Sophomore Lizzy Giordano wanted to do something for the Montclair girls lacrosse team’s seniors.
She did it by scoring the game-winning goal for the Mounties to defeat Caldwell, 15-14, in double overtime on Saturday, April 16, which also was Senior Day.
Giordano scored with seven seconds left in the second overtime, and her teammates piled on top of her next to the goal.
She felt that the team would score even as the clock was ticking down to end the second overtime, when the first goal to be scored would decide the contest.
“There was no other thought in our head,” she said. “I was so confident with my sisters that we would score.”
It was a much-needed win for Montclair (2-4), in which two of its four losses were by two or fewer goals.
“I think we really wanted it, especially for the seniors,” Giordano said about Senior Day honorees Liza Jonasz, Sabrina Martin, Lauren Morganlander and Leigh Naturale.
It seemed only appropriate for the Mounties to win after they controlled the play in the two overtimes as well as the last 10 minutes of regulation.
Montclair junior goalie Talia Cohen-Vigder and the defense kept the Caldwell offense at bay near the end of the game and especially in overtime.
Giordano gave her goalie plenty of credit for the victory. “This is only her second year in goal, and she has really stepped up,” she said about Cohen-Vigder, who stopped 10 shots on goal.
With the clock ticking down in the second overtime, Cohen-Vigder and the defense kept Caldwell off the board.
And then the Mounties’ offense hit the jets with less than 20 seconds left.
Montclair grabbed possession in its own end and moved quickly downfield, where Giordano’s shot got by Caldwell goalie Sarah Catizone.
Offensively, Montclair had a balanced attack, with five different players scoring two or more goals, including Giordano with a pair. Three Montclair players scored three goals each, freshman Olivia Nicoll, junior Meghan Crane and Martin.
Like other times this season, Montclair played from behind and would catch up, only to not finish the opponent off. But this time Montclair did come back to tie Caldwell with less than eight minutes remaining in regulation.
The Mounties were down 14-11 with less than nine minutes left in regulation when their offense went to work. In the next minute, Naturale, junior Megan Previdi and Martin would score, with Martin getting the tying goal at 14-14.
In the final seven minutes, the Mounties drained the clock on the offensive end, but could not get the ball in the back of the net, setting up overtime.
But Giordano would give Montclair the much-needed victory.
Montclair girls lacrosse schedule
(Games at 4 p.m. unless noted)
- April 23 Glen Ridge, 10 a.m.
- April 26 West Essex
- April 28 at IHA
- April 30 Essex County Tournament, TBD
- May 10 Mountain Lakes
- May 12 at Chatham
- May 16 at Millburn, 4:15 p.m.
- May 17 at MKA