ROBBINSVILLE: Robbinsville boys lacrosse eyes improved season

Green optimistic about Ravens

By Jashvina Shah, Special Writer
   When Robbinsville High School’s boys lacrosse season ended last year, head coach Don Green found out his team was willing to learn.
   And he’s expecting it to translate into this season.
   ”I’m expecting a big step forward,” said Green, whose team is scheduled to open the season today at Rancocas Valley. “That’s beating a few of the teams that we played close games with last year and tightening up some of the scores from the teams that beat us pretty significantly.”
   Last year, Robbinsville finished 4-12 and had a six-game losing streak during the season. The Ravens suffered a pair of two-goal losses
   ”So we’d like to take a step up and hopefully close the gap that was created last year,” Green said.
   While the Ravens will return most of their roster, they lost a few key players through graduation.
   Robbinsville will be without last season’s leading scorer, Chris Deck, who finished with 26 goals and 15 assists for a team-high 41 points. He also recorded at least one goal in every game last year but two and added 87 ground balls, second on the team.
   Nick Ferraro will lead the Raiders for the second year in a row as the captain. He scored in every game but three last season and recorded 20 goals and 19 points. He was one of the team’s leading scorers and also recorded a team-high 89 ground balls.
   ”What he learned through experience last year is really going to help us carry into this year,” Green said.
   John Carfaro, Robbinsville’s goalkeeper last year, also graduated. He finished 3-11 with 218 saves and 161 goals allowed last season.
   Shaun Mayer, one of the team’s goalkeepers, is one of the players who’s stood out to Green.
   ”He’s a brand new player, to the program and to the position and he’s been a tremendous surprise,” Green said.
   Robbinsville will return its top defensemen from last season, Jack Facenda and Alec Karasoutos. Green said he expects them to contribute, as well as midfielder Harrison Flyge and attackers Pat Virgie and Mike Sanguinetti.
   This season, Flyge and Ferraro are both seniors.
   ”They are going to be some of our stronger players,” Green said.
   With the departures of Deck and Trevor Verry, Flyge and Sanguinetti are second and third in returning scoring. Flyge finished last season with 14 points, while Sanguinetti had 27.
   Sanguinetti, who was a freshman last season, recorded seven goals in Robbinsville’s 17-11 win over Moorestown Friends.
   ”We have a great group of players who are really enthusiastic,” Green said. “It’s been fun to go out to practice every day. It’s been fun in the few scrimmages that we had.
   ”I’m really just looking forward to continuing that experience and chemistry that we’ve had.”