Montclair girls lacrosse poised to make a powerful run for county title this spring
The Montclair High School girls lacrosse team came so close to winning an Essex County Tournament championship last year.
The Mounties were looking to win their first county title since 2015 but dropped an 8-7 nail-biter to rival West Essex in the ECT championship match. Montclair had sliced the West Essex lead to 8-7 with less than nine minutes left. While the Mounties had a couple of chances to tie the game, the Knights held the ball for most of the remaining time.
"We’d love to make another great run in the county tournament," Montclair head coach Kim Kolodny said. "It’s a huge goal of ours to get back to the finals. It’s important to our program and our team culture that we respect the game of lacrosse, and we do everything with purpose."
Last season, the Mounties finished with a 9-9 record. They are looking to improve on that and go up at least another rung on the ladder in the state playoffs, where they lost in the quarterfinals of the North Group 4 section to Hunterdon Central (17-7).
The Mounties will get an idea of where they stand in the state section in the early going against Morristown (April 4) and Ridgewood (April 11).
In addition to the North Group 4 competition, Montclair will be battling with Ridgewood in the NJIGLL Stars and Stripes North Division, which also includes West Essex.
Along with the county tournament, the Mounties will be in the running for the Super Essex Conference American Division title along with West Essex. Rivals Glen Ridge and Verona are also in the American, along with Caldwell.
This season Montclair will miss Sabrina Martin, Lauren Morganlander and Leigh Naturale, all named to All SEC American teams in 2022, to graduation, but the Mounties are well-fortified to equal or surpass last season's success.
They have a top player on each side of the field, junior Lizzy Giordano and senior Talia Cohen-Vigder. Giordano led the team in scoring last year with 43 goals and five assists. Cohen-Vigder is the leader in the back, in goal.
With the loss of Martin and Naturale, who had a combined 60 goals, Giordano could up her game this season. She also led the Mounties in other categories, including draw controls and caused turnovers.
"She is a force all over the field," Kolodny said. "Her lacrosse IQ, her natural ability to play the game and her overall attitude is what helps our team throughout the season. No matter who we are up against, Lizzy never backs down."
With Cohen-Vigder in goal with another year of experience, the Mounties’ defense will be improved, and the senior netminder will look to reduce the 10 goals allowed per game last season.
"Talia Cohen-Vigder is a leader and the backbone of our defense," Kolodny said. "She has worked hard during the off-season perfecting her craft as a goalie. Because she worked so diligently, her confidence in the cage has grown, which is allowing her to step up and make big stops as well as lead our team to victory."
The coach likes senior Megan Previdi's unselfishness as a player after she was named to the All SEC American second team in 2022. Previdi led the Mounties with 40 assists last season to go along with her 23 goals.
"She sees the field well and has a high lacrosse IQ, which is critical to running a successful offense," Kolodny said. "We expect her duties to remain the same this season — to lead and play her game. Although she was not a captain last year, she was a leader for our offensive unit, guiding our attack from behind the cage with her knowledge and lacrosse skills. We have no doubt that she will step up as one of our captains this year and have an amazing senior season."
One of the girls who has the capability to break out this season is sophomore Aven Hodgson, who had five goals as a freshman.
"Aven Hodgson has been stepping up since the first day of tryouts," the coach said. "Her confidence flourished, which has made her a force on the attacking end. As she continues to grow, we believe she’s going to be a major contributor to our offense this season."
Three other players who are expected to make an impact this season are sophomore attacker Olivia Nicoll, junior midfielder Hannah Saraisky and freshman defender Maya Abell.
Montclair Girls Lacrosse Schedule
(Games at 4 p.m. unless noted)
April 11 Ridgewood
April 13 at Ramapo, 6 p.m.
April 15 at Caldwell, 10 a.m.
April 18 Immaculate Heart
April 20 Northern Highlands
April 22 at Verona, 10 a.m.
April 24 at Morris Knolls
April 26 Chatham
May 9 at Glen Ridge
May 13 at West Essex, 10 a.m.
May 17 at Mountain Lakes
May 20 at Mendham, 10 a.m.