OB lacrosse looking to take the next step Knights completed 11-campaign a year ago BY WARREN RAPPLEYEA Staff Writer After more than doubling its victory total last year, the Old Bridge High School boys lacrosse team is looking to continue improving this season. Two years ago the Knights went 5-10, but coach Anthony Lanzafama's team turned things around last spring to the tune of 11-8, including a trio of triumphs over rival East Brunswick. Old Bridge reached the semifinals of the GreaterMiddlesex Conference (GMC) tourney before bowing to South Brunswick. The Knights also qualified for the NJSIAA Group IV tournament but were bumped off in the first round by powerful Columbia. "We want to keep getting better," said Lanzafama, who enters his fourth season at the Old Bridge helm. "But our goals are always high. We want to win the GMC tournament, qualify for the state tournament and win Group IV." The Knights return plenty of firepower to aid in the quest. John Felicetti, a senior attackman who led the team with 47 goals, is back to lead the offense. Junior Ryan Olson, who pumped in 39 goals and added seven assists, also returns. On the other end of the field, Old Bridge looks to be solid as well. Mike Oraboma gives the Knights an excellent presence between the pipes. The junior picked up all 11 of his team's wins a year ago while posting a fine save percentage of 61 percent. Seniors Joe Dones and Christian Restrepo return to anchor the defense. Juniors Danny Haviland and Steve Nuzzo will also patrol the back line. Lanzafama's teamis quite experienced at both ends of the field, but the middle, while talented, lacks a lot of varsity experience. "Last year, we had 12 seniors and a lot of them were midfielders," the coach said. "We've lost our first two lines and a lot of assists to graduation. We need our midfielders to step right in and key the transition from offense to defense.We have the guys who can put the ball in the net; we just have to get it to them." Two seniors, Kyle Hoernlein and Glenn Racioppi are expected to play key roles. Hoernlein has 12 career goals and is a strong two-way player, while Racioppi is a welcome returnee after missing a portion of last season with a knee injury. Racioppi's quickness and field sense should be a big plus, Lanzafama added. Junior Chris Rybek and a trio of sophomores, Chris Giordano, Stewart Luciow and Anthony Rybek will also see action in the middle. "Overall, we have excellent team speed and aggressiveness," Lanzafama said. "We'll be breaking in some new guys in the early going so it will be very important that they play smart, work together as a team, and try not to do much individually. This team has a lot of talent and once they've all played together for a while they'll be fine."