While taking nothing for granted, the Freehold Township High School girls lacrosse team wants to make its mark beyond the Shore Conference A North Division this spring.
The Patriots separated themselves from the division in 2008 by marching through the schedule undefeated. However, their postseason aspirations were denied with a second-round loss in the state tournament and an early exit from the Shore Conference Tournament.
That hasn’t sat well with the Patriots, especially the seniors. They have taken the program to unprecedented heights by winning the last two A North titles and producing a 27-5 mark during those seasons. Now they want more.
"We are sick and tired of being stopped in the second round of the states," said senior attack standout Maddie Comfort. "We want to make a big push to make it past that bump. That’s what we’re trying to do."
Comfort, who will play college lacrosse at Messiah College in Pennsylvania next year, where she will major in nursing, will have a lot to do with how far the Patriots go this year. But Comfort, who scored more than 100 points in 2008, said it is going to be more of a team effort this spring.
"Teams know who I am this year," she said. "My role is a little different this year. I’ll draw double-teams. This year the scoring will be really spread out. We have a lot of girls who can finish."
That was evident in the Patriots’ first two games of the season (both wins). Jennamarie Colicchia scored four goals in an 11- 7 win over Ocean Township, with Alex Marino and Comfort each netting three goals.
Against Colts Neck, Colicchia added five more goals and Rianna Bauman netted four goals in an 18-5 triumph. Comfort and Marino each scored three goals.
Coach Nikki Hastings explained what Comfort and Marino mean to the team.
"Obviously you’ve seen what Maddie can do on the field — it’s something special," she said. "But we definitely have some other girls who are just as capable.
"Last season most of our coverage followed Maddie and Alex Marino, who right now is five goals short of 100 career goals," she added. "They will be heavily marked by any team we play this season."
The Patriots have a lot of firepower that will thwart teams bent on stopping Comfort and Marino.
"Luckily for us we have some other girls who can score," said Hastings. "One of our players this year who definitely does not get the credit she deserves is Colicchia. She was our third score last season behind Maddie and Alex. This season she is leading us in goals after two games. I hope that teams continue to underestimate her all season."
Hastings said Bauman, Bridget Chadziutko, Katie Petrillo and Tiffany Murphy are all capable scorers.
Comfort said she will enjoy assisting more.
"Scoring is great, everyone loves that," she said. "It’s rewarding to pass to someone who scores, knowing you made it possible. It’s a pretty good feeling."
From the way the season has started for the Patriots, there is going to be a lot of that "good feeling" to be shared.
Defensively, Katelyn Murphy, Alexis Stenftennagel and Britany Schram are the Patriots’ first line. It is a solid unit with Stenftennagel and Schram, seniors, and Murphy, a junior.
Hastings has been working seniors Laura Delguercio and Alexis Fedorchak into the defensive rotation.
In goal, freshman Jenna DeMarinis, one of the graduates of the Freehold Township Recreation Department’s lacrosse program, came to the school ready to play at the varsity level. Senior Anna Kibrick is trying to return from an injury.
Hastings echoed Comfort by saying the Patriots want to be more of a threat in the Shore Conference and state tournaments this year. They have already gotten the A North Division slate off to a great start.
Marlboro High School made school history last spring by qualifying for the state tournament for the first time. With most of his starters returning, Coach Bill Daley is looking for something special this year.
"The team has a strong bond with each other, and they all put the team first and their stats second," Daley said. "This should be the best season so far at the school."
The Mustangs are off to a 2-0 start this spring.
Midfielder Chelsea Buttacavoli, the program’s all-time leading scorer with 155 points, is back and will be adding to that total. She has 117 goals and 38 assists in her career.
Lindsay Dolashewich and Taylor Siegel return to midfield with Buttacavoli. Allyson Casalibetta, who played defense last year, has been moved to midfield, fortifying that area.
On attack, Lauren Kirsch returns with 126 career points (84 goals and 42 assists), along with Allyson Petty.
Sophomore newcomer Emily Lutkewitte has quickly made her presence felt, scoring five goals in her first two games.
Defensively, the Mustangs are in good shape with Sam Friedman, Pam Levine and Kaitlin Riegler all back. Julie Yaroni, one of three newcomers to the lineup, completes the defense.
