy Corcoran,” Cipolla said. “They’ve won a lot of games over the last few years, so it’s going to be on them to help bring the younger guys along.”
At 2-0 on the year, Cipolla has been pleased with his team’s performance, but stressed that there is room for improvement on both ends.
“Defensively, we still need to do the little things and perfect playing as a team,” he said. “On offense we just need to stay the course and know that if we are patient, we will get our opportunities.”
The Huskies will host Ardsley on Thursday, April 4 before traveling to John Jay for their first League II-A battle on April 8. The Indians captured the Class A title last season and return five starters from that 15-5 squad.
“I’d say it’s the toughest league in the section by far,” the head coach said. “So we are definitely going to have our work cut out for us.”
