Farmingdale and South Side Standouts in the NY ‘A’ and ‘B’ Semis

No. 34 was again all over the field for the Dalers, making an impact on wings, clearing, offense, and defense. Posillico did it all and finished with two goals and one assist. His first goal came in an unsettled situation. Posillico caught it at GLE and had a nasty hitch where he curled upfield and put the Dalers up 1-0 in the first 25 seconds of the game. Later in the first quarter, he showed off the vision. He had a crafty split dodge to shake his defender up top, immediately drawing a quick slide and finding a wide open teammate inside for a dunk. The Springfield football commit played lockdown defense as per usual. He came away with two caused turnovers and wasn't getting beat. His presence in the clearing game was important down the stretch and Posillico also had another goal with a classic high-to-low rip to put his team ahead 6-3.

The junior had his best game of the postseason in the state semifinals. The special duo of Lennon and O'Keefe only combined for one goal, so it was important for Kott to step up, and he did just that with an amazing second half. His first big play came on the ride, dropping back and leaping high to make a one-handed interception. Kott then immediately moved it to O'Keefe to give Farmingdale a 7-3 lead. But after that, Mamaroneck went on a run, scoring three straight to cut the deficit to one goal before Kott stopped the run. He had a clutch goal on the EMO after cutting right down the middle for a catch and finish. His next goal came less than a minute later. He saw his defender ball watching and cut behind him to the far pipe, where he had another catch and finish to allow Farmingdale to take a 9-6 lead.

 The 2026 LSM had the play of the day. Up by a goal with a trip to the state championship on the line, Galgano's active stick finally made the most important play possible. He picked off a pass with 20 seconds left and was off to the races, running down the field and allowing Farmingdale to hang on to a 9-8 win. It's incredible to see his motor every time he steps onto the field. He did a great job pestering the top center guy on Mamaroneck's man-up, and overall, Galgano continued to show his great defensive presence. He fought through picks and communicated well when the opposition was running pairs offensively.

 It's been a theme for Jimmy Caputo. When the lights are bright, it's time to ball. The Pace commit had yet another incredible performance. He finished with 12 saves and guided his defense to another great performance. He started this game the same way he ended it, and that was with an impressive stop. He had a flashy kick save on Mamaroneck's first possession to get the Dalers fired up. And with just under two minutes left, he had another amazing low stop on a step-down shot. Caputo had several off-stick saves and his timely stops were ultimately the difference, sending Farmingdale to its second straight state championship game. 

All of Aiello's points came in the second half, as he finished with two goals and three assists while playing a huge role in South Side's epic comeback after trailing 7-2. He got the comeback started with his first goal, making it 7-3. Aiello dodged from the lefty wing and went hard underneath before sticking one top shelf. The Cyclones immediately had an EMO, and Aiello made a smart “one more” pass up top for his teammate to fire in a laser. South Side would eventually only be down by two goals as the third quarter was winding down, and that's when Aiello went back to work. He noticed the lack of time and saw he had space to work with. Aiello got a step on his defender and was able to protect his stick and finish on top of the crease as time expired. This gave South Side its fourth goal in a row in just two minutes. Aiello then added three more assists in the final frame. He was working up top and hit his teammate cutting across the crease with a perfect pass for the easy finish to tie this one up. Aiello dished two more assists and helped South Side score eight goals in the final 14 minutes of this game.

The talented righty headed to Bryant has a cannon of a shot, and it was on full display. He finished the game with three goals, which all came on right-handed stepdown shots. West connected on three different types of shots for all of his tallies, which was needed against Hunter Mezzatesta Hunter Mezzatesta 6'0" | 195 lbs | G | Right Hand Yorktown | 2026 #10 Nation NY , one of the top 2026 goalies in the country. His first goal of the game came on a low-to-low laser that snuck by the Yorktown keeper. His second goal came right in the heart of this South Side comeback. A sidearm rocket that was deflected ended up finding the back of the cage to give the Cyclones their third straight to trail 7-5. Then West cashed in for the go-ahead goal in the fourth quarter. With under six minutes left in the game, the Cyclones had a man advantage. West hauled in a skip pass and unleashed a low-to-high rocket that had too much heat. He also was a big part of the South Side clear that helped the Cyclones secure this victory late in the game.

Another game, another show put on by Michael Melkonian. His dominance this postseason has continued as he went 19-of-22 in this contest. Yorktown was over 75% from the faceoff X this season and has a great overall unit, which includes great wing play. But it didn't phase Melkonian as he helped South Side dominate possession and allowed his team to play “make it, take it” lacrosse in the second half. Yorktown tried various things to throw off Melkonian, like putting a highly touted pole on the draw or double poling the wings but barely anything worked. Melkonian essentially didn't allow these amazing Yorktown long poles to impact the X. His IQ and decision-making has been taken to a whole new level this postseason. When you have those traits combined with his athleticism and hand speed, it's scary. He has won 92 percent of his face offs during this playoff run. 

Livingston had his best statistical game of the season when it mattered most, finishing with two goals and two assists for a four-point outing in the state semifinals. He scored the second goal of the game for South Side, showing great instincts and awareness when picking up a GB around the cage and capitalizing on a gritty play with a finish. His second goal came at a very important time, and his rocket gave South Side its seventh straight goal in just 10 minutes during this incredible run. It looked extremely similar to his highlight reel behind the back goal against East Islip. As Livingston and Aiello were working behind, Livingston went five yards above GLE, got into a shooting spot, and displayed a quick release to score his second and give the Cyclones a 9-7 lead. He also had two assists to Owen West in this contest.