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Moorestown win leaves no doubts

If it was a prize fight, it would have been a knockout in the first 10 seconds. If it was a foot race, it would have been decided in the first 10 steps.

Moorestown's Alyssa Ogle scored seven goals, while Shawnee's Barb Previ (left) put up twoof her own in the sectional title game played at Shawnee.
Moorestown's Alyssa Ogle scored seven goals, while Shawnee's Barb Previ (left) put up twoof her own in the sectional title game played at Shawnee.Read more

If it was a prize fight, it would have been a knockout in the first 10 seconds.

If it was a foot race, it would have been decided in the first 10 steps.

But it was a girls' lacrosse game, so it took 10 minutes.

By then, Moorestown was well on its way to a 17-3 victory over Shawnee yesterday in the South Jersey Group 3 championship game.

"We came out on fire," said Moorestown junior attack Alyssa Ogle, who scored seven goals as the Quakers dominated play in front of a huge crowd on the Renegades' home field.

Senior Annie McGinley collected four goals and two assists, and senior Bridget Callahan added three goals as Moorestown (21-1) advanced to Saturday morning's state championship game against West Morris Central, a 12-8 winner over Roxbury. The game will be at Robbinsville High School.

Senior Barb Previ scored two goals for Shawnee (20-1).

"We didn't play the way we usually do," Shawnee coach Janae Zechman said. "They [the Quakers] came out and played great lacrosse."

The victory was Moorestown's 186th in a row against in-state opponents. The Quakers haven't lost to a New Jersey team since the 1999 state final.

It also was Moorestown's 15th consecutive victory over Shawnee and marked the 11th year in a row the Quakers have eliminated the Renegades from the state tournament.

Moorestown had reached the Group 3 final with an 18-4 victory over Seneca.

"We had so much confidence since our game against Seneca," Callahan said. "We were so determined to come out and take control right away."

As the No. 2 seed, Moorestown was forced to travel to top-seeded Shawnee for yesterday's sectional final. But the Quakers seized control as Callahan and senior Winnie Call quickly scored unassisted goals, just a minute apart.

A pair of goals by sophomore Katrina Martinelli, plus another goal on a sweet spin move by Ogle, and another after a long run off the face-off by Callahan, and suddenly it was 6-0.

"We jelled against Seneca and we just kept it going," Moorestown coach Deanna Knobloch said. "I'm elated. We just played great lacrosse."

Moorestown's defense was nearly airtight against a Shawnee team that had outscored its two tournament opponents by an aggregate score of 38-1, and had averaged 17.4 goals in winning its first 20 games.

Moorestown seniors Call, Virginia Weber, Kristen McAfee, Julianna Toscani, Morgan Miller and Kelly Bartlett were among the defenders who formed a stone wall around junior goalie Karli Tobin, who made a couple of clutch stops among her five saves.

It was 8-0 at halftime, as McGinley scored just before the horn sounded, and it was 12-0 before Previ finally broke the ice for Shawnee with a goal with 13 minutes, 16 seconds remaining in the game.

"We knew if we came out strong it would be easy for us," Ogle said. "We were so fired up. Every player on the field was amazing."

Moorestown 8 9 - 17

Shawnee 0 3 - 3

Goals: M-Alyssa Ogle 7, Annie McGinley 4, Bridget Callahan 3, Katrina Martinelli 2, Winnie Call. S-Barb Previ 2, Quinn Daly.

Saves: M-Karli Tobin 5. S-Meghan Rogers 9.