- May 18, 2024
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Setting a school record for goals this year was no big deal for Flagler Palm Coast lacrosse midfielder Dylan Toriello.
The Bulldogs lost a couple of their top scoring threats last year, so they needed him to pick up the slack, he said.
“I'd say I had more opportunity with the ball this year,” he said. “We graduated a bunch of seniors, so there was a little more reliance on me and a couple of the other guys.”
Toriello scored 75 goals in 17 games. According to MaxPreps stat leaders, only four players in the state scored more goals than Toriello did this season.
“He’s a senior captain, and he really stepped up to the table this year,” senior attackman Carson Kettman said. “He’s stepped up the goal scoring and the assists.”
Toriello said he could not have scored so many goals without his teammates’ help.
“Them knowing to move over a little bit or take an extra step or call something out just to draw attention to themselves makes it a lot easier for me to do what I'm supposed to do,” he said.
His cavalier attitude about his scoring prowess might help explain why he is so good.
“His playing style is very hard to guard, because he’s so free,” Kettman said. “He plays like nothing. It's so simple for him, because he's been playing his whole life. He’s just very loose.”
As a midfielder, Toriello is involved in nearly every facet of the game — getting ground balls, assisting his teammates and defending as well as scoring.
A big part of it is manipulating defenses to make it easier for you and your teammates. Of course, if you have the ball, your first thought is to go to the goal.” — DYLAN TORIELLO
“Being a lacrosse player isn’t only if you can score or not,” he said. “It’s more about being able to see the field and to put yourself and your teammates in good position. A big part of it is manipulating defenses to make it easier for you and your teammates. Of course, if you have the ball, your first thought is to go to the goal, because that'll either give you a goal or it'll draw somebody to you and leave somebody else open to get a goal.”
The Bulldogs had other talented goal scorers such as Jordan Gales and Daniel Zsizsek. As a midfielder, Toriello had more opportunities to handle the ball, and he was always comfortable doing it. That came from years of practice.
He’s played for a bunch of club teams, he said. And when he’s home, he’s usually hitting the wall or playing catch with his buddies.
“I was fortunate to have some neighbors that played or are on the team, so we’d go in the backyard and shoot around,” he said.
He got his neighbor, Steven Birdsong, the Bulldogs’ goalie, into lacrosse when they were 9.
“His dad had a store (that sold lacrosse equipment) for a bit, and they still have a lot of stuff. They have a net and all that stuff in the backyard,” Toriello said.
While Toriello would be an asset to a number of college teams, he won’t be attending college, he said. He plans to get his heavy equipment operators license to operate bulldozers or skid steers.
“I’m going to do trade school (at Flagler Technical College) and continue with that, because I’m already into it now,” he said.
He’s hoping to also get a men’s league team together with some of his graduating teammates.
“Of course, I’m going to miss lacrosse,” he said “But I think we’re going to start up (a team) and play in the local tournaments. We’ll do the Great Pumpkin Shootout and the Veterans Day Invitational (at the Indian Trails Sports Complex).”
While he won’t be playing for the Bulldogs anymore, his name will likely be in the school’s record book for a long time.
