By: Jeff Trench

When I moved to the beach in 1990, I had been playing lacrosse for three whole years, which was a long time back then. I was sure I was going to be the next big thing at attack. On the first day of spring practice, Coach Tony Spasato reminded me of a practice he had run during winter ball where I played goalie. To this day, I’m sure he had me confused with someone else. I said, “Sorry coach, that wasn’t me,” but he persisted… and persisted. Looking back on it, I think it was his way of saying, “Nice stick kid, but you’re pretty slow.” So I reluctantly got in the goal and stayed there for the rest of my career. Fast forward to 2018, where the son of Coach Tony and Karen Spasato also took a detour in his position, not inflicted by the coach. Michael suffered a knee injury that kept him off the field as an attackman. He too found a new home between the pipes and had great success, earning all-state honors as a freshman.

This year, my son Mason, who has been playing goalie for eight years (not as impressive as my three), moved to Cape from Sussex Academy. The scene was set for the descendants of Coach Tony to defend the pipes for Cape in 2023. Unfortunately, an injury would sideline Spasato for his senior year. In the last game of fall travel ball, Spasato would suffer a knee injury that required surgery and would take a year to recover. Personally, I think we all missed out on seeing these two play together, but sometimes you just can’t fight fate. It’s just another example of how we are all connected within six degrees of separation.

Sidenote: Cape goalies carry around a wooden lacrosse stick with the names of every goalie to play for Cape since it was a varsity sport at the school. This year is the first year that there will be a father/son combo on that piece of history.