SPORTS

Mountain Lakes headed back to MCT final

Lauren Knego
inactive

MONTVILLE – The Mountain Lakes girls lacrosse team is headed back to the Morris County Tournament final.

The second-seeded Lakers (9-8) survived a second-half rally from third-seeded Mendham (8-9) and held on for a 13-9 victory on Thursday. Mountain Lakes will be seeking its third straight county title and sixth overall.

The Lakers and the Minutemen last played each other on April 14, with Mountain Lakes taking a 9-6 victory. But the Lakers had completely forgotten about that game on Thursday.

“We didn’t take that into account at all — new game, they’re ready for us, we’re ready for them,” Mountain Lakes senior midfielder Rachel Treweeke said. “We knew it was going to be a tough one, so we just came in with that mindset.”

Mountain Lakes controlled the tempo in the first half, taking a 6-0 lead with 10:51 left.

Mendham answered with a goal from senior attack Carrie Speicher, but the Lakers scored two more goals to take an 8-1 lead at halftime.

“I think we really transitioned well into the offense, and then we passed the ball around and we looked for open cutters and we didn’t force the ball or anything,” senior midfielder Hannah Cronk said.

In the second half, the Minutemen started to rally.

Mendham opened with five straight goals to pull to within 9-6 with 12:35 to play. Christine Graziano took the draws in the second half, which breathed life back into the Mendham offense.

Treweeke scored her second of the game with 11:20 remaining to put the Lakers up 10-6, but Mendham came right back on a goal from junior midfielder Christine Long to keep the Minutemen within 10-7 with 10:06 left.

“We knew they weren’t going to turn over and give it to us in the second half,” Treweeke said. “We knew they were going to come out on fire, so we came out a little slow, but we came together, and we knew we had to keep it together.

“Julie (Krupnick) had a few key saves, and then we started picking it up,” she added.

Junior midfielder Grainger Rosati connected with senior attack Charley Orner to put the Lakers ahead by four, 11-7, but a minute later Long scored her third of the day for an 11-8 game.

Back-to-back goals put the Lakers up 13-8 with 5:04 left, and a final goal from Speicher cemented the 13-9 final tally with 1:21 left.

In the first half, the Lakers controlled the draw controls, winning seven to Mendham’s three.

But in the second half, Graziano stepped in and won seven, with Mountain Lakes also winning seven.

Mountain Lakes moves on to the final and will face either top-seeded Chatham or fifth-seeded Morristown at 6 p.m. Saturday at Montville High School.

“We’re very excited. Hopefully we’ll be champions for the third time,” Cronk said.

Staff Writer Lauren Knego: 973-428-6674; lknego@gannettnj.com

Mendham

1

8

-

9

Mountain Lakes

8

5

-

13

GOALS: (ML) Cronk 3, Treweeke 3, Rosasti 3, Bedard 2, LaBeau, Orner; (M) Speicher 4, Long 3, Curtain, Graziano; ASSISTS: (ML) Orner, Holland; (M) Speicher; SAVES: (ML) Krupnick 3; (M) Durso 3.