GREATER MIDDLESEX CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT FINAL PREVIEW
BRACKET
Friday, May 10 at East Brunswick
1-Old Bridge (16-1) vs. 2-North Brunswick (14-4), 5
HOW THEY GOT HERE: Top-seeded Old Bridge, now on a 15-game winning streak, catapulted its way into the GMC final with a 14-1 win over J.P. Stevens in the first round and a dominant 15-8 triumph over two-time defending champion Monroe in the semifinals Wednesday night.
North Brunswick, which has produced a similarly impressive resume within the GMC landscape this season, fought its way back into the county final with a 16-1 first-round win over Edison and an 18-6 victory over rival South Brunswick in the semifinals.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS: This county final will serve as the rubber match between Old Bridge and North Brunswick this season. North Brunswick handed Old Bridge its lone loss in an 11-7 win back on April 1, but Old Bridge returned the favor with a dominant 18-8 win on April 20.
HISTORY: North Brunswick was the last team, other than Monroe, to win a GMC Tournament title when the Raiders collected a 21-12 win over Monroe in 2016. Old Bridge's last county title came in 2015 when it beat North Brunswick, 15-14.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: Old Bridge's rise to supremacy in Middlesex County has been spearheaded by its dominant scoring duo in Ella Sblano (60 goals, nine assists) and Abigail Zimmerlink (59 goals, 22 assists).
Old Bridge has flexed its offensive depth time and time again this season, and those two will look to do it one more time with a trophy on the line Friday night. Lindsay Shafer has had a big year for the Knights with 45 goals, while Rachel West (29 goals, 12 assists) and Melissa Moukios (20 goals, 10 assists) have both played important roles for Old Bridge.
Emma Bennett has been solid between the pipes all season.
North Brunswick brings an explosive offense of its own to the county final, streamlined by the work of Hayley Greenberg and Alexis Rich, who have combined for 130 goals and 50 assists this spring.
Beyond that duo, North Brunswick also presents formidable scorers in Katherine Manley (47 goals, 46 assists) and Julia Davies (34 goals, 24 assists).
Talysa Jimenez, Kelly DeGaetano and Kiera Welsh lead North Brunswick's defensive unit in front of goalie Xaria Lamar.
KEY FACTOR: How can North Brunswick close the gap?
Old Bridge has steamrolled its way through county tournament play over the last month of the season, including a 10-goal win over North Brunswick a few weeks ago.
The key for North Brunswick, even to remain within striking distance, will be its work at the circle and capitalizing on possessions when they come. Greenberg and Davis have been effective on the draw all season, but will need to replicate those numbers, or at the very least keep them even, in an effort to limit Old Bridge's ability to score quickly and often on the fast break.
PREDICTION: Old Bridge 15, North Brunswick 11
Brian Deakyne may be reached at bdeakyne@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrianDeakyne. Like NJ.com High School Sports on Facebook.
Read Again http://highschoolsports.nj.com/news/article/8072269900140638212/girls-lacrosse-gmc-tournament-final-preview-old-bridge-vs-north-brunswick/Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Girls lacrosse: GMC Tournament final preview — Old Bridge vs. North Brunswick - NJ.com"
Post a Comment