Coming in at number nine in the LILJ preseason rankings are the Massapequa Lady Chiefs. They are led by Head Coach Erin Kollar and last season went 6-10. Despite a sub .500 record, a great playoff run saw them win the Nassau County Class A title and make it to the Long Island Championship Game. The county championship win over Syosset was Massapequa’s third title in the last five years. They fell to Northport in the LIC and are looking to be right back in contention for the county title, LIC, and state championship.
The Chiefs have a lot of their core returning which is extremely beneficial for them this season. Most of the players who played a big role in their success last year were sophomores and juniors, so they will be coming in with plenty of experience playing together under their belts. Some of the key players on offense who are returning include juniors Joely Caramelli (Syracuse), Bridget Valentine (UMass), and Jess Giller (Jacksonville), along with senior Kimberly Greenblatt (Rutgers).
Caramelli will be the one that drives the offense. Last season she led the team with 41 points with 34 of those coming on goals. She goes beyond just scoring as she also makes winning plays on the defensive end with her ability to cause turnovers and apply pressure on the ride. Caramelli is also the one who primarily takes the draws in the circle.
Giller is seen as a tremendous distributor of the ball and is adept at going to the cage with both hands. Last year she showed her ability to be a dual threat, scoring 19 goals with a team-high 16 assists.
Valentine is also a two-way player that provides a great scoring punch but will also lock down on the defensive end. She was second in goals last season with 27 and a total of 38 points.
Greenblatt provides a lot of speed that allows her to get scoring opportunities in transition. In 2021 she was fourth on the team with 15 goals.
On the defensive side some of their key returning players are senior Kali Konstantinakos (Chicago), Olivia Marlow (UConn), and goalie Luchianna Cardello (Hofstra). Cardello was tremendous in the net, tallying 116 saves with a save percentage just over 50%.
Although the majority of the team remains intact, a few players that they lost from last year’s team are Emily Fiola(Manhattan), Kirsten Birney (Adelphi), and Kayla Hassett. Fiola and Birney combined for 25 points at the attack position and Hassett was a vital part of the defense.
Massapequa has also had some notable lacrosse players come up through their program that went on to play at the collegiate level. Some of these players include Kole Pollock (Adelphi), Sophia Cardello (Rutgers), Erin Tierney (Hofstra), Cara Scanio (Hofstra), and Kate Fiola (Hofstra). All of them with the exception of Pollock are currently playing for their respective schools. Pollock recently graduated from Adelphi where she finished sixth all-time in points (321) and third all-time in goals (259).
The Chiefs have plenty of marque games on the schedule this season against some of Nassau’s top teams. They include home against South Side March 31st, home against Wantagh April 4th, at Syosset April 25th in a rematch of last year’s county title game, home against Manhasset April 28th, and home against Garden City May 3rd.
One key stat is that Massapequa went 6-1 last season when scoring at least 10 goals and 0-9 when scoring less than 10. If they can generate more games where they score in double figures, they will easily finish above .500 and have another deep playoff run.
Coach Kollar expressed the excitement she and her players have about feeding off of last season’s success.
“Massapequa is excited to pick up where we left off with a lot of returning players that are eager to get started.”
