Girls’ lacrosse took center stage this spring in the Shore Conference.
And the lead performer once again was Rumson-Fair Haven High School.
Rumson-Fair Haven was dominant on the area lacrosse fields this season when the Bulldogs captured their sixth straight Shore Conference Tournament title and their second consecutive Central Jersey, Group 2 state sectional tournament championship.
Rumson-Fair Haven advanced to the Group 2 state semifinals when its season came to a close with a 12-9 setback to Haddonfield Memorial High School. Haddonfield went on to win the Group 2 state championship.
That defeat to Haddonfield left Rumson-Fair Haven with a final record of 22-4.
Rumson-Fair Haven defeated Manasquan in the Shore Conference title game, 11-7, and in the Central Jersey, Group 2 state sectional tournament final, 16-4. Rumson-Fair Haven ended the season with a 105-game winning streak against Shore Conference teams.
The sparkplug behind Rumson-Fair Haven’s season was Gill Ciurran, who recorded 108 draw controls. Also contributing to this fine season were Meg MacGillis, Cassie James, Allie McGinty, Chase Boyle and Kate Caruso.
Here is look at some other area teams from the Shore Conference that boasted strong seasons in 2018.
Red Bank Catholic High School featured a potent one-two scoring punch in Kristen Pezzullo and Mackenzie Boyle en route to a 19-3 record.
Pezzullo registered 112 points, including 50 assists while Boyle finished with 11 points and 51 assists. They led the Caseys to the semifinal round of the Central Jersey, Group 2 state tournament.
Colts Neck High School was home to one of the most prolific scorers in New Jersey this spring in Ally Largey.
Largey rung up 146 points, which was good enough to place her third in the state. She also pumped in 105 goals, which was the fifth-highest total this season.
Colts Neck also received strong contributions from Taylor Niedzielski, Sarah Shaughnessy and Camryn Allmers to finish the season with an 18-3 record and a berth in the Central Jersey, Group 3 state sectional semifinals.
Freehold Township High School also was guided by one of the top scorers in the state in Michelle Pascrell, who recorded 133 points, good for 10th in New Jersey this spring. Her 89 goals placed her 11th on the state chart.
Pascrell, Kristen Murphy and Cai Martin helped Freehold Township post a 14-5 record and a berth in the Central Jersey, Group 4 state tournament semifinals.
Howell High School was eliminated from the Central Jersey, Group 4 state sectional tournament with a 20-11 loss against Freehold Township in the quarterfinal round.
Howell’s 11-8 season was highlighted by the scoring of Olivia Manghisi, who finished with 117 points. She will enter her senior year in 2019 just shy of 200 career goals scored.
Jenna Cholowinski, Colleen MacWilliams and Danielle Crimeni were other key Howell players this spring.
Jackson Liberty High School advanced to the semifinal round of the Central Jersey, Group 3 state sectional tournament. That berth in that round was the furthest a Jackson Liberty girls’ lacrosse team had ever reached. The Lions also won their first division title when they captured the Shore Conference, B South crown.
Jackson Liberty finished 14-5 behind the scoring of Jade Rivera, who will enter her senior season next spring with more than 100 goals in her career.
Other Lions who contributed for this historical season were Tsering Badushov, Danielle Amarrta and Donna Polhemus.
Ocean Township High School finished with a 15-3 record and reached the semifinals of the Central Jersey, Group 3 state tournament behind Morgan Bartlett, who fired in 73 goals.
Shore Regional High School posted a 12-6 record and advanced to the semifinals of the Central Jersey, Group 1 state tournament. The Blue Devils were led by Mary Kate George, who connected on 84 goals, which placed her 16th in the state.
Red Bank Regional High School boasted Meghan Murray, who tied Shore Regional’s Mary Kate George for 11th in the state in goals with 84. Her scoring guided Red Bank to a 14-8 record and a berth in the quarterfinals of the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 state tournament.
Holmdel High School received contributions from Sam DiMaio, Erin Shields and Kinsey Clark to conclude the season with an 11-8 record and a place in the Central Jersey, Group 2 state tournament’s quarterfinal round.
