NJ Edition NJ SPRING I 2013 | Page 36

RIDGEWOOD HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS LACROSSE idgewood High School’s girls’ lacrosse team is tearing up the playing field this season; raw talent and discipline have fueled their success, and the Maroons have become the behemoths of the playing field, continuously striving to come out on top of the competition. R Carver. All are experienced with leadership and teamwork as Beausoleil and Carver were also captains of the girls’ basketball team, and Feeney of the girls’ soccer team. They have an 11-4 record this season, which can be attributed to a slow start, but have improved steadily. The Maroons lost a number of star players to graduation and had quite a few inexperienced younger players, including five new starters, who needed time to adjust to the team. They initially underwent some fine tuning, and now that they have successfully acclimated themselves, the team has once again become an unstoppable force. Ridgewood’s season began with unsatisfactory start after losing their first game to Summit High School 3-5. While Beausoleil scored twice and sophomore Jordan Ford once, it was not enough to bring their team to victory. Their April 4 game against Kent Place was a great success and was Ridgewood’s first win of the season. After their initial loss against Summit, it was a much needed confidence boost. Ford and junior Darby Kiernan scored four goals each, while Kelly McBrearty scored three times and Charlotte Morley scored twice. They finished with a 12 point deficit at 18-6. The Maroons found themselves at an inconvenient disadvantage in their game against Westfield on April 8 – they were down by two points with less than a minute of game-play left. Despite the probability of losing, they did not give up and went on to win the game by one point with a final score of 14-13. Ridgewood’s April 10 game against Oak Knoll went exceptionally well, especially for Beausoleil and Ford, who scored five goals each. Even when the Maroons were down a player for three minutes due to a penalty, they kept up their strong defensive front. McBrearty scored a goal with one second left during the first half of the game, successfully pulling Ridgewood into the lead. Ridgewood went on to have a rematch against Chatham on April 12. They lost the semifinal round of the Tournament of Champions to them last year with a final close score of 11-10, but luckily saw a turnaround this year. The Maroons easily defeated Chatham in a 1510 showing. Ridgewood earned their win when Kiernan scored four goals, Carver three, and Katie Smesko, Devon Maltz, and Beausoleil two each. Their April 16 game against Morris Knolls ended successfully when they triumphed with a ten point difference of 17-7, and two days later, Kiernan stole the show once again when she and Maggie Campbell scored six goals each against West Morris, finishing at 18-6. Their April 20 game against Mendham was a tense one. The two teams were tied and went into double overtime when Mendham finally scored with a mere seventeen seconds left. Ridgewood lost 8-9, but not without a valiant fight. During the April 22 game against Glen Ridge, Ridgewood scored 10 goals during the second half to end the game at 16-4. Kiernan and Ford led the offense, scoring three goals each. Kiernan scored four of Ridgewood’s seventeen goals against Immaculate Heart on April 24. Junior Anna Jorgensen scored three and Beausoleil two, bringing them to a final score of 17-5. Darby Kiernan is clearly the highest scoring athlete on the team, followed closely by Jordan Ford. Kiernan has scored 25 goals this season alone, while Ford is only one behind with 24 goals. Other notable scores include Lauren Beausoleil with 21, and Katie Smesko and Maggie Carver with 17 each. Carver also has 22 assists, by far the highest on the team. Kiernan also has the most ground balls at nineteen, followed by Beausoleil with 15. Goalie Zoe Ferguson has had a significant contribution to the team’s defensive play, making 65 saves this season. Ridgewood was recently awarded the No. 1 seed in the Bergen County Tournament. Lower ranked schools Saddle River Day and Paramus will be competing against one another for the chance to play defending champion Ridgewood on May 4 – clearly a team whose thirst for victory has only increased as their accolades have become more impressive. The Maroons have a prestigious history which the current group must live up to. In the four years prior to this season, the team has lost a mere six games total. They have won two Tournament of Champions titles, three Group IV state titles, and the Bergen County Tournament for the past eight years in a row. Additionally, the Maroons have the longest undefeated streak within the Bergen County games with 66 wins since 1995. With all the past success, this year’s team is eager to make their name known once again. The trio of captains managing the extensive team of twenty five includes seniors Maura Feeney, Lauren Beausoleil and Maggie 36 WWW.ULTIMATEATHLETEMAGAZINE.COM 37