Madison Girls Lacrosse Falls in OT in State Playoffs

The girls lacrosse team was eliminated by Caldwell in the North Jersey, Group 1 New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association tournament opening round on Monday, 11-10, in overtime at West Caldwell.

1st

2nd

OT1

Total

Madison (5-14)

3

7

0

0

10

Caldwell (13-5)

5

5

1

0

11

IN SHORT
Despite falling behind early and trailing 5-3 at halftime on a wet day, the 11th-seeded Dodgers staged an incredible second-half rally , at one point scoring six straight goals. Caldwell had gone ahead 6-3 early in the second half, but didn't score again until the 8:49 mark, going nearly 15  minutes of game action without a goal thanks to the tough Madison defense. The Dodgers built a 10-7 advantage with less than 10 minutes remaining, by winning faceoffs and the double-digit save tally of goalie Shannon Sweeney, when Caldwell made a comeback of their own, tying the game at 10 with less than two minutes to go. In the first overtime period, the sixth-seeded Chiefs scored the winning goal and held on for the victory.

DODGER OF THE GAME
Emily Rutland—Held scoreless in the first half, Rutland put three shots into the back of the net during the Dodgers' marvelous second-half flurry. Her three goals tied for the team lead.  

OTHER KEY PERFORMANCES
Amelia Murcott (Madison), three goals; Shannon Sweeney (Madison), 10 saves, including one at the end of regulation; Alana Dederich (Caldwell), five goals.

THEY SAID IT
“I'm really proud. We've progressed throughout the season. Although we've faced some pretty strong competition, we've been able to compete with all of them. After the game I told them I couldn't have asked for anything more. We asked them to give 110% percent and every girl was hustling out there. They left everything on the field. As a coach, although we wished the score was a little different, that's all we could ask the players for.”—Madison Head coach Megan Anderson