South Jersey Girls’ Lacrosse Outlook

by Marc Narducci | Apr 3, 2026

Explaining The Lacrosse Tournament

Just as with boys’ lacrosse, the girls’ lacrosse tournament is different than many of the other sports. Since there aren’t as many schools that field teams, there is not a state semifinal game for public school teams. The teams that win the North Jersey title and the South Jersey title automatically meet in the state championship game. Plus, there is no sectional title for the Non-Public teams, only a state champion.

In most sports, there are four sectional champions – South Jersey, North I, North II and Central, but lacrosse cuts that in half to just South and North champions.

In addition, all of the Non-Public schools are put in one Group, unlike most other sports, where there is Non-Public A for the larger enrollment schools and NP-B for the smaller enrollment schools.

Defending South Jersey Champions

SJ Group 1: Rumson-Fair Haven 11, Haddonfield, 9

SJ Group 2: Allentown 10, Manasquan 6

SJ Group 3: Moorestown 12, Cherry Hill West, 7

SJ Group 4: Southern 7, Cherokee 3

Defending State champions

Group 1: Rumson-Fair Haven 10, Mountain Lakes 9

Group 2: Allentown 6, Sparta 5

Group 3: Summit 6, Moorestown 5

Group 4: Westfield 13, Southern 5

Non-Public: Pingry 12, Oak Knoll 5

This Year’s NJSIAA Playoffs

The cutoff date for the state tournament is May 19.

Public School Tournament

May 28: Round 1 at higher seed

June 1: Round 2 at higher seed

June 4: Round 3 at higher seed

June 9: Sectional finals at higher seed

June 12 or 13: state finals at The College of New Jersey

Non-Public Tournament

May 27: Round 1 at higher seed

May 30: Round 2 at higher seed

June 2: Round 3 at higher seed

June 5: State semifinals at higher seed

June 9: State finals at Kean University

A Look At South Jersey’s Top Teams

South Jersey had five teams in the NJ.com Preseason Top 20, led by Moorestown, which was No. 3. The others from South Jersey are No. 8 Haddonfield, No. 18 Cherry Hill West, No. 19 Cherokee and No. 20 Paul VI.

It’s not surprising that Moorestown is in the forefront again. The Quakers have won 25 state championships, most in state history. Moorestown will have to replace some high-quality seniors, including Kate Bianco, who led the team with 58 goals. Junior Megan Hock, the leading returning goal scorer with 41 last year, leads what should be a potent offense. Senior goalie Taura White made 78 saves in goal. This will be a team much better after midseason when some of the young players get experience. After being a sectional finalist last year, Haddonfield should again field a strong team. The Bulldogs got their season off to a good start with a 15-4 win over Bishop Eustace as Austin Riley had five goals and two assists. The other teams in the preseason state top 20 should be formidable.

Players to Watch

Paul VI senior Emma McCarthy is a North Carolina commit who had 85 goals and 38 assists last year. She was also an all-star soccer player but will play lacrosse in college. Haddonfield’s aforementioned Austin Riley is a Harvard commit, who scored 78 goals last season. Cherokee junior Abby Ball is off to a quick start with 10 goals this season as the Chiefs won their first two games over Lenape and Bridgewater Raritan. She totaled 61 goals and 24 assists last season. Moorestown’s Taura White should be among the top goalies in South Jersey if not statewide. Cherry Hill West senior attack Samantha Bruno, a University of Richmond commit, who scored 56 goals last year. These are just a few of the many outstanding players in South Jersey.

Haddonfield's No. 13 Riley Austin / Marc Narducci

Article continues below

- Seizing the Moment

After the spring season was canceled last year due to the pandemic, these standout student-athletes from South Jersey are hoping to make the most of their opportunities in 2021.

Author: Marc Narducci

South Jersey Girls’ Lacrosse Outlook

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