Sports
St. Anthony's Lacrosse Bests Garden City
Third annual meeting sparks Long Island rivalry between national powers.
Two of the premier girls lacrosse teams in the nation -- each ranked No. 1 in the state in their respective class -- collided Wednesday.
And it was a sudden impact. St. Anthony's scored the game's first three goals and never looked back in an 11-6 win over visiting Garden City in a non-league showdown.
Senior midfield Maggie Bill, a four-year starter and North Carolina recruit, scored four goals and added an assist to power the Friars.
Her goal with 13:42 left in the opening half put St. Anthony's ahead 6-2.
Related: Game Photos
Garden City (11-1), No. 1 in the state Class B rankings and fifth nationally, scored three times in the second half after trailing 9-3. Six different players scored for the Trojans.
It's the third straight year the two Long Island powers have met. Garden City won the first in 2011.
"It's only been a few years but I think it's a rivalry because we know what a great team they are," St. Anthony's Coach Corinne Lomangino said.
St. Anthony's (11-1) knocked off national No. 2 St. Stephen's and St. Agnes (Va.) two weeks ago. Now the Friars are No. 1 in the state Class A rankings and ninth nationally.
If they pass one last regular season test Friday at Manhasset, then surely the Friars will soar even higher in the national rankings.
Right now St. Anthony's is playing for more than wins. These Friars are looking to go down as the best in program history.
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