Boys Lax Overcomes Early Deficit to Rout Mountain Lakes

SUMMIT–On Saturday afternoon, the Summit boys lacrosse team overcame a slow start to defeat No. 4 Mountain Lakes 9-2 in the NJSIAA Sectional Semifinals. Sophomore Nick Kilkowski scored four goals and made one assist in the Hilltopper win.

"It feels unbelievable to get a win against a team like Mountain Lakes," Kilkowski said. "I was lucky enough to be on the receiving end of a lot of good plays by my teammates."

Mountain Lakes won the opening face off and scored just over a minute later off a goal by Tanner Tripuka. The early deficit put the Hilltoppers in unfamiliar territory and, for the first few minutes of the game, the Lakers put Summit on their heels.

Although Mountain Lakes controlled much of the possession in the first quarter, good defense by Summit's Ryan Troy, Bobby Lawrence, Jules Godino, and Joe Jaskolski helped keep the Lakers at bay. Summit goalie Brian Feeney also made his presence known in the cage with two first quarter saves.

"We have tremendous respect for Mountain Lakes; they're the second-ranked public school in the state," Brian Feeney said. "We knew we'd have to limit their shots and push them out defensively."

When the Hilltoppers gained possession in the first quarter, they fought hard to penetrate the Lakers' tight man-to-man defense. With 26 seconds remaining in the first half, Summit put their first point on the board when senior Johnny Scioscia assisted Kilkowski for the transition goal. After one quarter of play, the game was tied, 1-1.

"Their defense pressed out on us and made us work," Summit head coach Jim Davidson said. "We had to know when to go to the cage and when not to, and I think our kids started making good decisions at the end of the first quarter."

The late first quarter goal gave the Hilltoppers a boost of confidence and energy entering the second quarter. Early in the second, junior Michael Ford controlled possession and remained patient on offense until one of his teammates broke open. At the 9:24 mark, a cutting Jake Hall beat his defender, and Ford delivered a crisp pass to Hall for the score. Just over a minute later, Summit's Nolan Prinzen laced a hard left-handed shot into the back of the net to give his team a 3-1 lead as Summit fans cheered.

"The crowd really gave us some momentum today," Brian Feeney said. "It's always fun to come and play in a big game in front of a good crowd."

The Hilltoppers continued to ride their newfound momentum. With 6:54 remaining until halftime, Kilkowski scored an unassisted goal for the 4-1 lead.

Although Summit controlled possession for much of the remaining quarter, Mountain Lakes' Austin DiMarco did a nice job of tightly marking Summit playmaker, Johnny Scioscia. Mountain Lakes' goalie, John Muti, came up with a save just before halftime to prevent further damage. At the half, Summit led 4-1.

The beginning of the third quarter was a battle between the defenses and a battle for ground balls. With 6:48 remaining in the quarter, Summit's Danny Feeney out-hustled everyone on the field to gain possession of a loose ball. Though on the run, Feeney remained composed and made a perfect lead pass to Kilkowski, who faked high and shot low for the score.

"That was a big momentum boost for us," Kilkowski said. "It was an unbelievable play on Danny's part."

"I felt like I had to pick up my play in the second half," Danny Feeney said. "So when I saw the ball hit the ground, I just threw all my energy into winning it for my team."

Summit goalie Brian Feeney made three consecutive saves late in the third quarter to preserve the Hilltoppers' 5-1 lead.

Just over a minute into the final quarter of play, Kilkowski beat his defender to score his fourth goal of the game. Now with Summit leading 6-1, Mountain Lakes could feel the game slipping away. Frustration set in, and the Lakers committed multiple penalties in the fourth quarter. Summit took advantage of one man-up opportunity at the 9:01 mark when Kilkowski assisted a cutting Marcel Godino for the score.

Three minutes later, defender Jules Godino grabbed a ground ball and made a long pass to Sonny Round, who assisted David Kalin for a running left-handed goal. Summit now led 8-1.

Round put one more point on the board for the Hilltoppers when he found the back of the net at the 1:49 mark. Just 40 seconds later, Mountain Lakes' Jack Nagle answered with a goal of his own. The Lakers won the following face off and took a quick shot, but Summit goalie Brian Feeney corralled his ninth save of the game to give the Hilltoppers a 9-2 victory and a shot at the Sectional Title.

"Brian stepped up and made some big saves," Davidson said. "Overall I thought our kids played really well today."

The victory improves Summit's record to 20-0 this season and increases their winning streak to 42 consecutive games.

No. 1 Summit faces No. 6 Madison in the Public, Group 1 Sectional Finals on Wednesday at Livingston High School. Game time TBD. Summit defeated Madison 12-3 earlier in the season; however, the Dodgers were without their leading scorer, Charlie Oldendorp, in that game.