Comfort, Marino lead All-District lacrosse

Once again, Freehold Township High School dominated girls lacrosse in the Freehold Regional High School District.

Coach Nikki Hastings' Patriots won their third consecutive Shore Conference A North Division title in 2009. During that span they Patriots have gone 35-1 in their division, with the lone loss coming this year to Ocean Township High School. Otherwise, it was another smooth ride to the title.

Although the Shore Conference Tournament quarterfinals and the second round of the state tournament continue to be the postseason roadblocks for Freehold Township, the Patriots have firmly established themselves as one of the shore area's premier programs. Freehold Township was 11-4 this spring and is 39-8 over the last three seasons.

The firepower of Maddie Comfort, Alex Marino and Jeannamarie Colicchia was unmatched in the division, and the defense, anchored by Katelyn Murphy, did its job of keeping the opposition's offense in check.

The Cougars of Colts Neck High School keep raising the bar for themselves. After a record-setting season in 2008, the Cougars managed to top that in 2009 by winning more games (11-8) and capturing the program's first state tournament victory.

With underclassmen like Hallie Keselman expected to return in 2010, Coach Troy Madison's Cougars could move the bar higher next spring.

The Marlboro High School girls lacrosse team has become a postseason fixture and veterans like Lauren Kirsch and Chelsea Buttacavoli saw to it that the Mustangs were in the postseason once more.

Freehold Township's trio of Maddie Comfort, Alex Marino and Jeannamarie Colicchia top the News Transcript's 2009 All-Freehold Regional High School District Girls Lacrosse Team. Joining that trio from their own team are Katelyn Murphy, Britany Schram and Laura Delguercio.

From Colts Neck, Hallie Keselman, Sam Shaw, Sarah Greenberg and Steph Giovia have been named to the postseason squad.

Lauren Kirsch, Pam Levine and Chelsea Buttacavoli are Marlboro's representatives on the All-FRHSD team.

Rounding out the postseason squad are Christiana Fischer and Amanda Kaszuba of Howell High School, and Amanda McBride and Olivia Musto of Manalapan High School.

Comfort enjoyed a marvelous career at Freehold Township, establishing career school records for goals (197) and assists (114). The Patriots became a powerhouse on her watch and she leaves the program playing at a level that is far superior to when she started playing as a freshman.

Because of the talent surrounding her, Comfort was more of a playmaker this year. She did not need to score as much as she has in the past. She drew defenses to her and found the open player. Still, Comfort exceeded 100 points in 2009 by scoring 61 goals and assisting on 41 goals.

Marino, a junior, established a new single season goal-scoring record with 74 goals as she became a polished finisher. She assisted on 33 goals to co-lead the Patriots with 107 points. With 163 career goals to her credit, Marino is poised to set a new school record next spring.

Colicchia, a junior, will be a focal point of the Freehold Township offense in 2010. She blossomed into a big-time scorer as she matched Marino's 107 points on 62 goals and 35 assists in 2009.

It wasn't all offense for the Patriots this spring. The gaudy scoring statistics would not have been rung up if the Patriots did not get after their opponents on defense.

In Murphy, Schram and Delguercio, Freehold Township had a solid trio. Murphy, a junior, and Schram, a senior, were veterans, while Delguercio is a former attack player who moved to the back because she was such a good defensive player.

Keselman is well on her way toward an outstanding record-setting career at Colts Neck. The sophomore was among the Shore Conference's leading scorers with 86 goals and 23 assists for 109 points. With her teammate Shaw delivering 58 goals and 12 assists, the Cougars' offense, which looked in preseason like it would be a problem, wasn't, thanks to the Keselman-Shaw connection.

Kirsch surpassed 100 career goals when she rang up 45 goals this spring to go along with 26 assists to lead the Mustangs in scoring and help them to qualify for the state tournament.

Buttacavoli, a defensive midfielder, added to her career statistics with 41 goals and 15 assists. She scored 158 goals for her career.

Marlboro relied on a veteran defense that was led by Levine, a junior.

The Braves are starting to turn things around and it is the play of underclassmen like Musto and McBride who are the key to the team's continued improvement. Musto was the Braves' leading scorer with 33 goals and 17 assists, while McBride was a solid two-way player who played defense and created scoring chances for her teammates. Both players are juniors.

Fischer led the Rebels in scoring with 49 goals and 10 assists. Kaszuba is a defensive midfielder who provided senior leadership.

Giovia, a goalie, ranked among the Shore Conference leaders in saves (189) and save percentage (.510). Colts Neck looks to be set in goal next year with the junior's expected return.

Players who have earned honorable mention recognition for their performance during the 2009 lacrosse season are Alexa Bennati, Kelly Fitzpatrick and Ilyssa Meyer of Colts Neck High School; Bridget Chadziutko and Nicolette Sepe of Freehold Township High School; and Emily Lutkewitte, Kaitlin Riegler and Julie Yaroni of Marlboro High School.