Old Bridge girls earn first state playoff berth

BY WARREN RAPPLEYEA
Staff Writer

MIGUEL JUAREZ staff East Brunswick’s Allison WInter heads toward the net during the Bears’ loss to Metuchen on Friday in East Brunswick.

The Old Bridge High School girls lacrosse team has qualified for the NJSIAA Tournament for the first time, and the Lady Knights will be looking to improve upon their 8-2-1 mark this evening when they host Paramus Catholic on senior night.

Team depth and a balanced scoring attack have been two key ingredients in Old Bridge’s success, according to coach Steve Gajewski. The Lady Knights are coming off a 7-3 win over South Brunswick on Monday.

Down 3-2 in the first half, Old Bridge responded by scoring the next five goals and dominating the second half. Amanda Hobson scored a pair of goals for the winners and goalie Sam May shut the door the rest of the way.

The ability to score in bunches has propelled the Lady Knights. Co-captain Tara Nardella leads the way with 25 goals and 10 assists, while Hobson, the other captain, has 15 goals and seven assists. Nardella and Hobson are the lone seniors on the squad.

Junior Danielle Abrams has contributed 17 goals and six assists, while fellow junior Danielle Fitzpatrick, the Lady Knights’ only lefty, has eight goals and a team-leading 15 assists. Sophomore Ashley Reynolds has scored 14 times.

"We have a lot of girls who can score, so our opponents can’t key on any one player," Gajewski said. "That’s a great benefit."

Not to be outdone, the Old Bridge defense has excelled as well. Juniors Lauren Chin and Jen Kelleher, whom Gajewski called "the most improved player on the team," have combined with sophomore Brittany Durgin to form a solid backline in front of May.

"Our defense wins a lot of battles for the ball," the coach added. "They also have great anticipation skills, and as a result, they intercept a lot of passes. That puts us right back on offense."

Gajewski also noted that his team’s positive attitude and strong work ethic have been keys.

"Not a single kid in our program played lacrosse before the ninth grade," he said. "They have worked and worked to learn the game and excel at it. This team is deep and there’s competition for playing time. They’ve really come a long way."

And with a state tourney berth for the first time, the Lady Knights may be going a lot further.

Notes... The Knights have established themselves as the top girls team in the GMC, and as the only team that entered the week with a record over .500.

Rutgers Prep is the next-best team in the GMC at 6-7, followed by South Brunswick at 5-6. The Vikings got their fifth win on Tuesday when they knocked off Montgomery, 10-5, but had their state playoff hopes dashed by Old Bridge on Tuesday with a 7-4 loss.

Both North Brunswick and East Brunswick have struggled this spring, with the Raiders sporting a 1-6 mark, and the Bears falling to 0-11 with a 12-7 loss to West Windsor-South on Monday.

On the boys’ side, it’s quite the opposite, as the East Brunswick Bears have played to an 8-6 mark, but dropped its last two games, including Tuesday’s game with West-Windsor-Plainsboro North, 15-10.

The GMC’s top team, South Brunswick, dropped its first game of the year on Tuesday, 15-12, to Notre Dame. The Vikings have clearly established themselves as the conference’s elite team, though both the Bears and North Brunswick (7-7) have also played well enough to earn postseason berths this spring.

The GMC’s remaining boys teams, St. Joseph’s (3-11), Old Bridge (2-13) and Edison (1-10) have struggled this spring with young programs.