The third newcomer on the team is Sam Burkholz.
Off the bench, Rachel Mahoney and Mallory Bakst add midfield support, and Perri Fuerso, Molly Fett and Rupa Nadkar are added firepower up front. Marissa Sklar is the defensive sub, and the backup goalie is Rupa Gill.
The 2008 campaign was an historic one for Colts Neck High School. The Cougars had their first winning season (10-9) and qualified for the state tournament. Coach Troy Madsen lost some important personnel, including all-time scorer Ariel Plujimaker (242 points), but has many players returning.
That’s the good news. The bad news is that many of this year’s starters are underclassmen and they were not full-time starters in 2008. They will have to adjust quickly to being integral parts of the team rather than role players
"We’re really young," said Madsen. "We have a lot of sophomores. We like what we see. We’re pretty good on offense and de- rather than role players
"We’re really young," said Madsen. "We have a lot of sophomores. We like what we see. We’re pretty good on offense and defense. We’re a little thin in midfield depth."
Senior co-captain Ilyssa Meyer (midfield), Sam Shaw (attack) and junior co-captain Jess Maguire are among the veteran returners, while Holly Kesselman (attack) and Sarah Greenberg (defense) are sophomores who started as freshmen.
Also returning for the Cougars are Kelly Fitzpatrick (attack), Casey MacLean (defense), Stephanie Giovia (goalie), Chelsea Hancock (defense), and Stephanie Sparacio (goalie).
Newcomers include Alexa Benanti (attack), Alison Corsi (midfield), Kailky Touhey (defense), Lauren DeBaere (attack), Liz Rjedkin (attack), Nicole Pappaleo and Carly Penner.
When Manalapan’s Amy McBride scored the game-winning goal against Howell in overtime on April 8 it was a historymaking tally for the school.
The win over the Rebels was the Braves’ first win over a Shore Conference opponent and the first time they had ever scored 10 or more goals in a game (Manalapan won 11- 10). It was a sign that the Freehold Regional High School District’s youngest girls lacrosse program (fourth season) is on the rise.
Coach Kerry Eisman said the Braves have many three- and four-year players who have blossomed.
"We were a young team last year," Eisman said. "We have a lot of juniors this year who are in their third full year playing, and we have seniors who are in their fourth full season."
McBride, a junior, is among the core group of returners. Up front on attack with her is Olivia Musto (six goals in her first two games), and fellow junior Sam Ebner is a center.
Seniors include captain Lindsay Nemeth, who anchors the defense along with senior Melissa Ng. Julie Lindner is another senior with four years of experience. She plays home.
Angela DePaola (attack), Cara Lapolla (defense), Alyssa Obermeyer (attack), Logan Stieglitz (defense) and Christina Lovejoy (defense/home) are all juniors.
The Braves have a dependable goalie in junior Carly Cirangle, who made several game-saving stops in the win over Howell.
Freshman Alison Carhart has been a big addition to the Braves’ lineup. She has already scored nine goals.
"She’s picked up the game fast," Eisman said if Carhart.
There is plenty to be encouraged about at Manalapan. This team is more athletic than any previous one, and interest in the community is growing.
"It’s been an exceptionally good year," Eisman said. "We had a lot of girls try out for the team. There is a lot of interest in the town."
The Howell High School girls lacrosse team is coming off an 8-7 season and Coach Christina Nunez has seven returning starters who will be trying to improve on that mark.
Back for the Rebels are Amanda Kaszuba (midfield), Christina Fischer (center), Alyssa Fiorillo (home), Amanda Krug (midfield), Catherine Dee (midfield), Meghan Flaherty (midfield) and Courtney Flaherty (home).
Fiorillo and Fischer are proven scorers for the Rebels.
Newcomers include goalies Kaitlin Lang and Samantha Messner, Jaclyn Savino (defense), Mollie Alexander (home), Shannon Casey (defense), Kristian DiAngelo (home/midfield), Lauren Kwiatkowski (defense), Nicole Leonard (defense), Chanee Peterson (home), Emily Runkel (midfield), Erin Madsen (midfield/home), Jen Parr (midfield), Rebecca O’Neill (defense) and Lauren Christie (midfield).


