Vasserman leads Central boys' lacrosse past Mastery
The junior highlighted the 18-8 win with five goals
When the opposing coach shouts you out, you know you've done something impressive.
Thursday afternoon at the Germantown Supersite, all eyes were on Central junior Phil Vasserman after an impressive first-quarter goal from about 25 yards away.
"That was a nice goal, No. 9!" screamed Mastery coach Keith Blackwell.
Vasserman's volley started a 12-1 charge by the Lancers (6-1) that led to an 18-8 Public League victory.
"I had a short stick on me," said Vasserman, a multisport athlete who finished with five goals, "so I took him on, and I had [nobody] to pass to. So I took the shot. I saw [the goalie's] stick was on the left side, so I shot it to the right."
The result was a laser into the upper-right corner of the net just over the left shoulder of Mastery's valiant goaltender, Justin Davis.
"Phil has stepped up his game tremendously with his efforts on the field and some of the amazing plays he's made," said Central coach Steve Innamarato.
In the Lancers' triumph against Frankford this week, Innamarato said Vasserman slid on one knee while chasing a ball headed out of bounds, scooped it with one hand, kept it inbounds and pivoted around a defender - all in one motion.
"I mean, it was the most unbelievable thing I've ever seen," Innamarato said.
Feats of athletic prowess weren't rare growing up in the Vasserman household.
Vasserman, a 6-foot-1, 175-pounder, said his twin older brothers, Alex and Kirill, both played hockey in their native Russia, while his mother, Irina, played volleyball and his father, Mikhail, played professional hockey, also in Russia.
In addition to lacrosse, Vasserman also stars for the Lancers' soccer team, which he led in scoring as a sophomore and junior.
Aside from the conditioning and footwork both sports require, Vasserman, who was born in New Jersey, said there is another common denominator.
"In soccer, if you want to know how to shoot from that far [away] you have to practice at it every day," he said. "Same thing in lacrosse. You're not just going to come in and shoot it. It will go flying. You have to practice every day."
His hard work, he said, has drawn interest from Division III schools for soccer. Innamarato expects lacrosse interest to follow.
Also impressive for the Lancers on Thursday was Christopher Lopez-Leiva, who dominated in faceoffs and added three goals.
Donte Jones led the Pumas (2-4) with four goals, while Davis thwarted 19 shots.
Davis, a senior who will play goalie at SUNY Broome College next year, was under fire throughout and twice was granted time to recover by officials after particularly punishing saves made by his lower body.
Central 5 7 3 3 - 18
Mastery 3 0 2 3 - 8
C: Phil Vasserman 5, Christopher Lopez-Leiva 3, Kevin Chan 2, Adetokunbo Owodunni, Anton Tamkovitch 2, Vinny Santos, David Tran, Chris Tallarico Sooyoung Whang 2. M: Donte Jones 4, Cory Montgomery, Tyriq Thomas, Naeem Smith 2.
Saves: C - Basel Heiba 5; M - Justin Davis 19.