END OF THE ROAD: Summit Comes Up Short in Tournament of Champions Lacrosse Final

For the first time since April 1, 2009 the boys lacrosse team lost a game and it was a big one.

Their magnificent unbeaten streak of 68 straight games and hopes of a third consecutive NJSIAA Tournament of Champions win was ended by the gritty and determined  Group 4 State Champion Panthers of Bridgewater-Raritan High School who beat the Hilltoppers 6-5 in front of a huge championship crowd at Rutgers University.

The 20-2 Panthers made the most of their first trip to the  T of C and beat the Group 2 State Champion Hilltoppers at their own game, playing tough defense, picking up every loose ball and making huge plays late to give them the lead and the huge upset win.

For full video highlights of the Tournament of Champions final and commentary from the team, click here.

"Today's game was a dogfight. Every play was a nail-biter. Summit is an outstanding team and we are excited to get this big win," said Bridgewater-Raritan head coach Chuck Appel.

Summit got on the scoreboard first with an unassisted goal by senior Terry McKenna at the 10:18 mark of the first quarter. It seemed like the Hilltoppers would have one of their great games until Bridgewater's attackman Scott Bieda  answered right back with the Panthers first goal to tie it at 1-1.

McKenna quicky returned the favor with another goal off of a Sonny Round assist to take back the lead 2-1.

"Our kids laid it all on the line today with no regrets. We knew Bridgewater was a very good team and  they made key plays here and there during the game to beat us. The 68 game streak is a tribute to these great kids and they represented Summit well," said Hilltopper head coach Jim Davidson.

Tough defense by Bridgewater caused a few Summit turnovers in the first quarter and the Hilltoppers also became a bit sloppy with their passing game.

With 42 seconds left in the first quarter, the Panthers' Ryan Hollingsworth tied the game again 2-2 with an assist from Bieda.

Usually a strength for Summit, most of the ground balls were instead going to Bridgewater early in the game and they took advantage of their possessions.

The Panthers opened the second quarter with a quick score by Tyler Konen from a wicked pass by  junior Scott Bieda to give Bridgewater another lead 3-2.

Tyler Konen struck again a few minutes later with another big goal from an assist by teammate Tyler Barbarich to put Bridgewater up by two 4-2.

Sonny Round, , stepped up to drill home a goal at the 6:44 mark of the second quarter from a Tommy Celmer assist to pull the game closer 4-3.

The Hilltoppers seemed to pick up momentum and possessed the ball longer in the period but a few saves by Bridgewater goalie Zak Jones and shots that went off the goal irons stalled Summit's scoring opportunities. The score at half-time remained at 4-3 in the Panthers' favor.

At half-time both coaches offered words of advice and encouragement for their teams.

"Coach Davidson told us at half-time to leave it all out on the field no matter what and keep playing our game," Summit captain Terry McKenna said.

At  9:54 in the third quarter, Summit battled back to tie the game at 4-4 after a goal by Nick Kilkowski who was battling an aggressive Panther defense in front of the net the entire game.

Summit had the ball longer again in the third quarter but turnovers once again stalled their efforts on offense.

Goalie Peter Badgley made a great play to save a Bridgewater goal that seemed to hit the corner of the net but Summit turned the ball over on the next possession.

With a second to go in the quarter Summit saw a golden scoring opportunity disappear after the referee disallowed a potential go-ahead goal indicating the clock had ran out.

The fourth quarter started out as physical defensive battle for both teams until Bridgewater's Scott Bieda scored on a nice feed from Tyler Barbarich at the 8:49 mark to break the tie and give the Panthers the lead 5-4.

Summit had few more chances to score after a couple of shots missed wide, but the defense of the Panthers also choked off Summit's passes in front of the net.

After Bridgewater got the ball back with more than three minutes left in regulation, junior Ray Mastroianni scored what proved to be the game winning goal on an unassisted goal.

"We needed to press hard in the fourth quarter and I was just happy to be able to score, especially on this field," said Rutgers bound Mastroianni.

The Hilltoppers struggled without Senior Mike Ford playing at full strength. Ford's right hand was broken in the third quarter of the Chatham Group II Championship game.

"I'm not going to make any excuses, " Davidson said. "Do we wish Mike didn't have a broken hand? Sure. But ya know what, he went out there, just a warrior."

Terry McKenna, who played a valiant game, gave Summit a fighting chance in the waning moments of the game by scoring his third goal to make it 6-5.  The Hilltoppers battled but could not score again. The streak was over and Bridgewater pulled the upset of the year.

"We played hard and hit the pipes three or four times. Our luck just ran out," said McKenna, who will be playing next fall for the College of Holy Cross.