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Law tops Westies
WH falls 10-7
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(May 7, 2024) - Looking to win consecutive games, the West Haven boys lacrosse was in prime position to do so. A tough third quarter did not allow for that as the Westies fell to Jonathan Law 10-7 at Ken Strong Stadium in West Haven Tuesday evening.
Leading 3-2, Law outscored West Haven 5-1 in the third to take an 8-3 lead. West Haven’s fourth quarter comeback was not enough as the Westies fell to 3-8 on the year.
Marcus Burrows led the way with five goals, while T.J. Levenduski made 14 saves in the loss. West Haven held a 40-32 shot advantage in the contest.
“In a game we really needed to pull out, we took too long to get our gears turning,” West Haven coach William Wezenter said. “We let mistakes carry from the first half and came out flat at halftime, down 3-2. We fell apart 5-1 in that quarter, before starting our rally in the fourth, which came too late. Had we played with that sense of urgency from the start, even with the mistakes, we could have won.”
Law led 2-1 after one quarter as Burrows scored the lone West Haven goal, before Burrows tallied again in the second quarter with 4:31 remaining to cut the deficit to 3-2 at the half.
A.J. Iannotti scored with 4:56 left in the third, before Burrows tried to lead a West Haven comeback with three unassisted goals in the fourth quarter. Yousaf Ullah scored off an assist from Thomas Porto in the final minute, but it was not enough.
“Marcus Burrows led the way with another five goals to put his season at 29 goals and six assists,” Wezenter said. “Max Ginsberg went 70% on faceoffs. Mark Lynch has quietly become a top defensive midfielder.”
Lyman Hall tops Westies
WH drops 21-6 decision
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(May 9, 2024) - The West Haven boys lacrosse team was shut out in the second half and fell at Lyman Hall 21-6 Thursday evening. With the loss, West Haven fell to 3-9 on the year.
All of West Haven’s goals came in the first half, with three in each quarter. Marcus Burrows led the way with three goals, Yousaf Ullah scored twice, and T.J. Levenduski made 21 saves in defeat.
Burrows scored the first West Haven goal at the 11:40 mark of the opening quarter, Ullah scored off an assist from Justin Bruno with 5:06 remaining in the quarter, and A.J. Iannotti scored off an assist from Burrows with 1:26 to go.
“J.J. Alling created a beautifully executed fast break from a TJ Levenduski break out pass that ended with A.J. Iannotti scoring in the first quarter to keep it close 5-3 at the end of one,” West Haven coach William Wezenter said.
Burrows was at it again in the second quarter with a pair of unassisted goals with 8:32 and 5:29 remaining in the half, before Ullah scored his second of the game off an assist from Brandon Doody with 2:52 remaining in the second quarter.
“We started fast and tried to keep pace with Lyman, but, on their senior night, they just had too much offensive fire power,” Wezenter said. “Many of their players and ours played summer travel ball together so everybody knew everybody tonight. That may have given us some juice in the first half, but they pulled away with an 8-0 shutout in the second half. Losing 25 faceoffs will take its toll as possession is so important.”
West Haven was outshot 52-13 in the contest.
Inching Closer
WH closing in on postseason berth
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(May 13, 2024) - The West Haven boys lacrosse team improved to 4-9 with a 15-4 road victory against Vinal Tech Monday evening. Yousaf Ullah led the offense with five goals and one assist, Marcus Burrows had four goals and two assists, and A.J. Iannotti had three goals and three assists in the win.
“We got off to a rocky start,” West Haven coach William Wezenter said. “Being unaccustomed to playing on a grass surface, we struggled with ground balls as a result, and we were not used to how bounce shots reacted to the natural ground. But, we got through it and pulled away early. It was a complete team victory. We cannot overlook anybody as we push to make the state tournament. We must win out.”
West Haven took control of the game with five goals in the opening quarter. Ullah scored three times off assists from Iannotti, while Burrows and Iannotti each scored off assists from Thomas Porto.
The Westies added three more goals in the second quarter as Ullah scored off an assist from Porto at the 11:36 mark, Brandon Doody scored off an assist from Burrows with 6:06 remaining in the half, and Ullah scored off an assist from Burrows 1:30 later.
