Shots from point-blank, on the fly, angles, medium range, and oceanic-deep territory are likely to be delivered today.
Yes, Arlington goalkeeper JD Colarusso will have his hands full with Yorktown’s fleet of sharpshooters.
The Huskers have had the right to bear arms this season. Rife with shooters who can snipe from beyond 25 yards, Yorktown’s ability to hit from a variety of ranges has spread the scoring seed.
Having played summer ball with a good chunk of Yorktown players over the years, JDC knows what to expect from this arsenal of gunners.
Buoyed by balance, Yorktown (12-2) is lethal for its depth. The Huskers have shared the wealth around at a pace even Barack Obama would smile at, creating seams in the half-field set.
Dave Marr’s system is predicated on inducing the slide, dodging and pinning cutters. There is emphasis on constant ball flow, setting picks, and pulling the right shot. The Huskers won’t be warming up any goaltenders during game time. Shouts of “shots fired!” might reverberate from the field to the nearby Yorktown Police Station.
Historically and currently, Yorktown’s scorers are distributers first. There is never too much weight on anyone’s shoulders.
“We’re not counting on someone to come in and score 50 goals,” said senior captain Nick Mariano, who’s headed to UMass. “This offense doesn’t rely on one single guy.”
Blanketed by defenders in the first half of Yorktown’s win against CT power Ridgefield, Mariano dealt out six assists. Against St. Anthony’s, Mariano turned in a hat trick and a dime.
The senior has reaped the rewards of Brian Prestreau (who filled up the scorebook, bagging a team-high six goals against St. Anthony’s) and rangy trigger man Conor Vercruyesse’s emergence.
The power in numbers has resulted in an 8-0 record against Section I opponents this season.
St. Anthony’s Dylan Molloy, who bulldozed his way to the cage en route to four goals and an assist, popped the game-winner with 3:20 remaining in a dizzying 13-12 OT barnburner.
With an aching loss in the rearview, Yorktown has flipped its focus to running the table over Section I foes.
“Our goal is to beat every Section I team,” said Mariano earlier in the season.
“We want to win out. We love playing against St. Anthony’s and Chaminade, but we’re always fired up to play against good teams within the Section. Every team in our league can play, so there are really no easy outs.”
Today, Mariano will be reunited with Colarusso, a tight friend with whom he grew up playing.
Colarusso is coming off a monster performance against Putnam Valley, a pulsating 8-7 2OT win.
The veteran senior stifled key shots, collecting a game-high 20 saves.
Towson-commit Brendan Sunday’s clutch deposit propelled the Admirals. Sunday ripped the game-winning goal with 2:03 left, finally closing the lid on a pesky PV team at their home turf.
Somewhere, Ryan Fitzgerald (the former PV high-scorer, recognized for his ability to absorb brutal hits and thrive off contact) was heated.
This Yorktown team has significant resonance with Colarusso, who is linked to the program’s bloodlines.
Colarusso’s father, Joseph Colarusso, was an All-American at Yorktown. Albany coach Scott Marr, a former Yorktown All-American who played at Johns Hopkins, plucked Colarusso and Admirals junior Dan Hansen from the Section I recruiting market prior to the 2013 campaign.
Colarusso has formed good relationships with Yorktown’s players over the years, though the senior explained that his only friends today will be wearing Arlington jerseys.
“Personally, I just have to be very concentrated and be on my “A” game,” said Colarusso.
“We have to try and get into the shooters’ hands. We will try our best and try to force them into some bad shots.”
