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In her team's sectional semifinal win over Kinnelon, Mountain Lakes girls' lacrosse goalie Britt Dignes struggled badly, but the Lakers' offense carried the day. Dignes returned the favor in the New Jersey Group I state final. Against a high-scoring Shore Regional High School team, Dignes and the Mountain Lakes defense didn't allow a single goal until the final three minutes of the first half, and continued to hold the line throughout, as the Lakers won their first-ever state title in girls' lax.
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Dignes made eight saves in the first half and 12 total for the game. "I shocked myself, to be honest," the senior netminder said. "I was just seeing the ball and it was going in slow motion, almost. I was just so pumped and ready and excited to play."
Offensively, the Lakers' sports performance was a far cry from the 20 goals they put up against Kinnelon, or even the 13 they scored in their sectional lacrosse final win over Glen Ridge. But Mountain Lakes scored when it needed to, twice answering a Shore goal by scoring less than a minute later. After moving out to a 3-0 lead, the Lakers' lead was never less than two goals the rest of the way.
"Our passing and catching was the best I've ever seen it, and we just stuck to the fundamentals," said senior Meagan Stickle. "We held possession and got shots off when we needed to and didn't force anything."
"I just think it was a fantastic team win," said coach Jennifer Munday. "Everybody that went in did their part."
The Lakers move on to play in the New Jersey lacrosse Tournament of Champions, where they drew the #3 seed. They will meet second seed and Group II champion West Essex, Tuesday at Monmouth University. The Lakers beat the Knights 10-9 early this season, but West Essex is on a roll having knocked off three Top 10 teams to win its state crown. The winner of that game plays Saturday at Rutgers in the Tournament of Champions final. -- Paul Mencher for Jersey Sports Now
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