By: Carolyn M. Hartko
The first trip to a state tournament for the South Brunswick High School girls’ lacrosse team will have to be viewed as a learning experience. West Morris/Mendham, a school that has sponsored this sport for many years, rolled over the Lady Vikings 17-3 in Tuesday’s game.
"(Their coach) was the same one who had started the program, and she said that you have to give it five years before you can really be in competition," Viking head coach Gail DeMarco said. "Tonight, she said it was a great thing that we even made states, and that it’s quite an accomplishment. And I do feel the same way. It’s an achievement that the girls worked that hard to get to this point."
Junior attack Kate Marowitz scored two of South Brunswick’s goals, and Krystal Brown knocked in the other. The goalie job was split between Chrissie Tupe (17 saves) and Kelly Berkuta (seven).
The Vikings have come a long way in three years, but seeing a team like West Morris in action points out what has to be done if SB wants to step up to the next level.
"Some of it is just fundamentals, really just throwing and catching," DeMarco said. "And some of it’s a matter of confidence. Our girls almost came to the point where they could have been in a really good game, but they got a little nervous, because of their inexperience. So, I think experience and confidence will make a big difference for them."
The Vikings should have gained a lot of confidence from the game that preceded states. After losing to East Brunswick 13-1 in a regular season game, South had to return to EB last Friday for the first round of the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament.
The Vikings came close to pulling off an upset, but lost to the Lady Bears 12-11. Marowitz was unstoppable, posting a career-high eight goals. Brown netted two, and senior Sarah McCall added one. Brown, who had been a defender all year, played on the attack for the first time against EB. Her ball handling skills made a big difference in the way these two teams meshed.
"The other difference was that the (regular season) East Brunswick game was the first game that we really had to play without Tanya Earl," DeMarco said. "I think the girls had to get used to that. Some of the girls had to step up, and they made the decision to do that."
DeMarco has also been giving a few freshmen some varsity time, including Jackie Helsgott who’s been helping out on defense. These youngsters are the ones who will make the Lady Vikings’ goal of beating East Brunswick a reality in the next year or two.
"We were all a little disappointed," DeMarco said of the GMC loss to the Bears. "The girls felt really good that they were able to get to that point, but it was a little upsetting because they didn’t win."

