South Jersey lacrosse notes

Taylor Donahue and Laura Lesky remember calling each other almost every afternoon when they were little.

"Do you want to have a catch?" one of them inevitably would ask.

The two Seneca girls' lacrosse players grew up right down the street from each other in Shamong.

And the dream of playing Division I lacrosse was there even during those countless days spent playing catch in the back yard.

The lifelong dream soon will be reality.

The two seniors have played on the same team since starting organized lacrosse in middle school, including on the club team South Jersey Select. But they will part ways for the first time at the end of the season for Division I lacrosse programs.

Lesky is headed to George Mason. Donahue will join her sister, Kirsten, at Ohio State.

"We've been best friends since we were little," Lesky said. "So we've always just kind of had that connection. And it's so great that we both were able to accomplish our goal."

"And playing Division I lacrosse was definitely always a big dream of ours," Donahue added. "We definitely always had it."

The chemistry of the two midfielders has grown into a lethal combination for Seneca.

Donahue and Lesky lead a Golden Eagles team that has won 10 of 11 games and clinched the Olympic Conference National Division title, marking the team's first division championship in the seven-year history of the program.

"Laura and Taylor are definitely the leaders of our team," Seneca coach Morgan Crothers said. "They're our two top goal-scorers. And they work very well together, which they've done since they were both freshman starters.

"And they're good on both attacking and defense; it's not just their goal-scoring."

Crothers also points to the leadership of her senior class as a whole - 10 of Seneca's 12 starters are seniors. The varsity team has only one junior.

The coach said her team has worked particularly well together recently. And that chemistry will need to be in full force as the Golden Eagles (11-3), ranked No. 8 in South Jersey by The Inquirer, enter a killer South Jersey Group 3 tournament that includes No. 1 Moorestown, No. 2 Shawnee, and No. 3 Clearview.

"We're going into the postseason with an open mind," Donahue said. "We're just going to play our hardest and play the way that we've been playing. We just have to hope for the best. All we can ask for is for everyone to play their hardest."

Though Donahue and Lesky will move on to different colleges, both said the separation won't end a lifelong friendship.

"We'll definitely keep in touch," Lesky said. "It's cool that we've been able to stay so close. And we both just wish the best for each other in college."

Eastbound and up. When considering the Eastern boys' lacrosse team's recent success, it's easy to be distracted by senior Mike Jevic's 47 goals.

Indeed, the senior attackman continues to establish himself as one of the top offensive players in South Jersey.

But when Eastern coach Steve Picot reflected on his team's current run, which includes knocking off undefeated Washington Township, there's another stat he kept coming back to.

"Eighty percent of our goals are assisted," Picot said. "And that's huge for us. We're not relying on one guy. We're playing much better as a team.

"And that's what works for us - helping each other, seeing each other, and not just being a one-man team.

Eastern (7-6), which plays one of the tougher schedules in the area, recovered from a 1-5 start to rattle off six wins in eight games. The only losses in that span came to No. 3 Moorestown and state power Watchung Hills.

"I think our guys have really come together, and they've taken it upon themselves to improve," Picot said. "We're starting to believe that if everybody does their job, we're going to be successful."

Peaks and valleys. Losing is never fun.

But for the Clearview girls' team, which stands on the cusp of joining the elite programs in South Jersey, there are far more advantages in losing to No. 1 Moorestown, which it did on Thursday, than not playing the Quakers at all.

"I tell the team all the time that the reason we can hang with these great teams now is because we've always played such a tough schedule," Clearview coach Megan Conklin said. "That's how you improve. And I think we're improving every game."

Conklin said she's happy with her team's play entering the postseason.

The Pioneers (11-2), likely will run into Moorestown or No. 2 Shawnee or both in the South Jersey Group 3 tournament.

But Conklin said her team is looking forward to the challenge.

"I would play games like that all season long," Conklin said. "And if you love the sport and you love competition, those are the games where you thrive."