By: Lance Manion
Some coaches buy into the philosophy that it isn’t necessarily a bad thing when your team loses a game right before the postseason. The theory is players get humbled by defeat and motivated to not do so again.
Mark Ziminski doesn’t buy into that belief.
"I’m definitely not one of them," South Brunswick’s boys lacrosse coach said. "I think you just want to keep on winning because nobody likes to lose."
Either way, Ziminski will find out whether the theory works this week after the Vikings dropped their final two regular-season games heading into the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament. South Brunswick (11-4) saw its six-game winning streak end last Thursday with an 11-5 setback to North Brunswick, then fell to Rutgers Prep, 12-10, in a non-conference matchup on Saturday.
The North Brunswick defeat was more costly since it dropped the Vikings to the No. 3 seed for the GMC Tournament. Ironically, South Brunswick and North Brunswick were set to meet in the GMC semifinals on Wednesday after press time.
The winner advanced to the GMCT final to face the winner of the other semifinal matchup between top-seeded St. Joseph’s and fourth-seeded East Brunswick. All games are at South Brunswick, with the championship game slated for Friday at 7 p.m.
The Vikings have been to the final each of the last five years, but have captured the county crown only once (2001). Ziminski believed his team was capable of winning the championship the Vikings, after all, were the only team to defeat St. Joe’s yet the way they ended the regular-season gives him plenty of concern.
"It’s frustrating that we’re not playing up to our full potential," he said. "I don’t want to say we have to play a perfect game, but we do have to put together four good quarters. Our margin of error is slight, but there’s no question we’re capable of making a run."
Ziminski spent the two days leading up to the GMC Tournament trying to get his team focused on playing a complete game.
"The last two games, we had these lapses where we’d give up five goals in a row," he said. "Teams are going to put runs together, but the important thing is controlling the damage as much as possible."
Theo Smyk leads the Vikings with 39 goals this season, while Chris Laurita (38 goals, 24 assists) is the team’s points leader with 62. Kevin Lally (28 goals) and Shane Foley (23) have also sparked the balanced attack this spring.

