MOUNT OLIVE — Braeden Siverson could still remember the feeling from a year ago. It was a little bit of pain, mixed with frustration and heartache. Siverson and her Morristown girls lacrosse teammates vowed not to experience that sensation again.
She had a hat trick as the Colonials outlasted Chatham, 7-6, to reclaim the Morris County Tournament title on Saturday night. Instead of watching the Cougars celebrate, as they had a year ago, it was Morristown dancing and doing a “scream circle” on Mount Olive’s turf after the MCT final.
This is the Colonials’ second MCT girls lacrosse title. The first came in 2018, after defeating Chatham in a semifinal. The Cougars had beaten Morristown to win the last two MCT finals.
“It’s amazing,” said Siverson, a Morristown senior. “I am beyond excited. It’s a moment to capture and take in with all my friends.”
The top-seeded Colonials went up 3-0 in a five-minute span of the first half. Chatham senior Ashley Kiernan responded with a hat trick in four minutes, including back-to-back man-up free position goals.
Senior Jane Middleton gave No. 2 Chatham the lead with 5:46 to go until halftime. Junior Anna Rivetti tallied twice in the final two minutes, including as time expired, to put Morristown back on top.
Girls lacrosse:2023 Morris County Tournament bracket, schedule, scores
Kiernan finished with four goals. Middleton added a goal, an assist, a ground ball and two draw controls.
For Morristown, Siverson had three goals, a draw control, a forced turnover and a ground ball. Junior Megan O’Brien added five draw controls and a forced turnover. Colonials senior goalie Olivia Licardi made 15 saves and was named the MCT Most Valuable Player.
“I remember going on the bus ride home (last spring),” Licardi said. “It was not how we wanted it to be. This year, the bus ride home will be so loud, screaming and everybody listening to music. It’ll be so exciting to bring it back home.”
Real MVP:These ‘glue girls’ hold their NJ lacrosse teams together on and off the field
The MCT trophy in hand, the Colonials have only a few Stars & Stripes South games remaining before shifting to the NJSIAA Tournament. Postseason brackets will be released on May 22.
Both Chatham and Morristown have NJSIAA Group titles to defend – and they won’t face off in the postseason. Their games against each other have been the closest of the season, with the Colonials winning a Stars & Stripes South regular-season contest in overtime on April 13, and also by one goal on Saturday night.
Morristown is on a nine-game winning streak dating back to April 18. Chatham had an eight-game streak ended in the MCT final.
“Offensively, we didn’t finish enough, and that’s that,” Cougars coach Helen McCutcheon Oliver said, noting that her team scored well below their 14 goals per game average – but held Morristown below its average as well.
“This is just a hard pill to swallow, but we have a lot more work to do. The seniors are very motivated. The girls are very motivated. It was a fantastic, super competitive game, and I’m very proud of them.”
Siverson was able to fulfill another promise to her teammates on Saturday night. The current Colonials seniors had missed their junior prom a year ago, and the junior class did the same this spring.
Said Siverson, “This year, the juniors are going to come home with a plaque. It makes it 100% worth it.”
