By Will Sammon, Newsday (reprint)
Chaminade standout midfielder Sam Bonafede was asked Friday afternoon, the day before the season opener against Ward Melville, who the Flyers' starting goalie would be.
He didn’t know for sure.
“It could be one of four guys,” Bonafede said. “But that’s because they’re all pretty good.”
Matt Isnardi proved how good he is on Saturday. The senior goalie, who was behind Dan Fowler (now at Duke) last season, started Saturday and recorded nine saves as host Chaminade defeated Ward Melville, 10-5, in non-league boys lacrosse.
Though Bonafede and others, including Isnardi, might have thought otherwise, coach Jack Moran said the job was Isnardi’s to lose from the start of practices.
“Matt’s a great goalie,” Moran said. “I tell him, you backed up Dan Fowler last year and there’s nothing wrong with that. He’s a good kid with a good work ethic who should only get better.”
The Army-bound goalkeeper made two similarly pretty saves late in the third quarter. Both were on shots from Ward Melville’s Dan Bucaro, one of the top players on Long Island. And both shots were from close range.
“We had four guys come out this year who all deserve playing time at goalie,” Isnardi said after the game. “It came down to the last couple of practices.
Today, our defense played so well and gave me low-angle shots to work with so that made it easier on me.”
Like a guy who didn’t want to dwell too much on the success of one game, Isnardi was being modest. His teammates, however, were left impressed. Now some who believed the goalie position was a question mark for Chaminade this season, view it as one of the Flyers’ strengths.
“I’ve been playing with Matt Isnardi my whole life, since third grade,” Bonafede said. “And this is the best I’ve seen him play in a really long time. He’s here to stay and he’s here to play well.”
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