Pearl River, Nyack Face Off in McGowan Memorial Girls Lacrossse Classic

Pearl River Head Coach Laurie Mayernik and members of her girls lacrosse team searched the September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York City earlier this year.

They found the name of Stacey Sennas McGowan, a 1981 Nyack High School graduate who had been a member of the first-ever Nyack girls lacrosse team in the late '70s and a friend of Mayernik's. She was killed in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

"For all the kids, it meant something," Mayernik said. "They knew what they were playing for, but it got a little more real."

Pearl River will play Nyack in the Ninth Annual Stacey Sennas McGowan Memorial Girls Lacrosse Classic Saturday at McCalman Field in Nyack. There will be a junior varsity game at 3 p.m., followed by an alumni contest at 4:30 p.m. and the varsity game at 7 p.m.

Mayernik said in the past, the alumni game had been all Nyack players. This year, alumni from Nyack will play Pearl River graduates.

Many of the younger Pearl River players had been part of the classic when it used to involve Orangetown Youth Leagues so McGowan's daughters could play.

Pearl River (7-6) enters the game on a three-game winning streak. The Pirates' last lost May 1 at home against the Indians, a 12-8 Nyack victory. 

Pearl River finishes the regular season with two road games, 5 p.m. Monday at Mamaroneck and 4:15 p.m. Tuesday at Nanuet.

Nyack and Pearl River will both find out their playoff opponents when the pairings are released May 16. The girls lacrosse playoffs will begin May 17.