After suffering a tough losing streak to close out the regular season’s third seed, Jackson Memorial wasn’t really considered by many to be a favorite to win the central bracket of Group 3. However, you couldn’t have tell it from the Jaguars’ play in the tournament. Jackson Memorial continued its surprising run and made school history by defeating fifth-seeded Lawrence 4-1 at home to win the Central, Group 3 championship. The title was the third overall in the Jaguars and the first in 13 years.

“I’m so happy for them,” Jaguars head coach Sean Bayha said. “What we’ve been through this season, the path we’ve been through has been winding. We’ve lost players along the way to injuries and we’ve had to fight every step of the way. Today was the culmination of all the hard work they have done.

The conventional wisdom heading into the sectional final was that the Jaguars (10-10-1) would once again have to rely on their standout veteran goalie Gianna Berkley. It didn’t turn out that way, as the Jaguars’ midfield and defensive efforts made the first half comfortable for Berkley, while the team’s offense set the tone for the game.

Eight minutes into the game, Jackson Memorial’s leading scorer, Ella Cooke, took advantage of a rebound from the Lawrence goalkeeper and scored an opening goal. About three minutes later, Zia Gould headed in a Gould corner to make it 2-0. Faith Moroney added to the lead by converting a goal on another Cooke corner with 1:30 left in the half.

Byaha admitted that set pieces haven’t really been a source of success in matches this season, but the team stuck to them in training, which ultimately helped them take advantage when they needed it most.

“We worked really hard this summer and in practice throughout the year,” Cooke said. “We worked for this moment and we really, really wanted this win. I think we distributed really well today and that helped us find the back of the net.

Despite his small size, Cooke was a major thorn in the side of Lawrence’s defense and helped his team maintain possession for much of the first half. The second year student. leads his team in goals (9) and assists (7).

“(Cooke) has been incredible for us all season,” Bayha said. “She is always the main target of the other team trying to silence her. She knows she’s going to get fucked by the biggest girls, but you can’t measure the heart she has. She just finds a way. She finds the openings and the gaps and she is a very intelligent and very creative player.

Lila Martinez added a cherry on the cake by scoring for Jackson Memorial with about four minutes left in the second half.

The championship victory marks an impressive turnaround for the Jaguars as the team opened the season 0-3 and closed the regular season losing five of its last six. So far, Jackson Memorial has outscored its playoff opponents 10-2, with a first-round shutout against Ewing and a penalty shootout victory in the semifinals against last year’s champions, Brick Memorial.

“It was really tough,” Cooke said of his team’s struggles in the regular season. “We fought every game and even though our record doesn’t show it, we always really wanted (the sectional title).”

Bayha also praised his team’s defense, both for its performance in the final and its efforts throughout the year.

“The strength of our team lies in the goalkeepers and the back line. We relied on them all year,” Bayha said. “Berkely in front of the net was super solid. Harmony Glover, you could say she’s the MVP of this team for what she does as a sweeper. Our senior captain Sammy Ifantis set the tone on and off the field and our outside backs Abby Wisniewski, Victoria Tandari and Ashley Alu all did a solid job. They shut down a quality offensive team in Lawrence.

Despite falling behind 3-0 in the first half, Lawrence (13-9) showed courage in the final 40 minutes of play. The Cardinals had success in the battle for possession in the second half, and Caelynn LeFlammed got her team on the scoreboard with a goal near the middle of the half. Similar to the Jaguars, Lawrence had to persevere through a series of tough times during the regular season. The Cardinals reached the final against top-seeded Hopewell Valley 2-1.

“I’m really proud of this coach,” Lawrence coach Emily Palumbo said. We had injuries and illnesses and played with a substitute throughout this tournament. The fact that we reached a sectional final is a tribute to their hard work. They have nothing to be ashamed of. »

The Jaguars will face Shawnee next Monday with a spot in the Group 3 championship on the line. Bayha said while his team will be sure to take advantage of the unexpected success they’ve had, they’ll also look to make the most of the opportunity future.

“We are going to enjoy today because I don’t think anyone allowed us to win this bracket,” Bayha said. Whatever the next match is, we will do our best against whoever we play. Obviously we haven’t been this far in 14 years, so we’d like to take advantage of it. We are only two wins away, so we will do our best.

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