By Chris Vaccaro
MaxPreps.com
Before the game, Mount Sinai (N.Y.) High School boys lacrosse coach Joe Cuozzo said No. 700 didn't mean much. If anything, he said, it was a distraction.
After the game it didn't mean much more, but it was a big relief once the clock expired on his new team's 15-3 rout of Harborfields last Wednesday. And Cuozzo, the nation's all-time winningest high school lacrosse coach, reached another milestone.
"Seven hundred means I've been around a long time," he said. "It's a great milestone for the game of lacrosse, but doesn't have any special meaning for me."
Senior midfielders Charles Hoeg and Tyler McCabe scored four goals each, and senior midfielder James Whittpenn netted two for the Mustangs.
Cuozzo had spent the entirety of his 38-year coaching career at Ward Melville, but when he retired from teaching two years ago, his coaching job was put up for grabs to people who are still teaching in the district. He stayed there as a co-head coach with Mike Hoppey, a former player and assistant of his who applied, but went to Mount Sinai for a new start this year.
"My battery has been recharged and my energy level is up," said Cuozzo, who has lost just 39 games in his career. "It's different with the red and black colors instead of green and gold, but I'm very happy here and excited to get the juices going with a new group of kids."
The first quarter, while players were nervous about starting a season with such hope and promise, let alone trying to win an important game for their coach, was quiet compared to the rest of the contest.
McCabe scored the only goal at 2:53 when he jetted from 15 yards out and scored directly in front of the crease. The Mustangs took a 1-0 lead into the second quarter, where they put on more pressure.
"We wanted to come out and play as hard as we could, but we had a lot of jitters in the first quarter," Whittpenn said. "We relaxed and played well in the second."
Mustang junior midfielder Eric Balslov scored two goals in the second from the left side of the net, one at 8:15, and the other at 3:34. They continued to pour on heavy offense and took a 7-1 lead into halftime.
Harborfields managed to score two goals in the second quarter, one by senior attacker Bobby King, who took a beating from Mustang defenders down low, but got through the defensive front and chipped in a shot at 5:08.
After that it was all Mount Sinai.
Hoeg scored two goals in the fourth quarter, while Whittpenn netted another, as did McCabe.
"By the fourth quarter we wore them down," Whittpenn said. "We had more speed and fresh legs and it let us to take a big lead."
"We knew the strength of our team is the first midfield," Cuozzo said. "We're going to rely heavily on Hoeg, McCabe and Whittpenn."
Cuozzo was especially pleased with his goalie, junior Andrew Zoly, who made his first varsity start. He was stellar on the few point-blank shots he faced.
Unlike at Ward Melville, Cuozzo won't have the luxury of having a roster full of talent, yet will have nine or 10 players with exceptional skill and a crop of decent athletes.
Challenges like that have him giddy to get this win over with and get on to some more serious lacrosse throughout the season.
Cuozzo didn't play lacrosse until he went to college at SUNY-Cortland, but fell in love with the game instantly. Now, he is in unprecedented coaching territory. For him, though, having his team work hard and enjoying moments like this is all that matters.
"We didn't talk about winning 700 at all, because it would have put more pressure on them," Cuozzo said. "They knew about it, and I'm thrilled for the kids and this program. Hopefully it's something they'll remember in their lives forever."
Notes & Quotes
- At Ward Melville, Cuozzo compiled 35 regular season division titles, 37 playoff appearances, 22 Suffolk County titles, 15 Long Island titles, seven New York State titles and coached 50 All-Americans.
- When asked how this win compared to the others, Cuozzo said, "There seemed to be a lot more hype building up to this one than the others."
- Mustang junior attacker Jimmy Langton had five assists during the game.
