Lenape boys roll past Southern, 15-5, in Group 4 lacrosse semifinals
Matt Ingersoll and Drew Bregman scored five goals each as Lenape advanced to a rematch with Montgomery.
Most of the game looked like target practice.
It was a chance for the Lenape boys' lacrosse team to practice what it preaches. The lopsided result wasn't typical of a South Jersey semifinal, but that only made the statement even stronger.
"I think about every player on our team as a player who can finish the ball. I just try to make sure I throw it to whoever is open," Tim Montgomery said. "We try to pick holes apart when we see them in our opponents - and we want to assist on every goal."
Montgomery had assists on the first four goals in the first quarter Wednesday, helping Lenape establish momentum that it never lost in a 15-5 rout of visiting Southern in the South Jersey Group 4 semifinals.
Lenape, the No. 2 seed in the tournament, moves onto a sectional championship matchup at top-seeded Montgomery at 11 a.m. Saturday.
The game is a rematch of last year's South Jersey final, which Lenape lost, 15-13.
Lenape won its only South Jersey boys' lacrosse title in 2015.
"We all remember last year's loss and we want revenge. But we're really excited," said junior attackman Matt Ingersoll. "We know that when we're playing like this, we're a hard team to beat."
Ingersoll and fellow attackman Drew Bregman led all scorers with five goals. Montgomery finished with two goals and six assists.
The game underscored not just the amount of weapons Lenape (17-2) has on offense, but how cohesive those weapons are as a unit.
"They're trusting the game plan and jelling," said coach Bill Sutphin. "We preach that we want our goals to come off of assists - and we try to live it every game."
The play of the game happened with five seconds left in the first half, when Ingersoll deposited a goal that was essentially the lacrosse equivalent of an alley-oop. Matt Lajoie - who also happens to be Lenape's starting quarterback in the fall - passed it to an airborne Ingersoll. Ingersoll scored on an overhand shot before he hit the ground.
"I play basketball," Ingersoll said, "so I'm used to going up in the air and getting the ball."
The goal put Lenape ahead, 9-2, going into halftime in a game that was never in question.
Bregman's fifth goal put the team ahead, 15-5, in the fourth quarter.
Playing in the Olympic Conference, Lenape was simply a more seasoned and deeper team than Southern, which ended its season with a 14-4 record against mostly Shore Conference and Cape-Atlantic League competition.
But more than anything, the game was a display of a team with chemistry and athleticism and confidence - and one hungry for another win.
"I've been looking forward to this moment against Montgomery since the second I walked off the field last year," Bregman said. "We owe it to last year's seniors."
Southern 0 2 0 3 - 5
Lenape 5 4 4 2 - 15
Goals: S- Kyle Mulrane 3, Will Johnson 2; L- Drew Bregman 5, Matt Ingersoll 5, Tim Montgomery 2, Colin Wright, Bryce Reese, Matthew Lajoie.
Saves: S- Tristan Farina 16; L- Rob Pensabene 5.