Corey Lovrich, Long Beach Lacrosse Player, Dies at 21

Corey Lovrich, a 21-year-old Long Beach resident and lacrosse player at Jacksonville University, died in New York on Wednesday after a battle with colon cancer, according to teammate Jake Ziegler.

Lovrich, who played two seasons with the Dolphins, was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer in the spring of 2011. After being diagnosed and treated, Lovrich battled the cancer which went into remission. Earlier this year, he was given permission to resume athletic training. He attended the early season Moe’s Southwest Grill Classic at EverBank Field and watched the Dolphins defeat Navy, 13-7. In recent weeks, however, he once again became ill.

“This is a sad day and a terrible loss,’’ said former Jacksonville coach Matt Kerwick, now the associate head coach at Georgetown, who recruited Lovrich for the Dolphins.

Kerwick said he was in New York earlier this week and spoke to Lovrich two days ago. “He told me things weren’t looking great, but his spirits were high despite the terrible news from his doctor,’’ he said. “Things progressed in a bad way much quicker than anyone thought they would.’’

Lovrich, a defenseman, was named captain and played in six games his sophomore season (2011) before he was diagnosed. During that stretch he collected 16 ground balls and forced six turnovers and set a season high five ground balls against Robert Morris.

As a freshman, Lovrich started 11 games and had 23 ground balls and caused 10 turnovers. He finished that season strong by collecting 16 ground balls in the final five games.

“He was a great leader and a great young man.’’ said Ziegler, a Webster, N.Y., resident who teamed with Lovrich at defense. “He was a great friend and brought a smile to everyone’s face. He was happy-go-lucky, a hard worker and a good kid. He never strayed from the path. He was a good kid.’’

A graduate of Long Beach High School's Class of 2009, Lovrich was a varsity athlete who played lacrosse throughout his high school career, earning All County honors his junior and senior years, the latter of which he served as the team’s co-captain. He also played soccer and basketball.

Last year, while at college, Lovrich checked into a hospital and remained in bed there for a week with stomach problems. On April 7, when doctors discovered the source of his problems, a tennis ball-sized tumor, he was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer and had emergency surgery. 

Afterward, his parents brought him back to Long Beach, and during the first week of May he underwent chemotherapy at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center’s outpatient facility in Rockville Centre.

That month, Lovrich’s brother, Bryan, spearheaded a fundraiser for him at the Long Beach Middle School when the Marines lacrosse team hosted and defeated Syosset. Bryan and his family and friends sold T-shirts, 100 of which were bought within 20 minutes, and wristbands, raising more than $5,000 to put toward paying Corey’s medical bills.

Kerwick said Lovrich had a fighting attitude and positive spirit despite the cancer and became an inspiration to many both inside lacrosse and beyond its borders.

“He was an inspiration,’’ he said. “People can take the lead with the way he lived his life the last year and a half. Despite his situation he had such a positive outlook. My thoughts and prayers are with his parents (Romano and Jeannette) and brother.’’

* Information for this obituary was provided by Jacksonville University.