Sachem East boys lacrosse's Dominic Laviano adds to dynamic offense in win over Bay Shore

The Sachem East boys lacrosse team has spent a large chunk of this spring without one of its best players - team captain Dominic Laviano, who missed six weeks with a torn ligament in his foot. Coach Michael Sofia said his absence challenged other players to step up, with talents like James Dee and Dominick Marchitto doing exactly that.

When Laviano returned to health — coming back to what he called “his second family,” — those players' contributions didn’t go away. They now round out a dynamic Sachem East offense that, after a 14-5 win over Bay Shore in Suffolk Division II Wednesday, controls its own playoff destiny.

Sachem East led 4-3 at halftime before outscoring Bay Shore 10-2 in the second half. Both teams entered Wednesday with the same 7-3 record in league play. Laviano and Marchitto both had three goals and two assists. Dee had three goals, as eight Sachem East players recorded a point.

“During halftime, coach Sofia brought us in tight,” Laviano said. “He told us to unleash all hell. Leave everything, all that anger, out on the field right now and get it done.”

Sachem East (8-5 overall) scored six third-quarter goals, beginning with Marchitto and ending with Laviano diving to avoid a crease violation with 23.7 seconds left in the period. A defense led by Jason Volpe and Luke Watson impressed, with the latter forcing three turnovers.

Sofia said he sees Watson, a sophomore, as a Division I talent.

“From his on-ball defense to his physicality to his IQ in the game, he plays at a high level,” Sofia said. “All parts of the game are checked off for him.”

Highlights from Sachem East at Bay Shore:

SE’s Dominic Laviano beats two defenders, dives, scores 🔥

SE’s James Dee navigates the entire defense to score.

BS’s Jonathon Hammond makes a terrific stop at the buzzer.

BS’s Jake Laudenslager launches a shot, scoring from distance. pic.twitter.com/4VFpdqmYuf

— Michael Sicoli (@Michael__Sicoli) May 6, 2026

Timeout: Sachem East leads 11-5 over Bay Shore.

This defensive stop kickstarted a possession where Sachem East’s Dominick Marchitto found James Dee for the 11th goal. pic.twitter.com/Z2LA3oIsEB

— Michael Sicoli (@Michael__Sicoli) May 6, 2026

Goalie Mason Schutter made nine saves and praised his defense’s communication, which helped Sachem East concede just two goals after the first quarter as Bay Shore (8-5) struggled to get quality possessions.

“We started to lock it down on defense a little more,” Schutter said. “Even on our man-down, we were covering for almost a full minute there. I think our talking went up, and we just played a little harder.”

A deep attack lineup, combined with strong goalie and defensive play, was further empowered by an advantage at the faceoff X. Ryan McGarvey won 13-of-20 faceoffs, including 8-of-9 in the first half.

Jake Laudenslager starred for Bay Shore, scoring four goals. Sophomore Danny Provda impressed defensively. Too many Bay Shore turnovers in the offensive zone quickly turned into scoring opportunities for a Sachem East team eager to take advantage.

“We came into this game losing to Bay Shore in the last two, three years,” Laviano said. “We wanted to let them know who we are, let the county know who we are.”