Friends become rivals

For years they practiced together, feeding off each other's talents to make each other better. They made up the core of last year's state championship girls lacrosse team at Shoreham-Wading River, a triumphant send-off before beginning their college careers.

Kristen Anderson (left), the all-time goal leader in Shoreham history, settled in at Rutgers University in Jersey. Brittany Davis (right), the third all-time goal leader, traveled south to the University of Delaware.

Off the field they were close friends, so you can only imagine what it must have been like Thursday afternoon, when the two faced each other as college rivals.

Davis' Blue Hens met Anderson's Scarlet Knights in Delaware in what was the first game in Delaware's season. Rutgers already had one game in the books, a loss against defending national champion Northwestern.

The Blue Hens emerged victorious 7-6, giving Davis the early bragging rights in their college careers. But it wasn't all bad for Anderson, who started and played all 60 minutes. She had one ground ball while playing attack. Davis didn't see any action in her first game. Emily Schaknowski, though, did. Schaknowski (right), an '06 Shoreham graduate, scored one goal with 7:46 left in the first to give the Blue Hens a 3-2 lead.

Schaknowski of course is the woman in between Anderson and Davis in the Shoreham record books. She owns 205 career goals behind Anderson's 223. Schaknowski is the all-time points leader with 374. Anderson is second with 305 and Davis is third with 203.

Anderson, still wearing No. 29, may not have scored Thursday, but she netted a goal in her first game against Northwestern. Davis, now wearing No. 10 (Northport grad Alexis Curcio, a junior, is wearing 16), will have to wait at least one more game for her chance.