Manasquan Lacrosse Season Preview
The best way to describe last season for the Manasquan Warriors was falling just short. First, a loss to Rumson-Fair Haven in the Shore Conference Final. That was followed by a run to the South Jersey Group 2 Sectional Final, where they bowed out by a goal to Wall. Finishing at 17-6, ranked in the state Top 20, and with a number of quality wins, this group was not satisfied. In comes former Randolph Head Coach John Naslonski. Naslonski moved on from the program he was at for 25 years (10 as Head Coach), to coach a program with high expectations this season.
The Warriors are a team that should not allow many goals this season. They are built from the backend out, starting in goal with High Point-bound senior Nick Buonassi who comes back with his sparkling 63% save percentage from a year ago. Surrounding him are Bryant-bound Kyle Capodanno, Albany-bound Connor Kelly, junior Villanova commit Parker Harms, and juniors Chris Carhart and James Cadott. Naslonski also mentioned sophomores Julian Fisher and John Lake as players to keep an eye on as they press for time. Capodanno is a lockdown defender on the backend and Kelly should be regarded as one of the more versatile players in the state. Harms looked the part of future star in his time as a sophomore last season, and looks to build off that.
On the offensive end, the graduation of Matt Porazzo (55 goals, 91 points), James Farinacci (46 goals), and Blake Gorski (29 goals) will hurt. Even with the graduation of 130 goals between those three players, the returning pieces for Manasquan will be sure to pick up the slack. On attack, junior Lehigh commit Brandon Kunz (36 goals, 71 points) will be flanked by Drew-bound Nick Carabetta (6 goals), junior Ryan Aldi (26 goals) and senior Cole Schwartz (5 goals).
Moving to the midfield, senior Ty Thermann returns after winning 71% of his draws last year. He will be in a faceoff room with junior Luke Herbert (69%) and sophomore Will Conway. Lehigh-bound Brody Muly (24 goals) is a burner from the midfield, and he will lead a group including Drew-bound Joe Carabetta (13 goals), junior Monmouth commit Matt Schneider (11 goals) and junior Kelly Mulligan (3 goals). Sophomores Jack O’Rielly (6 goals) and Lucas Longo got experience last year and should be expected to earn even more time as the season goes on. Senior Aidan Rady, juniors Kai Donahue and Pat Frost, and sophomore Dylan Lu will be the four defensive midfielders helping the Warriors’ talented long poles. Coach Naslonski also highlighted freshmen Kieran Schneider, Dax Klein, and Sammy Chiarella as newcomers who have impressed through preseason.
This Manasquan team earned a ranking in our Top 10 for a reason, and with the returning experiences as well as an offseason of growth on top of the hire of Coach Naslonski they should be expected to go far this year. If the team continues to develop under a new coach and system, as well as their younger players settling into new roles, the sky is the limit for this years Warriors.