Buser, a defenseman, originally made the team as a walk-on before earning a scholarship and, eventually, a captaincy. He played in 10 games last season, picking up six ground balls. An attacker, Dilillo played in all 18 games a season ago and scored five goals. He found the back of the net 20 times during his first three seasons in Riverdale. Spatarella, an attacking midfielder, finished fourth on the squad with 19 goals last season. In 2008, he tallied a team-high 17 goals. Sternberg is a two-time Second Team All-MAAC defenseman. He corralled 51 ground balls and caused 28 turnovers while usually being assigned to the opponent's top attacker in 2009.
"This senior class was the first class I recruited as a full-time head coach," McIntee said, "and I think they've shown that consistency we've been working towards. They're a tight group that came in after we made some changes, but they had that vision that has brought them success both athletically (two straight MAAC Tournament appearances) and academically."
The quartet will help mentor a 2010 squad that includes 14 newcomers. The incoming class features one junior college transfer as well as 13 freshmen, many of whom are ready to immediately step into significant roles for the Jaspers.
Jon Fiorillo (Painted Post, N.Y.) comes to Manhattan after two years at Onondaga Community College and should immediately compete to be the Jaspers' starting goalie. Fiorillo started all 16 games for the undefeated National Champion Lazers in 2009, earning NJCAA Goalie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors. He was also an NJCAA First Team All-American, as well as the Mid-State Atlantic Conference Player of the Year. James Synowiez (Owego, N.Y.), Fiorillo's teammate at Onondaga, was named MAAC Offensive Player of the Year last season, his first with the Jaspers.
The freshman class includes a trio of attackmen, as well as seven midfielders, two defensemen and another goalkeeper.
The freshman attackmen are Jason Davis (Rocky River, Ohio), Brian McGrath (Garden City, N.Y.) and Paul Moreau (Pearl River, N.Y). Davis was a two-time first team all-region and one-time First Team All-Ohio selection at St. Edward High School. A four-year varsity player, he is St. Edward's all-time leader in career points and points per game. McGrath placed second on the team in scoring in each of his final two seasons at Carey High School. He played three seasons of varsity lacrosse, helping Carey reach the Nassau County Semifinals in 2007. Moreau was a two-time all-league selection and two-time team MVP at Pearl River High School.
Three incoming midfielders-Chace Calkin (Englewood, Colo.), Tyler Jarvis (O'Fallon, Mo.) and Igor Laray (Hollywood, Md.) were named all-state as high school seniors. Calkin played in four state championship games at Mullen High School, and he led Mullen to the 2009 title. A two-time all-state and all-conference honoree, Calkin was an All-American selection in 2009. Jarvis led Ft. Zumwalt West High School in each of his last two seasons, and earned all-state honors in 2009. Laray was a four-year starter at Leonardtown High School, where he picked up two all-conference and all-county nods. He was also named the team's Most Outstanding Player as a senior.
Rounding out the corps of midfielders are Ed Bellacera (Centereach, N.Y.), Justin Cornetto (Fair Lawn, N.J.), Jon Crean (Hamburg, N.Y.) and Alex Grandal (Babylon, N.Y.). Bellacera served as team captain and finished third on the team in scoring during his senior year at Centereach High School. Cornetto helped Bergen Catholic High School reach the New Jersey State Championship Game in 2008 and the state semifinals in 2009. Crean played three seasons of varsity lacrosse at Hamburg High School, helping the team win three sectional titles and make an appearance in the New York State semifinals. Grandal was the primary face-off man at West Babylon High School.
The backline features a pair of newcomers: Jeff Mohr (Milton, Del.) and Evan Potter (Morrison, Colo.). A four-year starter at Delmarra Christian High School, Mohr was selected first team all-conference each season and earned two all-state selections. He is also Delmarra's all-time leader with 205 career points. Potter, a high school teammate of Calkin's, picked up a First Team All-State nod for Mullen's state championship team in 2009.
The final newcomer is goalkeeper Tom Bruno (Wantagh, N.Y.), who won all-conference and all-county honors at MacArthur High School.
Manhattan begins its 2010 season on Feb. 20 with a visit to perennial national power Johns Hopkins. The contest will be nationally televised live on ESPNU at 1 p.m.
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