“In a game filled with penalties on both sides, our man up was quite successful,” Wezenter said. “Our man down unit killed all penalties. We had 9 minutes, 30 seconds in penalties to their 8:30. Tommy Vets and Leo Mazuroski did a great job as a specialty unit coming in to run the man down defense.”
Burrows scored three unassisted goals within 1:41 to start the third quarter for the Westies, before Iannotti closed West Haven’s third quarter scoring with two goals off assists from Burrows and Ullah.
Mark Lynch and Justin Bruno scored 58 seconds apart in the fourth quarter to cap the West Haven scoring.
“The starting attack combined for 12 goals and six assists,” Wezenter said. “Max Ginsberg won three of five faceoffs. Peter Vasko and Geron Cox each went one for two facing off. TJ Levenduski had a 75% save day. Mark Lynch recorded his second career goal.”
T.J. Levenduski combined with Raziah Yazzie for seven saves in the win, with Levenduski making four saves and Yazzie three.
Senior Night
WH tops Danbury 10-6
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(May 17, 2024) - The West Haven boys lacrosse team honored its seniors in style. Behind six goals from Marcus Burrows, three more from Yousaf Ullah, and 12 saves from T.J. Levenduski, West Haven topped Danbury 10-6 Friday evening at Ken Strong Stadium in West Haven.
“Marcus Burrows was involved with eight of our ten points in the win today with six goals and two assists,” West Haven coach William Wezenter said. “He now sits at 46 goals and 12 assists on the season.”
The Westies scored twice in the first quarter as Burrows scored off an assist from Thomas Porto with 2:51 remaining, and Ullah scored 46 seconds later. Burrows scored both West Haven goals in the second quarter as his unassisted tallies came at the 9:15 and 4:50 marks.
West Haven added two more goals in the third quarter as Burrows scored an unassisted goal with 4:25 remaining, and Porto scored off an assist from Burrows with 1:09 remaining.
The Westies picked up the victory with four goals in the fourth quarter. Ullah scored the first two, the second off an assist from Burrows, and Burrows scored the final two of the quarter, both unassisted.
“Marcus (Burrows)scored man down in the fourth quarter with 1:05 left to seal the deal and put Danbury away for good,” Wezenter said. “Six of our nine penalties were in the fourth quarter.”
West Haven held a 44-26 shot advantage in the game.
Postseason Bound
WH rolls past Prince Tech 21-1
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(May 21, 2024) - In a game it needed to win to qualify for the state tournament, the West Haven boys lacrosse team put forth its best effort. Behind five goals from Yousaf Ullah, four goals and two assists from Marcus Burrows, and three goals and one assist from A.J. Iannotti, West Haven defeated Prince Tech 21-1 Tuesday afternoon to qualify for the postseason.
The Westies controlled the game from the start and held a 48-8 shot advantage in the contest. The four goals by Burrows also allowed him to reach 50 goals on the season, with the milestone goal coming with 4:48 left in the second quarter.
Cole Hill won six of seven faceoffs and added one goal and one assist, T.J. Levenduski made two saves and also scored in the win, while Raziah Yazzie made one save for West Haven.
“Today, everybody got involved with the scoring as we completed the season with seven wins and qualified for states,” West Haven coach William Wezenter said.
West Haven scored four times in the first quarter as Burrows scored off an assist from Mark Lynch at the 10:09 mark, Ullah scored from Burrows 19 seconds later, Kaiden Powell scored from Thomas Porto 27 seconds later, and Justin Bruno scored with 6:20 remaining in the opening quarter.
West Haven put the game away with 10 goals in the second quarter. Burrows and Ullah each scored three times, Iannotti scored twice, and Porto and James Olsen each scored once.
Iannotti. Mike Luzietti and Ullah scored in the third, while Dylan Ginsberg, Tommy Vets, Hill, and Levenduski scored in the fourth.
History
WH tops Platt-Maloney
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(May 24, 2024) - The West Haven boys lacrosse team won its first postseason game in the history of the program with a 14-7 victory over Maloney-Platt Friday evening at Ken Strong Stadium in West Haven. West Haven improved to 8-9 on the year and advances to play top-seeded Fairfield Prep in second round action.
