By Mitch Abramson
Cardozo led 16-15 with three seconds remaining in the PSAL lacrosse championship game at Tottenville and the Pirates' John Christy was trying to even the score in one fell swoop.”I got scared,” Gootnick said. “I was thinking that I have to save the goal, but I was nervous. I was having trouble playing on this surface, but I was sure we were going to win the game.”Gootnick stopped the low shot with his stick, thrusting his arm out to block the ball at the last second, and Cardozo (19-2) withstood a furious late rally by Tottenville (10-2) to win the school's first ever lacrosse championship Tuesday at Tottenville.In addition to the game-saving shot, the senior had two other huge recoveries in the final 2:06 that reinforced a nickname his teammates gave him. He had 24 saves for the game.”We call him 'The Wall,' head coach Walter Glenn said. “He's kept us in many games this year, games that we should have lost. I thought he was going to stop him on that final play. I love my guys. If I was an emotional guy, I would cry over this win.”The entire team would have been shedding tears if they had lost. Cardozo, after a frantic scoring spree in the third quarter that saw senior John Hattenrath (eight goals and five assists) score five goals, was coasting with a 15-7 lead.Hattenrath was feeling so giddy about his team's situation that on his last goal, he jumped in the air and clicked his heals together in a fit of youthful exuberance.”I was feeling good out there,” he said. “I did (clicked my heals) in the last game, and I just felt like doing it. I don't know. I just did it.”The celebration was premature. Tottenville had defeated a sluggish Cardozo team last year in the PSAL championship game by staging a late rally to win 12-8, and they gathered themselves again for one final push.The Pirates changed strategies in the fourth quarter, launching themselves offensively from the wings instead of down the middle where they were getting man-handled by Cardozo's defense. And Tottenville reeled off six straight goals, four of them by attacker Joseph De Meo to trail Cardozo 15-13 with 3:39 remaining.”We stopped going for the body,” Glenn said. “We play a physical game, and I don't know why we stopped playing physical.”After both teams exchanged goals to make it 16-14, Tottenville's Brian Morgan scored on an assist by John Christy to come within one. Cardozo called timeout and Gootnick came up with the miracle save that preserved the win.”I've been waiting four years for this,” Gootnick said, holding his championship medal in the air. “This is a great feeling right now.”Reach reporter Mitch Abramson by E-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300 Ext. 130.
