Thursday, October 1, 2026
A year after winning 14 games and reaching the Nassau Class B boys’ lacrosse semifinals, Long Beach has busted out of the gate with four straight victories including back-to-back come-from-behind versions.
The Marines scored six unanswered second-half goals to get past Oceanside, 8-4, in non-league action last Friday night. Junior Mike Breglia netted a hat trick, and seniors James Forkin and Noah Weisner added two goals apiece to lead an offense that sent 42 shots towards Sailors goaltender Kevin Lamantia, who made 20 saves.
“We seem to play better on our own field, but we’ve just beaten two tough teams on the road,” Long Beach coach Jim Kaspar said. “We’re a different team than we were last season. We lost 12 seniors, but all the kids we brought back have worked hard and improved.
“We had a great turnout during the offseason,” he added. “I think if we come to play, we’ve got a chance against anyone.”
Some of the Marines’ bigger tests — Garden City and Wantagh — come late in the season. Upcoming challenges include South Side this Friday at 7 p.m. at Skelos Sports Complex, and Bellmore-JFK at home on April 17. “Our conference is stacked,” Kaspar said of Conference B-II.
No matter the opponent, Long Beach could feature the No. 1 player on the field. Forkin, who is headed to Syracuse, earned All-County honors last spring and is an All-America candidate. “I’ve been coaching 44 years, and he’s one of the top five players I’ve coached,” Kaspar said of Forkin, who opened the campaign with seven goals and two assists in a 14-5 victory over Baldwin. “He changes the flow of the game. He’s got great pure skills and all the intangibles. Teams are doing everything they can to lock him, but he’s so tough to defend.”
At times, Forkin (17 goals, six assists in four games) plays on attack with Breglia (nine goals) and Weisner (six), and other times he’s part of a deep midfield that includes senior Billy Kane, junior Josh Azyenberg and sophomore Chris Parler.
