A sports-based non-profit started by a Watertown resident will host two lacrosse all-star games to help raise money for cancer research.
Watertown’s Michael Slonina started A Shot for Life in 2010 when his mother was diagnosed with a potentially malignant brain tumor. He shot baskets for 24 hours straight in the first year, 2011.
The non-profit organization grew out of Slonina’s effort, and has included basketball shooting contests, a home run derby, and now the ASFL Clash Against Cancer. The sport allowed A Shot For Cancer to expand.
“There were many reasons why Lacrosse was the next step for us. One of them is that there was very little overlap between our basketball, baseball, and softball rosters with Lacrosse and we wanted to grow the ASFL community as much as possible with the next sport that we added,: Slonina said. “Many of our athletes prior to adding lacrosse also play football, hockey, or soccer – but very few played Lacrosse.”
Included in the boys roster for the first Clash Against Cancer is Watertown’s Brian Shortt, who attends Catholic Memorial.
Slonina said that lacrosse has a passionate base in the northeast, and the Clash gives players an event in the winter in which they can participate. He also credited two of the ASFL summer interns, Matt Freitas and Deven Patel, who are college lacrosse players.
“They did a phenomenal job getting this ASFL initiative off the ground,” Slonina said.
The following announcement was provided by A Shot for Life:
A Shot For Life is excited to announce the roster of our first annual A Shot For Life Lacrosse event, the ASFL Clash Against Cancer. A Shot For Life (‘ASFL’) is a sports based non-profit organization that funds health and cancer research initiatives. Through sports-based initiatives, community in-person events, and online activities, ASFL meaningfully engages and unites communities, inspires hope and teaches community leadership. The ASFL Clash Against Cancer is the Lacrosse sibling of our A Shot For Life Challenge (Basketball) and A Shot For Life Home Run Derby (Baseball and Softball).
The ASFL Clash Against Cancer will be an All-Star game format with an MVP announced after both the boys and girls games. There will also be halftime competitions and a designated award for the highest fundraiser. ASFL staff members Matt Freitas and Deven Patel have been building ASFL Lacrosse since May of 2021.
It is a competitive process to be chosen as an A Shot For Life athlete in one of our talent based events. We not only scout all prospective players closely, we also look for people of great character. We are extremely proud of the inaugural 2022 roster as we break ground in a new sport and welcome in so many new players to the ASFL Family. While cancer research will always be our primary focus, the ASFL Family Program also strives to teach young athletes the positive influence that their talent can have on the world outside of sports. Each of our players will raise money for cancer research at the Dr. Curry Research Lab at Massachusetts General Hospital.
We are thrilled that the Cannons LC of the Premier Lacrosse League will play a part in the ASFL Clash Against Cancer. They will be donating a prize package including a game day experience to the highest fundraisers of both the boys and girls rosters of the event. We would like to thank Head Coach Sean Quirk, the Cannons, and the PLL for their crucial support of A Shot For Life as we bring our organization and mission to the New England Lacrosse community.
“Our community of athletes making a difference is growing more robust, and we are very excited for this next phase of ASFL’s development. Matt Freitas and Deven Patel have been hard at work on bringing ASFL Lacrosse to life since last summer, and they have done a phenomenal job in what was a large-scale project. The ASFL Clash Against Cancer is the first and for the time being, the primary component of ASFL Lacrosse, but we believe that the possibility exists to do quite a bit more in the Lacrosse space moving forward in the years ahead.” – Mike Slonina, CEO of A Shot For Life
A Shot For Life Inaugural Clash Against Cancer – February 12th, 2022
Union Point Sports Complex, Weymouth
Boys Game: 3:30 PM
Girls Game: 6:30 PM
Boys Roster
Adam Figler – Belmont Hill
Aidan O’Neil – Tabor Academy
Alex Colella – Duxbury
Alex Dixon – Brooks
Andrew Hahm – St. Sebastian’s
Ben Ryan – Xaverian Brothers
Brendan Poirier – Rivers
Brian Shortt – Catholic Memorial
Brody Upton – Nobles
David Herlihy – Lincoln-Sudbury
David Sullivan – Roxbury Latin
Ethan O’Neill – Belmont Hill
Evan O’Neil – Tabor Academy
Jack Taylor – Lawrence Academy
Jake Gilbert – Xaverian Brothers
James Carroll – BC High
Kyle Goodwin – Newton North
Kyle Piersiak – Needham
Lucca Casagrande – Milton Academy
Matthew Swirbalus – St. Sebastian’s
Matthew Torrey – Belmont Hill
Maximo Fenn – Catholic Memorial
Murphy McLaughlin – Milton Academy
Nick Pisano – Needham
Nico Berger – BB&N
Oran Gelinas – Middlesex
Owen Umansky – Governor’s Academy
PJ McKeigue – St. Sebastian’s
Ralph Vogel – Milton Academy
Sam Raye Steiner – Middlesex
Tate Seeman – Deerfield Academy
Teddy O’Rourke – Brewster Academy
Tim McNamara – Tabor Academy
Girls Roster
Abby Booth – Williston Northampton
Alanna Dumalac – Wellesley
Alex Blake – Medfield
Allie Zorn – Bedford
Anna Kenney – Thayer Academy
Annie O’Keeffe – Nobles
Brooke McLoy – Thayer Academy
Callie Batchelder – Governor’s Academy
Campbell Johnston – Duxbury
Carly Peterson – Rivers
Caroline Kendall – Thayer Academy
Caroline Whelan – Walpole
Cass Belsito – New Hampton
Emma Davis – Nobles
Eva Chouinard – Thayer Academy
Fiona O’Keeffe – Nobles
Grace Bean – Williston Northampton
Jamie Tanner – Franklin
Jayne Feeney – Milton Academy
Kaitlyn Carney – Franklin
Kate Deehan – Westwood
Kate Mautz – Phillips Exeter
Katie Peterson – Franklin
Kean Sneath – Lincoln-Sudbury
Kelly Blake – Medfield
Kenzie Baker – Franklin
Kristina Pisano – Needham
Lauren Lefebvre – Marlborough
Lilly Stoller – Milton Academy
Lindsay Lefebvre – Marlborough
Lindsey Diomede – Westwood
Nicola Donlan – Lincoln-Sudbury
Reagan O’Brien – Boston Latin School
Reilly Walsh – Notre Dame