“This is the first time West Haven has won a state tournament game ever,” West Haven coach William Wezenter said. “I am humbled by this group of kids and how we have turned around from going winless last year to not just qualifying for states, but winning. We have earned the right to head to Fairfield Prep next week in the second round and it’s a tall task, but I am excited to get to do it with this group.”
Marcus Burrows led the offense with six goals and one assist, A.J. Iannotti scored four times, and Yousaf Ullah had three goals in the win. T.J. Levenduski made 10 saves as West Haven held a 47-21 shot advantage in the game.
West Haven scored four times in the opening quarter with Burrows wrapping a pair of unassisted goals around tallies from Brandon Doody and Iannotti.
The Westies scored six times in the second quarter as Ullah opened the scoring and Burrows followed with three more unassisted goals. Iannotti scored off an assist from Kaiden Powell and Burrows scored his fourth of the quarter with 11.2 seconds remaining.
“Marcus (Burrows) took over in the second quarter with a hat trick to pull away from them in a chippy and penalty-filled game,” Wezenter said. “There were 24 minutes in penalties between both teams, 14 minutes for us and 10 minutes for them.”Iannotti and Ullah scored in both the third and fourth quarters, with James Olsen assisting on Iannotti’s goal in the third, and Burrows assisted on Ullah goal in the third.
Season Over
WH falls to Fairfield Prep
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(May 24, 2024) - After winning its first postseason contest, the reward for the West Haven boys lacrosse team was playing top-seeded Fairfield Prep. The Jesuits showed why they are the top team with a 21-3 victory in Fairfield Wednesday afternoon as West Haven closed its season at 8-10.
“It was a tough matchup against the top seed,” West Haven coach William Wezenter said. “They were as good as advertised. I want to once again thank everyone who supported us this season and give my best to the graduating seniors who left their mark on West Haven lacrosse. I am looking forward to the 2025 season where we will continue to grow the program.”
Marcus Burrows scored all three West Haven goals, one in the first quarter and two more in the fourth. Ronnell Banks had an assist, Cole Hill won seven of 10 faceoffs, and T.J. Levenduski made 10 saves as West Haven was outshot 31-9.
Westies top Rockville
Burrows, Ullah lead way in first victory
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(April 6, 2024) - After two losses to start the season, the West Haven boys lacrosse team got in the win column with a 10-3 victory over Rockville Saturday evening at Ken Strong Stadium in West Haven.
Yousaf Ullah and Marcus Burrows led the way with four goals and one assist apiece, Justin Bruno had a goal and an assist, and Thomas Porto had three assists in the win.
“Marcus Burrows and Yousaf Ullah each had four goals and one assist,” West Haven coach William Wezenter said. “Max Ginsberg led with five faceoff wins, and Justin Sean Bruno had eight ground balls.
“Yousaf Ullah created momentum with the first goal in the second period off of a Thomas Porto feed at 6:14 which opened up the offense.”
Holding a 34-8 shot advantage in the game, West Haven led 2-0 after the first quarter and 7-1 at halftime.
Burrows got things going for the Westies when he scored off an assist from Jason Alling with 8:18 remaining in the first quarter, before Ullah scored off an assist from Porto 1:08 later for the 2-0 lead.
The Westies pulled away in the third quarter as Burrows scored off an assist from Porto with 6:14 left in the half, Ullah scored off an assist from Porto 1:05 later, and Burrows scored again off an assist from Bruno with 3:26 left in the half.
“The boys executed well and ran the plays with great timing,” Wezenter said. “Marcus (Burrows) and Yousaf (Ullah) really turned up the offense in this game, combining for eight goals and two assists.”
Ullah scored an unassisted goal with 2:41 left in the half and Burrows gave the Westies a 7-1 lead at the break off an assist from Ullah.
West Haven used goals by Bruno off an assist from Burrows and an unassisted goal by Ullah in the third quarter, before Iannotti scored an unassisted goal in the fourth quarter.
Westies fall to Shelton
Gaels roll to 11-1 win over WH
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(April 9, 2024) - The West Haven boys lacrosse team fell to 1-3 with an 11-1 loss at Shelton. Marcus Burrows scored West Haven’s lone goal and T.J. Levenduski made 16 saves in the defeat as Shelton held a 29-18 shot advantage.
