By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 6/6/18
Two South Jersey teams – one a perennial powerhouse and the other a newcomer to the scene – will meet tonight in the New Jersey Tournament of Champions semifinals.
Moorestown, the top seed and six-time champion, faces Haddonfield, making its first Tournament of Champions appearance at Middletown South HS in Middletown at 7 p.m.
Moorestown (21-2) is the No. 1 ranked team in the Delaware Valley by Phillylacrosse.com and has been at or near the top since South Jersey teams were added to the rankings 6 years ago; Haddonfield (21-1) is ranked No. 12.
The Quakers won the Group 3 championship Saturday with a 7-6 triumph over Summit while Haddonfield toppled Sparta, 18-11, to win its first-ever Group 2 crown.
The Quakers dealt the Bulldawgs their only loss of the year, 16-11 on May 8, scoring the game’s final seven goals.
“Our team has been working so hard everyday to get here, and we are just going to play our game and give it everything we have for each other and for how hard we’ve worked this season,” said Haddonfield freshman McKenzie Blake, who has 84 goals, 22 assists and 124 draw controls this year. “It feels absolutely incredible and I’m beyond thankful to have been a part of such an amazing team with such an amazing group of girls.”
The other semifinal matchup, at 5 p.m., features second-seeded Ridgewood (21-3, Group 4 champion) and third-seeded Oak Knoll (21-2, Group 1 champion). The winners meet for the championship Saturday at Kean University at 5 p.m.
Blake said her team will need to play strong the entire game to beat Moorestown. “Our team works so hard day in and day out,” she said. “We always come to play and give our best effort, which I think really showed in Saturday’s game how we never gave up and fought until the very last whistle.
“It’s such a huge accomplishment for our program! Girls’ lacrosse has been growing more and more every year at Haddonfield, and I think we have officially put this program on the map.”
Moorestown senior Robin Panzarella – who had the game-winning goal in Saturday’s win over Summit – was thrilled that South Jersey will have a team in the Tournament of Champions finals.
“North Jersey is really strong in lacrosse and South Jersey hasn’t been as well represented at the Tournament of Champions in the last few years so, honestly, whoever wins, it will be great to know a team from South Jersey will be in the finals,” Panzarella said. “They (the Bulldawgs) have some really good players and they have turned their program around into one of the best in South Jersey and the state.”
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