Morristown girls lacrosse defends Morris County Tournament title

MOUNT OLIVE — There were several key steps to Morristown's defense of the Morris County Tournament girls lacrosse title. On Friday, the Colonials had practice and then did yoga. That night, they all got together at senior Megan O'Brien's house for a pasta party.

After their pregame walk through, the Colonials tried to relax by painting pictures of sea turtles.

The last step came after the game, when Morristown High School security guard Bev Bell Jr. opened a box of Dunkin Donuts. Even before receiving the Morris County Tournament plaque for a 10-6 victory against Chatham, the Colonials were celebrating with sugar and chocolate.

It is top-seeded Morristown's second straight MCT championship, both times defeating Chatham. It's the fifth straight year the Colonials have played in the MCT final, and their third victory.

"We were much much more composed this year," said senior midfielder Anna Rivetti, who was named the MCT MVP. "We were confident in our abilities. We were more confident and more prepared than last year."

Girls lacrosse: 2024 Morris County Tournament bracket, schedule, scores

Rivetti credited Morristown's six senior captains – all of whom are headed to NCAA Division I lacrosse programs –with "picking each other up, picking our teammates up, and kind of dragging everyone else along for the ride."

Nine of the Colonials' 10 goals in the final were scored by seniors. Senior attack Anna Szporn, who has signed with Vanderbilt University, had two goals and three assists. Temple-bound senior attack Cathleen Moran added a hat trick.

Chatham senior Addison Barrett and junior Grace Hallahan scored two goals apiece.

Unlike when these teams met during the regular season, the second-seeded Cougars' comeback fell short. Instead, Morristown (17-1) scored five goals – two by senior Megan O'Brien and two by Moran – to break a halftime tie.

The Colonials have now defeated Chatham in five straight games.

Morristown sophomore goalie Eloise Downes, who had been on the bench in last year's MCT final, made six saves to preserve the victory.

"What it comes down to is scoring off our possessions, and we didn't have the ball enough," Chatham coach Helen McCutcheon Oliver said. "It stings for the seniors, because they wanted revenge from earlier in the season and from last year's game. It gives our underclassmen something to fight for. We very much deserved to be in this game."

Both teams have a handful of regular-season games left before the NJSIAA Tournament cutoff on May 18. The playoffs will be seeded on May 20.

Chatham (10-5) is the two-time defending Group 3 champion. Morristown dubbed the regular season "the first season," interrupted by "the second season" MCT. The NJSIAA Tournament is "the third season," and the Colonials hope to stretch it out longer than last spring, when they reached the Group 4 North final.

"We deserve to feel all this excitement and all this joy," Downes said. "It's amazing. It's such a good feeling, being out there with all my friends."

This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: NJ girls lacrosse: Morristown beats Chatham Morris County Tournament final