Moya Leads Finley Boys’ Lax-White
to 6-4 Mark
Garrett Moya scored 16 goals and added two assists to lead the J. Taylor Finley Middle School boys’ lacrosse “white” team to a 6-4 mark this past spring.
An eighth grader, Moya was sensational at attack for the Falcons. “He’s a great goal scorer with excellent stick skills,” said head coach Vincent Tannazzo, who was assisted by Matt Perlongo.
The 32-player squad was captained by Moya, Austin Reda, Donald Stewart and Matt Gelb. “We featured a powerful offense with an improved defense that overcame a lot of injuries,” Tannazzo said. “We scored 82 goals. Half of our winning games were decided by one goal. We received big saves by our goalies.”
Reda, an eighth grader who excelled at midfield, notched 12 goals and an assist. “Austin was a team leader on the field,” Tannazzo said. “He controlled the game.” Nat Amato, a talented seventh grader who tallied 16 goals, was another exceptional midfielder. “He is explosive,” the coach said.
Seventh grader Mike Abbondandelo compiled seven goals and five assists from his attack position. “He’s always around the net,” Tannazzo said. Stewart, another talented eighth grader, was the Falcons’ top goalie, stopping 50 shots.
“This year was a big improvement in terms of practicing and working with the Finley-blue team,” Tannazzo said. “We were able to practice and scrimmage with each other, which helps the players as far as future teamwork.”
Finley topped West Islip Udall (7-6), Candlewood (11-4), Elwood (8-2), Stimson (9-3), East Northport (11-10) and Finley-blue (5-4). The Falcons dropped contests to West Islip Beach (16-12), Northport (11-6), Commack-white (9-6) and Oldfield (8-7).
Finley had a well-balanced team. Among the team’s statistical leaders were Gelb, an eighth grader who recorded the most ground balls and eighth grader Aidan McCormack, who had the most assists.
Next year looks promising, too. “We have a strong core of attack and midfielders returning that should provide a lot of offense,” Tannazzo said. “All seventh graders contributed to our winning season so it is going to be a bright future.”