2 OT thriller

Gallery: Girls Lacrosse: Monroe defeats South Brunswick in overtime to win GMC championship

By Brian Deakyne | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

on May 11, 2018 10:10 PM, updated May 11, 2018 10:50 PM

South Brunswick did everything it could to make sure Monroe's leading scorer could not and would not have a say in the outcome of Friday night's Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament final.

And while Ashley Patten never found the back of the net – and didn't even have a point – she made sure her impact was felt.

It was Patten, after all, that came up with the draw control in double overtime that set up teammate Liz Skobelev's fourth goal of the game, this from the 8-meter free position, that sealed Monroe's dramatic 7-6 win over South Brunswick at East Brunswick.

It was the second straight county title for the second-seeded Falcons, who needed every last ground ball to fight off fourth-seeded South Brunswick.

"I've never felt so close to a team," Patten, who has a team-best 67 goals this year, said. "I realized this is my time to step up. If I can't make plays happen in the offensive, I might as well pick up a ground ball in the middle of the field."

Skobelev, truthfully, was the star for Monroe. She had a hand in all seven Monroe goals with four goals and three assists and controlled the game at the circle as the Falcons beat South Brunswick, 11-5, on draw controls.

Still, Skobelev knew how big the moment was when she stepped to the 8-meter fan 24 seconds into the second overtime after South Brunswick was called for shooting space.

"My heart was pumping so fast," Skobelev said. "I just knew I had to make it. Our team worked so hard today, all over the field, and I knew that if I put it in, all the things we worked for would come full circle. I knew I had to make it."

But if not for Monroe's defense, that game-winning chance may never have presented itself.

In the first overtime, it was South Brunswick that took possession after Monroe was called for a violation at the restraining line. And although the Vikings held that possession for nearly the entire three-minute period, they never had a clean shot on goal.

"They worked their butts off," Patten said of the defense. "I'm so proud of everyone. I can't say there's one person who did it for us. It was a team effort."

Monroe, which had made a case as the best team in the GMC in the regular season, jumped out to a 4-2 lead at halftime with goals from four different players. Skobelev set the tone with her first goal 10 seconds in after winning the opening draw to herself before Paige Gandy, Christina Wang and Katie Gallagher all added goals.

"The girls earned every bit of it and fought for every second of it," Monroe coach Carly Welsh said. "They have worked so hard this year and it has been awesome to watch them play. Today, you just knew they wanted it. It's all passion."

South Brunswick took a brief 2-1 lead on goals from Emily Foltiny and Margot Costello before Monroe closed the half on a 3-0 run.

In the second half, it was South Brunswick that seized momentum. Back-to-back goals from Haley Konopka and Katrina Saleh tied the game at 4-4 with 14:23 left.

Skobelev quickly answered to put Monroe up, 5-4, before Maddy Dombrowski equalized for the Vikings with 8:59 to play.

Monroe jumped back out in front with 6:56 to play when Skobelev netted her third goal from the free position to make it 6-5.

But South Brunswick never went away.

Costello scored off a netmouth scramble with 1:35 left to tie the game, 6-6. South Brunswick won the ensuing draw and had a chance to win the game in regulation, but Monroe made a defensive stop to force overtime.

"In the beginning of the season, we struggled with our defense and we started to stress that in practice," Skobelev said. "This is an example of how much work we put in off the field when it's needed the most."

With two straight county titles, a foundation is starting to be set for a Monroe program that, soon enough, will expect to compete and win this tournament each season.

"It definitely gives us confidence," Welsh said. "I try to always instill in them that it's not cockiness, but you come out confident because you know you can make it there and you're good enough and better than you even think. When they start to believe in themselves, that's when they can get here."

Both goalies were strong in the game. Julianne Palmer made seven saves for Monroe, while Lola Bakhadyrova turned away 11 shots for South Brunswick.

Brian Deakyne may be reached at bdeakyne@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrianDeakyne. Like NJ.com High School Sports on Facebook.

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