Longo’s OT goal sends No. 1 Manasquan to thrilling win over No. 2 CBA

MIDDLETOWN — When midfielder Kai Donahue hustled to force a turnover and defenseman James Cadott won the battle to secure the ensuing ground ball, it gave Manasquan new life after losing possession just a few moments earlier in overtime.

Lucas Longo was not about to let that opportunity go to waste.

The 6-foot-2 junior midfielder set up for a dodge near the restraining line, barreled downhill and whipped a right-handed shot that bounced in for the game-winning goal two minutes into overtime, delivering the Warriors a sensational 8-7 Shore Conference American Division victory over rival Christian Brothers Academy on Saturday at Keane Field.

Manasquan went on a four-goal run in the final four minutes of the third quarter to take a 7-5 lead, but CBA rallied in the fourth with the quarter’s only two goals, sending the latest chapter of the Shore Conference’s original lacrosse rivalry to overtime. Longo’s game-winning strike kept the Warriors (11-0, 6-0) undefeated and put them in a great spot to secure the top seed in next month’s Shore Conference Tournament.

“I couldn’t get right on him so I took it back out and got back to my right hand with the roll. I was able to body him out of the way and put it in the net,” Longo said. “It’s exactly how I wanted it to go.”

It was also a small measure of revenge for Manasquan against its longtime rival, who defeated the Warriors, 5-4, in last season’s Shore Conference Tournament championship game.

“We were looking at that banner all warmup,” Longo said.

Senior attackman Ryan Aldi finished with two goals and one assist, senior attackman Brandon Kunz scored twice and senior goalie Pat Loxley made 10 saves, including two crucial stops in the third quarter, to lead Manasquan. Longo, senior midfielder Matt Schneider, junior midfielder Jack O’Reilly and junior FOGO Will Conway scored one goal apiece. Senior defenseman Parker Harms led a Warriors defense that delivered key stops throughout the game.

CBA’s talented freshmen continued to produce in big games with midfielder Danny Varone scoring the game-tying goal with 2:44 left in regulation and finishing with two goals and one assist, and attackman Jackson Chaney scoring twice. Sophomore midfielder Christian Fox had an excellent game with two goals and two assists, with both helpers coming in the fourth quarter when the Colts rallied to force overtime. Senior midfielder Davis Campbell also scored and junior goalie Shayne Boresen made five saves.

“We expected a tight game and that’s what we got,” CBA head coach Dave Santos said. “It was an emotional game that swung back and forth and in the end they put in one more than we did. You have to give credit to their goalie, who played outstanding. We had a couple one-on-ones we normally bury and he came up big.”

Manasquan’s 7-5 lead held strong in the first six minutes of the fourth quarter before CBA struck twice to tie the game. Fox dished to Campbell for a pinpoint blast that hit the top-right corner of the net with 4:24 left. Less than two minutes later, Fox dished inside to Varone for a quick catch and release that beat Loxley and knotted the score at seven with 2:44 left.

Manasquan had a good look at the end of regulation but Boresen stopped a bouncing shot by Matt Schneider to force overtime.

In the extra period, Conway won the opening face-off and Manasquan immediately called timeout to set up a play. The Warriors turned the ball over, however, when Aldi suffered an apparent leg injury while being checked by CBA standout defenseman Quinn Kelly and CBA took possession. Play was stopped by the officials as Aldi remained down before limping off. After the restart, CBA cleared the ball across midfield and looked to establish possession, but Donahue jarred it loose with a one-handed lefty check. Multiple players competed for the ground ball with Cadott coming up with possession and turning it back upfield to Donahue, who quickly got it to Matt Schneider and into CBA territory. Donahue then nearly netted the game-winner off a pass from Kunz but it bounced just wide to the right.

“Kai Donahue, that was an awesome ride by him,” Longo said. “He was hustling the whole game.

“We preach to these guys to make the next play,” Naslonski said. “Kai is one that never gives up on the ball, the guy is a beast up and down the field. You can’t replicate that guy. There’s not many around like him and he’s going to be an asset to Montclair State next year.”

“Everybody says GBs win games and it shows right there,” Kunz said. “Props to Kai and Cadott. We did great in transition.”

A back-and-forth game from the onset, CBA (8-5, 3-1) overcame a fast start by Manasquan to fire in four straight goals that spanned from 3:32 left in the first quarter to 9:40 of the second quarter. After Manasquan forged a 3-1 lead on goals by Kunz, Aldi and Schneider sandwiched around a CBA goal by Fox, the Colts made it 3-2 on a goal by Varone to cap the first-quarter scoring. In the second quarter, CBA’s defense limited Manasquan to just four shots and Chaney scored the only goals of the quarter to give CBA a 4-3 halftime edge.

Fox put CBA ahead 5-3 two minutes and 20 seconds into the second half when he rolled back to his right and scored from about eight yards out. The game remained tied for the next five-plus minutes until Manasquan regained its offensive form to take a lead into the fourth quarter. Aldi made it 5-4 when he rolled to his left, avoided a check by Kelly on a double team, and got his hands free for a lefty bounce shot that found the back of the net. Off the ensuing face-off, O’Reilly, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound Cornell commit, scored on the run to tie the score at five.

Manasquan has one of the biggest midfield lines in New Jersey with Schneider (6-foot-3), Longo (6-foot-2) and O’Reilly (6-foot-5) presenting major matchup problems for opposing defensive midfielders. All three of their goals came when matched up against SSDMs.

“If they have a short stick on them they have the green light,” Manasquan head coach John Naslonski said. “CBA was doing a great job with the double teams. As soon as we went to turn back they were slipping a double on us.”

“I tell them all the time just dodge downhill,” Kunz said. “Nobody can guard our midfield. They’re going to have to pole one of them so the other two are left with short sticks, which means dodge, dodge, dodge.”

Manasquan then scored twice in the final minute of the third quarter to take a two-goal lead. A frantic scramble for a ground ball ended with sophomore attackman Kieran Schneider gaining possession and dishing to Kunz, who cut in front of the goal crease and beat Boresen to give the Warriors a 6-5 lead with 29 seconds left in the quarter. Another face-off win by Conway gave Manasquan a chance to add to its advantage, and it was he who provided the tally by beating the buzzer off a pass from Aldi before being mobbed by his teammates.

“Will Conway maybe lost one (face-off) all game and that big goal at the end of the third quarter was a game-changer,” Kunz said.

In the midst of Manasquan’s offensive surge in the third quarter, Loxley kept momentum on the Warriors’ side with two key stops on close-range bounce shots by Varone and Fox.

“Our defense locked it down,” Kunz said. “Holding (CBA) to seven goals is unbelievable; that won the game for us. All of us contributed in different ways and I’m so proud of this team.”

A regular-season win over a fellow state top-20 team is a reason to celebrate, but both Manasquan and CBA know the legacy of their respective teams this spring will be based on the postseason. Manasquan won last season’s regular-season matchup 6-5 on a late goal in regulation, but CBA won the conference title with a dramatic 5-4 victory.

“We told them there’s bigger fish to fry down the road,” Santos said. “All of this is window dressing to get ready for the postseason. We said that before the game and we said it after. We would have liked to have won, obviously, but we’re looking forward to the postseason.”

“A lot of people are saying we haven’t played hard teams so it feels good to prove it,” Longo said. “We want to keep it rolling.”