Cardozo’s Bitter Ending-After dedicating season to fallen coach, Judges fall just shy of second straight title

Cardozo attacker Ivan Mak lay on the field turf at St. John’s University, tears streaming down his cheek, his jersey half off, the pain of the season’s devastating conclusion for all to see.
Mak had just watched Midwood celebrate their 8-7 win last Saturday afternoon in the PSAL lacrosse city championship after overcoming a three-goal, fourth quarter deficit. “I feel heartbroken,” he would say later.
The Judges, themselves, had overcome so much in this trying year. They lost their longstanding coach, Walter Glenn, to heart failure back in late January, and graduated 22 seniors, including their goalie, top midfielders and attackmen. The void in leadership led to a 5-4 finish, their worst since 2003, the second year of the fledgling program Glenn jumpstarted. Nevertheless, the Judges shocked second-seeded Tottenville to return to the city championship game for the third time in as many seasons.
They dedicated the season to Glenn, which helped them fight through inexperience, inconsistency and the nuances of Coach Lou Decicco’s new system.
“A lot of these kids didn’t even get on the field last year,” Decicco said. “It was a tough road to get here. … I think we showed we’re young, but we’re going to fight to the end.”
Much of the way, the few seniors carried the day for the Judges against Midwood. Mak scored three goals, Max Stavis added two points (one goal, one assist) and William Schrettner, in his first year in the cage, was stellar for the most part, with 26 saves, helping Cardozo (7-5) build a 6-3 lead heading into the final period. But it was at that point their inexperience resurfaced. Suddenly, the taut defense fell apart. Midwood (12-0) scored three straight times to tie it with 2:54 remaining. Mak responded, scoring from 15 yards out. But the game’s MVP, Muhammed Attieh, scored twice in a span of just 22 seconds.
“Our immediate defense was good, but our middies were all tired,” Schrettner said. “They were so tired from offense. … They didn’t get back in time.”
Despite the emotionally draining defeat, many Judges said they would look back fondly at this challenging campaign. “We weren’t even supposed to be here,” Mak said. “Who would’ve thought Cardozo. We lost so many players. I’m proud, I’m proud of my team.”
Several others reflected on Glenn, the program’s founder, and how he would look upon their performance. “He’d think we competed all season,” Schrettner said. “He’d be proud of us, I know it.”