Burrows broke the shutout with 8:22 left in the fourth off an assist from Javed Ullah.“We were undermanned and missing starters,” West Haven coach William Wezenter said. “We gave them a tough go for the first half as it was 3-0 at the end of one and 4-0 at halftime. We just can’t play defense the entire game and expect to win.”
Hamden slips past Westies
Burrows, Ullah lead way in first victory
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(April 15, 2024) - The West Haven boys lacrosse team fell to 1-4 with a 6-2 loss at Hamden. Marcus Burrows scored both West Haven goals and T.J. Levenduski made 17 saves in defeat.
With the game scoreless at the half, Burrows scored off an assist from Jason Alling with 5:31 remaining in the third quarter. Burrows scored the final West Haven goal with 3:33 left in the fourth quarter.
Hamden held a 31-18 shot advantage in the game.
“T.J. (Levenduski) and the defense were outstanding, but, ultimately could not stop Hamden from sneaking away in the fourth,” West Haven coach William Wezenter said.
North Haven thumps Westies
WH falls 18-4
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(April 18, 2024) - The West Haven boys lacrosse team fell to 1-5 with an 18-4 loss at North Haven. Marcus Burrows and A.J. Iannotti each had a pair of goals in the loss for the Westies.
North Haven held a 48-10 shot advantage in the game with Ben Pizzano scoring eight goals and adding four assists.
“North Haven’s Ben Pizzano was the best player we have faced all season with eight goals and four assists,” West Haven coach William Wezenter said. “He truly made the game tough. He is the best shooter we will face. T.J. (Levenduski) did well to finish the game in a positive manner. Leo Mazuroski managed several takeaways on Pizzano.”
Iannotti scored his first goal of the game off an assist from Mark Lynch with 8:54 left in the first quarter, while Burrows scored off an assist from James Olsen 1:35 later for a 2-1 West Haven lead.
“In the beginning of the game, we went up 2-1 and took control of the game early which seemed to have surprised North Haven,” Wezenter said. “Their skill and tempo caught up to us as they flew by in the second quarter.”
Burrows scored an unassisted goal with 7:13 left in the third, and Iannotti scored off an assist from Thomas Porto with 3:13 left in the fourth.
“A.J. (Iannotti) and Marcus (Burrows) set the tone early with hard-earned goals,” Wezenter said. “The boys came into the game with great energy and gave North Haven all they could handle for the first quarter before succumbing.”
Westies top Montville
Burrows leads way in 13-8 victory
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(April 20, 2024) - The West Haven boys lacrosse team improved to 2-5 with a 13-8 victory over Montville Saturday evening at Ken Strong Stadium in West Haven.
Marcus Burrows led the way for the Westies with seven goals and one assist, Thomas Porto had two goals and one assist, Yousaf Ullah added a goal and two assists, while Brandon Doody, Jason Alling and A.J. Iannotti also scored. T.J. Levenduski made 19 saves in the win, while Cole Hill had eight faceoff wins.
West Haven jumped out to a 3-1 lead after one quarter as Burrows scored with 10:44 remaining, then added another three minutes later, before he scored his third with 6:14 left in the opening quarter off an assist from Porto.
The Westies took a 5-3 lead to the half as Burrows scored off an assist from Ullah with 5:13 left in the second quarter, and Porto added his first 42 seconds later.
“Going into halftime, we were two men up with a two-goal lead,” West Haven coach William Wezenter said. “We hold the ball to retain possession, and run our man up scores a goal to take a 6-3 lead which really began our momentum as we went on a five goal run to control the rest of the game.”
West Haven pulled away with a 4-1 run in the third quarter. Burrows and Porto scored unassisted goals 31 seconds apart, Burrows scored off an assist from Ullah with 4:02 remaining, and Doody tallied with 1:10 left in the third.
With West Haven leading 9-4, each team scored four times in the final quarter. Iannotti scored with nine minutes remaining, Burrows added his seventh with 6:16 to go, Alling scored off an assist from Dylan Ginsberg 2:12 later, and Ullah scored off an assist from Burrows with 33.4 seconds remaining.
“We had three rookies step in at defensive midfield recently, brothers Mark and Paul Lynch, as well as Kaiden Powell, who have really given us quality minutes and are becoming defensive cogs,” Wezenter said. “Freshman James Olsen keeps finding his way into the offense and is due to break out. Overall, the kids played hard, and despite a four-goal run by Montville in the last five minutes of the game, the boys kept it together and won.”
