Dragons all fired up

The third- and fourth-grade Allentown/Upper Freehold Dragons lacrosse team defeated Jackson 8-3 in the rain on April 14.

Top to bottom: Dragons White-2 player Brody Zauner dodges around a Hopewell Valley midfielder as he clears the ball during the April 25 game. Third-grader Dayne Zauner gets ready to dodge past the Hopewell Valley midfielder. Goalies Zach Powdermaker and Tage Firkin played strong and for the third game in a row the team's starting defensive linemen Jason Rider, Chris Fake and Sam Kohler did not allow a goal.

Sam Kohler, Connor Provost and Chris Fake each scored one goal. Colin Roy scored two goals and Michael Surace scored three goals.

James Lizura had three shots on goal and Noah Garison, who scored a goal the previous week, had two shots on goal that barely missed.

The team went on to battle neighboring Millstone on April 18. Millstone scored with 10 seconds remaining in the game to win 3-2.

Colin Roy played goalie the entire game, posting a shut out in the first half. In the second half, after the teams had been tied 0-0, Millstone took the lead. However, Tage Firkin soon tied the game 1-1.

Millstone took the lead near the end but Connor Provost again tied the game with a minute to play when he scored after a pass from Chris Fake on set play.

Dayne Zauner, Max Allen, Andrew Klopman, Brian Eider, Noah Duggan and Tyler Saignano played midfield during what coaches called the Dragons best game this year and a very tough loss.

The fifth and sixth grade Allentown Upper Freehold Dragons White 2 lacrosse team also played Jackson on April 14 in the pouring rain and wind.

The team played solid defense through all four quarters, holding the strong Jackson team scoreless. Keeper Eric Sullivan had six saves. Connor Sullivan had an unassisted goal and Cristopher Masserini scored a goal assisted by Justin Scarano, which led the Dragons to a 2-0 win.

The fifth and sixth grade Dragons White 1 lacrosse team played Millstone in a home opener on April 18. The fast fifth grade Millstone team fought hard and went on to an early lead, but the Dragons fought back with two goals by Casey O'Neill and two by Connor Marks. Goalkeeper Ryan Hultberg had 20 saves, but the Dragons fell 11-4.

The fifth and sixth grade Dragons White 2 team faced the sixth grade Millstone team in the home opener. Again, a fast Millstone team had the Dragons on their heels, leading 2-0 at halftime. However, the pumped up Dragons came out after the half with a late flurry of fourth quarter goals by Connor Sullivan, Dakota Wojcik and Cristopher Masserini for the Dragons to prevail in a 5-3 victory.

The seventh and eighth grade Allentown/Upper Freehold Dragons lacrosse team faced the eighth grade Jackson team on April 14 in a tough game in the rain. The Dragons fell 8-2, with goals scored by Mitch Lamb and Bobby Brown. Nate Marquez and Mitch Lamb each had an assist.

The seventh and eighth grade Dragons hosted the seventh and eighth grade Millstone team on April 18.. The Dragons dominated face-offs, played stingy defense and finished the game with a 5-3 win. Cameron Mory scored one goal and Nate Marquez scored four.

The Allentown/Upper Freehold Dragons White-1 lacrosse team of fifth- and sixth-graders faced off against a strong Montgomery squad on the night of April 23.

The Dragons' defense stepped up with Harrison Roy, Andy Clark and Drew Kosko, holding Montgomery to eight shots on keeper Casey O'Neill, who had six saves and an assist.

Michael Hogan had two goals, including the winner in overtime after a pinpoint pass from Ryan Hultberg.

Andy Clark had the game-tying goal along with tight defense strengthened by Matt Fichera, Garrett Valentino and Eric Sullivan. Sullivan played offense in the second half and had an assist.

The Dragons pulled out an overtime team win 3-2.

The Dragons' White-2 team of fifth- and sixth-graders faced off against Hopewell Valley during the sweltering afternoon of April 25.

After a great defensive effort by Patrick Beckett, Brody Zauner and Will Fiordland, along with four saves by Eric Sullivan, the game was tied 0-0 at halftime.

In the second half, two goals by Dakota Wojcik and one each by Louis Campanella and Christopher Masserini led the team's charge into the final two minutes of the game, when Hopewell regained the lead and held off a last-minute attack by the Dragons.

In the end, the Dragons' White-2 team faced its first loss 5-4.