Friday, May 1, 2015

By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer

Dani McMahon scored six goals and added two assists for Saddle River Day, which topped Waldwick, 13-11, in the first round of the Bergen County Tournament on Thursday.

SADDLE RIVER – Although still in its infancy as a varsity program, Saddle River Day girls lacrosse has improved by leaps and bounds over the past three years through hustle and determination mixed with raw athleticism. Having established a winning reputation, the Lady Rebels found themselves looking at their old selves in the mirror in the first round of the Bergen County Tournament when facing an equally as athletic Waldwick side looking to pull the upset.

With the game tied late in the first half, someone has to step forward as a leader and it was the Rebels’ Dani McMahon who gladly accepted the role.

The junior attack scored twice late in the first half, including at the buzzer, as sixth-seeded Saddle River Day took a lead it never relinquished in holding on late for a 13-11 triumph over No. 11 seed Waldwick on Thursday in Saddle River.

“We kept working hard and stayed positive even when things weren’t going our way,” said SRD freshman Alexa Tsahalis. “I think we got nervous and we started shutting down when we weren’t winning draws or when we got a big lead. We learned today that we have to keep our energy up the whole game and not get down on ourselves.”

Saddle River Day won the opening draw and Tsahalis scored in the opening minute of the game. However, that was the only draw that the Rebels won for the remainder of the half. Behind the play of Morgan Sinton, the Warriors won draws consistently and stayed right with the Rebels step for step by controlling the tempo.

Michaela Petersen scored off of a feed from Erin Smith to tie the game at 4. The Warriors had a chance to take the lead after winning the ensuing draw, but turnovers were their undoing as two of them late in the half proved costly.

Morgan Sinton scored a hat trick for Waldwick, which fell to 7-5.

McMahon turned the first one into a goal off of a free position then did so again just in the nick of time. After a turnover with 14 seconds left, Tsahalis raced up the sideline before being fouled with nine seconds left at midfield. She got the ball to McMahon, who raced toward goal before being fouled in the crease to stop the clock with three seconds left. With no hesitation, McMahon calmly took two steps and ripped a shot into the lower right-hand corner as the halftime buzzer sounded to give the Rebels some momentum with a 6-4 lead at the break.

“That was a big momentum shift with the late turnovers because we were winning all of the draws and still ended up down at the half,” said Waldwick head coach Melissa Royston. “They started winning them in the second half and went on a run. I thought we played as a team and we played hard. We fought every step of the way and our seniors really carried us. But in the end, it all comes down to winning draws and maintaining possession.”

Dani and her freshman sister Michaela started off a crucial spurt with back-to-back goals before Tsahalis closed out the 4-0 run with two goals, including a nice catch and quick shot off a centering pass from Dani McMahon for an 11-5 lead.

The lead was still six with just over seven minutes to play when the Warriors made one last stand. Carly Thomson, Petersen, and Erin Archer scored three straight goals to trim the six-goal deficit in half, 12-9, with 2:43 left.

SRDS freshman Alexa Tsahalis backed up her career-high six goals on Tuesday with four more against Waldwick.

The Rebels answered right back with Michaela McMahon picking up the all-important draw and Dani McMahon knifing through the defense to net the backbreaking goal.

Dani McMahon led all players with six goals and added two assists for Saddle River Day (11-2), which won a first-round Bergen County Tournament game for the second straight season. Tsahalis, who had a career-high six goals in Tuesday’s win over Wayne Hills, added four more goals yesterday. Michaela McMahon added three goals and two assists. Zoe Fava picked up the win making four saves in between the pipes.

Liana Chirichiello finished with eight saves for Waldwick (7-5). Six different players found the back of the net, led by a hat trick from Sinton. Erin Smith dished a game-high three assists. 

The Lady Rebels will have a chance to avenge one of their two defeats on the season in this weekend’s Bergen County quarterfinals when they face third-seeded and undefeated Northern Highlands. In their regular-season meeting, the Highlanders pulled away in the second half for a 13-4 win. The game will be for berth in the county semifinals, but it will also be a measuring stick for how far the Rebels have come this season and how much further they need to go to be in the upper echelon of Bergen County lacrosse programs.

“It’s nice to win close league games, but it’s those games against IHA and Highlands that we really want to be more competitive than what we’ve been in the past two years,” said Dani McMahon, a three-sport star who is verbally committed to Stanford University for lacrosse. “To be one of the top teams, we can’t be up and down like we were today. We strive to be on the same level as a team like Northern Highlands and we’re glad we’re getting another opportunity at them.”

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