OCC Vikings Men's Lacrosse Are Back-to-Back Region XIX Champions!

Toms River, NJ - The Vikings entered the Region 19 Championship game with one thing on their mind: Redemption. The last time they faced off against Delaware Tech on 3/24, they lost a hard fought battle, 13-12, in the final minutes. The Vikings were on a mission to prove that they were not a team that backs down. The championship game started off with Delaware Tech controlling the action, and the Vikings found themselves down at halftime, 5-2.

Ocean came out firing in the second half, outscoring their opponents 4-1 in the 3rd quarter to enter the final quarter of play tied at 6-6. The 4th and final quarter was a back and forth battle with both teams scoring one after the other, but when time expired, it was the Vikings who came out victorious with a score of 10-9. Redemption was achieved.

Scorers for the Vikings were Matt Ferullo (4g), Nick Parente (2g), Gavin Murphy (1g), AJ Alvarez (1g), James Manzo (1g), and Joe Jinks (1g).

The defensive unit played arguably their best game all season, with Billy Buckler, Shawn Poole, Hunter Vojtko, Joe Jinks, and John Linstra holding the opposing offense to only 4 goals in the second half.

Mike Trezza was phenomenal in goal, saving 11 of 20 shots, with 3 saves coming in the final minutes of the 4th quarter to seal the victory.

The (#6) Vikings now move on to face (#3) Genesee Community College in the NJCAA National Tournament Quarterfinals, hosted by Genesee, on May 5th at 12 p.m.