Branford outlasts Westies
WH comes up short in 7-6 defeat
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(April 23, 2024) - The West Haven boys lacrosse team fell to 2-6 with a tough 7-6 loss against Branford Tuesday evening at Ken Strong Stadium in West Haven.
Despite three goals from Yousaf Ullah, and two goals and two assists from Marcus Burrows, West Haven could not pull out the victory. T.J. Levenduski made 14 saves in the loss.
West Haven’s lone goal in the first quarter came from Burrows at the 9:53 mark, before Burrows scored again in the second quarter off an assist from A.J. Iannotti with 9:48 left in the half as West Haven trailed 2-1 after one quarter and 4-2 at the half.
Ullah got West Haven within 5-4 in the third quarter when he scored off an assist from Myles Cortes with 3:23 remaining and again off an assist from Burrows with 1:22 left.
Freshman James Olsen scored with 10:20 left in the fourth off an assist from Burrows, before Ullah got West Haven even at six off an assist from Tyler McColgan with 2:26 to go.
The Westies had a 32-30 shot advantage in the game, but Branford scored a late goal to take home the win.
“Tyler McColgan started a massive fast break and led Yousaf Ullah open on a pass to hit the game-tying goal with 2:26 remaining in the game,” West Haven coach William Wezenter said. “After going man-down for 11 minutes in 3 quarters, the boys settled down, did not commit another foul, and rallied to come back and tie things up with two minutes left in the fourth quarter. Despite the final outcome of 7-6, the kids showed great response to adversity and rallied in ways that they have not previously done to compete for the entire game. I am proud of them for coming together.”
Foran blanks Westies
Lions roll to 14-0 win over WH
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(April 30, 2024) - The West Haven boys lacrosse team fell to 2-7 with a 14-0 loss against Foran Tuesday evening.
Foran held a 33-25 shot advantage in the contest, with West Haven’s T.J. Levenduski making 12 saves in the win.
West Haven trailed just 3-0 after one quarter and 6-0 at the half, but Foran took control of the game in the second half, scoring eight more goals.
Cole Hill had a solid day on faceoffs as he was 5-2.
Westies blank Cross
Burrows, Levenduski lead the way in 12-0 win
By MIKE MADERA
Westie Blue
(May 2, 2024) - The West Haven boys lacrosse team got back on the winning track with a 12-0 victory over Wilbur Cross Thursday evening at Ken Strong Stadium in West Haven. West Haven improved to 3-7 with the win.
Marcus Burrows led the way with four goals and two assists, A.J. Iannotti had three goals, Brandon Doody scored twice, and Thomas Porto and Yousaf Ullah each had one goal and two assists apiece. T.J. Levenduski made nines saves to record the shutout.
“Marcus Burrows led the way with another four goals to put his season at 24 goals and six assists,” West Haven coach William Wezenter said. “T.J. Levenduski had his first career shutout, Cole Hill won five of seven faceoffs, and Mark Lynch had his first career goal.”
West Haven took control of the game from the start, leading 4-0 after one quarter and 8-0 at the half. Doody started the scoring with a goal off an assist from Porto at the 10:52 mark, before Burrows scored the next three, unassisted at the 9:38 and 8:39 marks, and off an assist from James Olsen with 14 seconds remaining in the quarter.
“This was the first complete game these boys have put together since I took over as head coach,” Wezenter said. “I was impressed in every phase of the game. We got chippy with some dumb penalties at the end, but we managed to finish the game strong.”
Burrows set up Iannotti at the 6:56 mark of the second quarter for a 5-0 lead, Doody scored off an assist from Porto with 3:03 left in the half, Iannotti scored off an assist from Ullah with 45 seconds left in the half, and Burrows added an unassisted tally 18 seconds later.
Ullah scored the only goal of the third quarter off an assist from Burrows at the 7:07 mark, before Porto and Mark Lynch added unassisted goals in the fourth quarter ,and Iannotti scored off an assist from Ullah with 19 seconds to go.
West Haven held a 45-14 shot advantage in the game.
BOYS LACROSSE 2024
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