By: Carolyn M. Hartko
It wasn’t one of their prettier games, but the South Brunswick High School Viking boys’ lacrosse team got the win it needed to advance to the finals of the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament for the third year in a row. Seeded second, the Vikings (13-3) beat third-seeded Old Bridge 9-4 in the semifinal match this past Monday.
"We have to play more consistent in more elements of our game," Viking head coach Mark Ziminski said. "Today, we were good defensively, good in goal, but offensively, we just threw the ball away too much. We didn’t really value the ball on offense. And we can’t play that way. We have to get the most out of our possessions."
The offense did come out fired up, scoring five goals in the first quarter. Make that six, counting the own-goal South gave to Old Bridge (7-11) with a minute left in the first period. Mike Valentino, Mike Bacci, Pete Sarangnese and Jordan Asch (two) each found the back of the net during the first quarter blitz.
But then things got a little dicey as the Knights tightened up their defense, and South couldn’t seem to get its offensive rhythm back.
"They were coming out on us a lot," senior defender Mike Shutz said. "We weren’t moving the ball. They were doubling Mike Valentino, and we weren’t moving to help out. So, they could just knock the ball down and win it back."
Against a stronger team, that kind of play could have proved disastrous, but the big cushion built up early helped SB carry the game. The Vikings outshot the Knights 20-12. Old Bridge goalie James Conahan had a great game in goal, making 16 saves, while SB’s Ryota Ishikawa posted four. Valentino, who had two assists, won 13-of-16 face-offs during the game.
Shutz, a veteran in the back, was one reason that the South Brunswick defense looked solid on Monday.
"He’s been really steady," Ziminski said. "He’s the most level-headed guy on defense. When everybody else is a little helter-skelter, a little out of sync, Mike cools them down and knows what to do. So, he’s our solidifying force back there."
The date for the championship game is tentatively set for Tuesday at St. Joseph’s. This is one game the Vikings should be able to get up for, especially the seniors.
"Personally, I’d like to beat them," Shutz said. "They beat us 8-5 at the beginning of the season, but we didn’t have all the guys in place that we have now. Carmine (Gaudio’s) been doing a good job on defense, and we’ve got a couple of different guys up on attack."
But before the Vikings take on St. Joe’s, they were scheduled to play a first round state game at Boonton on Wednesday. The winner of that game will advance to play Ridgewood on Friday evening. The last two Viking outings, against Freehold and Old Bridge, had the Vikings playing down to the level of their opponents. And that has Ziminski pessimistic about his squad’s chances in the tougher competition to come.
"Monday games always drive me crazy, coming off a weekend," the coach said. "But I also think our mental focus hasn’t been sharp, for whatever reason. It’s got to be sharp now, if we want to win state tournament games, and win the GMC’s. And if we play like we did today, we won’t even have a chance."
EXTRA-MAN: The other SB goals on Monday came from Bacci, Pat Jenkins (two) and Ian Muchanic … Sarangnese and Asch had two assists each, and Winston Foo had one.

