Thursday, October 1, 2026
Coming off an 11-win season and Nassau Class B quarterfinal appearance sparked by the goaltending of Caden Cullen and a group of since-graduated seniors who came up big in new roles, the Generals return plenty of experience.
“We’re excited about what we bring back and the defense will set the tone, starting with Caden,” coach John Nessler said. “We have a challenging non-league that will prepare us well for the conference and hopefully a deeper playoff run.”
Cullen earned All-County honors in 2025 and is expected to keep MacArthur close in every game. He’s got seniors Timothy Patrey and Anthony Mulieri back as defensive anchors in front of him.
“Caden’s a very confident goalie and our vocal leader in the back,” Nessler said. “He’s like having a coach on the field. He makes big saves and is strong in the clearing game.”
Patrey, a lefty, and Mulieri, a righty, have similar styles, the coach noted, and a four-year varsity players. “They’re excellent on groundballs and in transition, and they’re aggressive on the perimeter,” he said. “It helps our scheme that one is left-handed and one is right-handed.”
Junior Santino Colucci missed significant time last season due to injury but is back to 100 percent and brings a physical aspect to the defensive unit. Senior Liam Donnelly will contribute plenty and sophomore Rob Ruocchio is a long stick middie who’ll rotate down low.
The leading returning offensive weapons are senior midfielder James McGee (18 goals, 14 assists), junior attack Aidan Raab (25 goals) and sophomore middie Dylan Shanahan (24 goals, 13 assists.) It’s McGee’s fourth varsity season and he’s an important two-way player with a quick first step. Raab is a quality finisher in tight spots, whilst Shanahan is a hard-nosed, downhill dodger with tremendous upside. Senior Patrick McNerney assumes a bigger role in the midfield, where senior Chris Soreco and Colin McDermott also contribute.
The Generals dominated draws a year ago and bring back junior Jake Henschel, who was successful 70.2 percent of the time.
To read more about MacArthur Generals' 2026 girls lacrosse team, click here. To see more of the Herald’s 2026 Lacrosse Preview, click here.
