Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 5/29/16
From US Lacrosse
Philly 5 won the Mohawk Division championship with an undefeated record and three Philly girls – Unionville goalie Madison Doucetts, Abington’s Sam McGee and Great Valley’s Olivia Muscella – were named as Heather Leigh Albert finalists today at the US Lacrosse Schoolgirls section of the Women’s National Tournament at Lehigh University.
Middle County (N.Y.) 2017 Jamie Ortega was the Heather Leigh Albert winner, awarded to the top player of the weekend event. The other finalists for the HLA Award were: Kelsey Dunn (D.C. Metro 1), Samantha Fish (San Diego), Jillian Girardi (Upstate NY), Kelsey Huff (Long Island Metro 1), Lexi Ledoyen (D.C. Metro 1), Olivia Rosenzweig (Hudson Valley), and Grace Rotondo (D.C. Metro 1).
Long Island Metro 1 won the Onondaga (top) Division for the third year in a row, but it wasn’t easy. D.C. Metro 1 posted a spirited second half rally before Heather Leigh Albert Award winner Jamie Ortega scored the game-winning goal with four seconds remaining to lead Long Island to a 13-12 victory.
Kelsey Huff netted her third goal of the game to give Long Island a 12-7 lead with 11:34 remaining, but D.C. Metro then ripped off five straight goals, tying the score at 12 on back-to-back goals by Jane McAvoy. The second came with just 28 seconds remaining.
D.C. Metro won the the next draw and Sydney Watson drove towards the goal before getting her shot attempt blocked. Long Island picked up the loose ball to start transition and Ortega buried the game-winner, her third of the game.
“It was too exciting,” said Long Island coach Steven Levy.” We got a little tight at the end when they made a little bit of a run, but had two big plays at the end and it’s nice to come out on top.”
Ortega also played a major role in last year’s title, scoring four goals in the championship game. Long Island’s three straight victories is a testament to a number of things.
“It really is the biggest sport on the Island,” said Levy. “It’s played throughout Nassau and Suffolk County and just about every high school has a team. The club programs are extensive. We have a lot of kids playing.”
Following the tournament, Ortega was selected as the recipient of the HLA Award. She is committed to the University of North Carolina. She was a finalist for the award last year, and her sister, Nikki, was a finalist in 2014.
Six other divisions completed play on Sunday in the event which featured more than 1,000 players from 65 regional all-star teams representing 30 states.
In the Mohawk Division, Philly 5 went a perfect 4-0 to claim Pool A, highlighted by a 10-9 victory over Pittsburgh on Saturday. In Pool B, Central Pennsylvania also went 4-0, winning all four of its games by at least six goals.
In the Seneca Division, Hudson Valley beat D.C. Metro 2 by a 12-6 score on Sunday morning to wrap up first place in Pool A with a 3-1 record. In Pool B, Long Island 3 went undefeated with a 4-0 record to claim the pool.
In the Oneida Division, Orlando 1 came back from a loss in its first game of the tournament to claim Pool A. Orlando defeated previously unbeaten New Hampshire/Vermont 1 by an 11-8 score on Sunday to claim the pool. In Pool B, North Carolina lost its first game on Sunday, but hung on to beat Colorado 7-6 in its second Sunday tilt to claim the pool. North Carolina and D.C. Metro 4 each went 3-1, but North Carolina won the head-to-head battle, 10-4, on Saturday.
In the Tuscarora Division, South Florida went 4-0, including a 12-11 victory over last year’s Tuscarora champion Washington State, to win Pool A. In Pool B, San Diego and Philly 4 each went 3-0-1 with a 7-7 tie on Saturday. San Diego won the pool by virtue of fewer goals allowed (19 to 21) than Philadelphia.
In the Cayuga Division, Maine and Orange County each went 3-1, but won Pool A based on Saturday’s 10-6 victory. In Pool B, North Texas pulled away from Tennessee for a 13-9 victory and went 4-0 to capture the pool.
In the Iroquois Division, Kentucky knocked off previously unbeaten Orlando 2 by a 9-8 score this morning and went 4-0 to win the seven-team pool.
The historic event is sponsored by the Heather Leigh Albert Lacrosse Foundation, Yolo Sportswear, First Scout Productions and Gatorade.
Sunday Scores
Onondaga Division
Championship game: Long Island Metro 1 d. D.C. Metro 1, 13-12
3rd place game: Baltimore Metro d. Long Island Metro 2, 7-6
5th place game: Philly 1 d. Massachusetts/Rhode Island 1, 11-6
7th place game: New Jersey North 1 d. Massachusetts/Rhode Island 2, 12-8
Seneca Division
New Jersey South 1 d. DC Metro 2, 8-7
DC Metro 3 d. Eastern Shore, 10-6
Upstate NY tied Philly 2, 7-7
Long Island Metro 3 d. Illinois, 14-10
Hudson Valley d. D.C. Metro 2 ,12-6
Eastern Shore d. Connecticut 1, 10-6
Tuscarora Division
South Florida d. Washington, 12-11
Massachusetts/Rhode Island 3 d. DC Metro 5, 16-1
WNY/Greater Rochester 1 d. Georgia 1, 10-7
Philly 4 d. Greater Houston, 13-3
South Florida d. Virginia, 16-4
San Diego d. D.C. Metro 5, 7-5.
Mohawk Division
Philly 5 d. Massachusetts/Rhode Island 4, 9-6
Indiana d. Central Ohio, 9-8
Connecticut 2 d. New Hampshire/Vermont 2, 12-5
Central Pennsylvania d. Georgia 2, 15-6
Pittsburgh d. Massachusetts/Rhode Island 4, 13-8
Utah/Idaho d. Indiana, 8-5
Oneida Division
New Jersey North 2 tied Philly 3, 8-8
Adirondack d. North Carolina, 6-5
Orlando 1 d. New Hampshire/Vermont 1, 11-8
New Jersey South 2 d. DC Metro 4, 12-6
Nor Cal 1 d. Philly 3, 11-6
North Carolina d. Colorado, 7-6
Cayuga Division
Orange County d. Nor Cal 2, 15-4
North Texas d. Tennessee, 13-9
Maine d. Oregon, 13-3
Los Angeles d. WNY/Greater Rochester 2, 12-10
North Coast Ohio d. Nor Cal 2, 11-5
North Texas d. Gulf Coast Florida, 19-4
Iroquois Division
Kentucky d. Orlando 2, 9-8
Wisconsin d. Connecticut 3, 12-11
South Carolina d. Central Texas, 14-4
Kentucky d. Arizona, 12-7