Girls’ lacrosse team reaches sectional semis
By: Bob Nuse
Noelle Musco has been there every step of the way to see the progress of the West Windsor-Plainsboro North girls’ lacrosse team.
"There are five of us seniors who have been here since sophomore year as starters," said Musco, who was part of the Knights’ first varsity team in 2001. "Our first year we made the states and lost in the first round. Last year we made it and won a game in states. This year we were hoping that we could do even better."
Musco and the rest of the Knights have done just that, advancing to the North Jersey A Division semifinals with a pair of tournament wins. After opening with a 16-2 win over Jefferson, sixth-seeded WW-P North came right back and posted a 14-8 win over third-seeded Northern Highlands.
With the win, the Knights advanced to face second-seeded Mendham in Wednesday’s semifinals. Mendham reached the semis with a 9-6 win over Hunterdon Central. The winner of Wednesday’s game will face the winner of the other semifinal between Bridgewater and Ridge in Friday’s sectional final.
"Each year we’ve played I think we’ve gotten a little more confident in ourselves," said Musco, who had a goal and an assist in the win over Northern Highlands. "I think having Coach (Beth) Mitchell come in last year has really turned the program around. She has really helped us focus on improving and doing what we need to do to be a successful program."
The win over Northern Highlands helped the Knights improve to 13-2-1 on the season. Laura Trzasko led the scoring with five goals, while Valerie Depelteau added four goals. Marie Sutton had three goals and three assists for the Knights.
"I thought we played real well the first 10 minutes of the game," said Mitchell, whose team jumped out to a 10-3 lead by halftime. "I think the girls just keep getting more energized as we win games in the states. We also know that as you win each game, the next one gets tougher. We know Mendham will be a solid team and it will be a tough game.
"But I think we’re up for it. It’s exciting because the girls are excited about playing and at this point in the season it’s a good feeling to still be playing."
Musco, who also played soccer at WW-P North, feels like the Knights are as prepared for the state tournament now as they have ever been.
"We were confident going into the last game, but we also felt like we had to play our top game," said Musco, who will continue her lacrosse career at Lehigh University next year. "I think we can play with any team, it’s just a matter of playing to our full potential. We played a good first half against Northern Highlands, but then we didn’t play as well as we could have in the second half. We let the game get closer than it should have been."
The Knights have not let many games get closer than they should have this year. The win on Thursday was their fifth in a row and they are 8-0-1 in their last nine games. For Musco and fellow seniors Trzasko, Colette Delgado, Liz Yan and Alicia Portalatin, the run through the states is a chance to leave a lasting impression on the program.
"We have a good junior class and some strong sophomores, so the program should keep getting better," said Musco, who leads the team this season with 56 goals. "We all get along together well and that’s the way it should be. I’ve been on teams before where the seniors haven’t always had that attitude. But this year has been like that and it has helped us as a team."
Musco is hoping the group gets to keep playing together for at least a few more games. But she knows it won’t be easy.
"All I know about Mendham is they beat Hunterdon Central by three and we played Hunterdon Central in a scrimmage indoors," Musco said. "You can’t tell much from that. It’s going to be a good game and we’re excited to be playing in it."