The Mineola boys varsity lacrosse team under longtime head coach Mark Miller again finds itself having to compete in a very tough conference. Miller, now in his 22nd year of coaching lacrosse, said, "Our entire schedule is tough due to our highly competitive conference. We hope to be competitive in every game."

Miller welcomed back eight returnees from last year's team. They are:

Mike Marques, Jr., Capt., midfield-attack, top player, go-to guy, does not come off the field, ground ball man.

Leo Morales, Sr., Capt., Goalie, leads the defense, tough.

Aniello Palumbo, Sr., midfield.

Tom Gajdzeszewski, Jr., midfield, back-up goalie

Charlie Molina, Sr., defense.

Filipe Rodrigues, Sr., attack.

Tijo Thomas, Sr., defense.

Miller is hoping his newcomers can help fill out a competitive squad. Those new varsity players are juniors Gustavo Dias, Michael Roo, Ian Stanisic and Padraig Phelan. A couple of other players who will make a difference are midfielders Andrew Gross and Fred Usma.

The Mineola girls lacrosse program has grown to the point where hopes have been replaced by expectations. Coach Frank Massaro, assisted this year for the first time by Dan Guido, said, "We should be able to compete with every team in our conference. Syosset, which dropped from Conference I to Conference II, along with Lynbrook and Oceanside, should compete for the conference title."

Massaro has nine key players back from last year's team. They are:

Allie Kain, Sr., All-County (Sienna-bound) All-around

Kasey Hughes, Sr., All-Conference (Iona-bound) Attack (speed)

Marisa Jetter, Sr., Defense specialist, ground ball, much improved.

Lauren Mobyed, Jr., Honorable Mention All-County, Midfield (speed)

Kristen Mobyed, Jr., Much improved (speed)

Alyssa Glenn, Sr., Defense, good all-around

Grace Martorella, Sr., First year starter, defense

Katie Carter, Jr., Good all-around, speed and tough

Casey Mills, Jr., Attack, strong, hard shot

Massaro has also brought up and starts four freshman players. They are Caitlyn Taveira (Goalie), Emily Glenn (Defense), Marianne Sanderleaf (Defense) and Emily Kain (Attack).

The Mustangs began the season 3-0 in Conference II, with a 15-7 win over Bethpage, an 11-7 victory over Locust Valley and a 15-11 win over Cold Spring Harbor.

The squad lost to a couple of Conference I teams that are both ranked in the top 10. Plainedge defeated the Mustangs 7-6 while Wantagh handed the team a 14-9 loss.