South Jersey Girls’ Lacrosse Preview
The NJSIAA girls’ lacrosse tournament begins today (Wednesday, May 28). Earlier we featured Cherokee and discussed the Chiefs’ chances in South Group 4. There is no state semifinal in lacrosse, so the winner of the South section will meet the North winner in the state final.
Here is a look at the South Group 1, 2 and 3 sections:
South Group 1
It must be noted that in lacrosse, the South section contains many teams from Central Jersey as well. Perennial power Rumson-Fair Haven is the No. 1 seed and the team from the seven-county South Jersey area with the best chance is Haddonfield. Last season Haddonfield was the South Group 2 champion and ended its season with a 13-8 loss to the state’s No. 1 team Summit in the state Group 2 final.
Now Haddonfield has moved to Group 1 and that still isn’t easy. Yet it won’t be easy to beat the Bulldogs either. Junior Riley Austin entered the tournament with 66 goals and senior Grace Farrell had 58.
On April 17, Haddonfield lost a 12-9 home decision to Rumson and it wouldn’t be surprising if the two teams met again in the South final.
South Group 2
No. 2 Cinnaminson is the highest seed from the seven-county South Jersey area. The Pirates take a 14-1 record into the tournament, with the lone loss a 10-6 defeat to Cherokee. Senior Megan Nelson has been a scoring machine for Cinnaminson. She entered the tournament with 76 goals this season and 250 for her career.
Top seeded Allentown will be the favorite and No. 3 Manasquan bears watching.
Of the other local teams, Seneca is the No. 4 seed and the Golden Eagles were competitive in a 17-15 loss this season to Cinnaminson, a game in which Nelson scored 10 goals for the winning Pirates.
South Group 3
This is the toughest of the Groups. Moorestown is the defending champion and once again the Quakers are the teams to beat. Last year the Quakers beat Shawnee, 17-8 in the South final before losing 9-8 to Chatham in the state championship game.
Moorestown brings a 17-1 record into this year’s tournament. The lone loss was an 11-7 defeat at Oak Knoll on April 26. Earlier this season Moorestown beat Shawnee, 12-5. Shawnee is the No. 3 seed and considered a contender, but No. 2 Cherry Hill West is also a team to watch.
The Lions have beaten Shawnee, 10-9. and lost to Moorestown, 10-5.
In other Groups, Shawnee and Cherry Hill West would be considered even bigger contenders, but in Group 3 it would be a surprise if Moorestown didn’t defend its South title.
Photo: Haddonfield's No. 13 Riley Austin / Marc Narducci
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Author: Marc Narducci
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