Allentown emphasizing mental toughness entering matchup with Jackson Liberty
There is no doubt the Allentown girls lacrosse team has plenty of talent, and going forward in the state tournament it’s even adding a few more components.
“I think there are a lot of important factors to getting a win,’’ said Allentown coach Jen Garavente. “But, I think the biggest thing is your mindset.’’
This has been a very focused and determined group of Redbirds this season, and with a jacked up positive attitude it could make things tough for Jackson Liberty.
Allentown (13-4), which is the top seed in Central Jersey Group III, will welcome No. 4 Jackson Liberty (14-4) to the field on Tuesday at 4 p.m. in the sectional semifinals with a berth in the sectional finals on the line.
The other semifinal has No. 2 Notre Dame hosting No. 3 Colts Neck.
“It’s difficult to stay positive even if you’re down, but the best athletes and teams believe that they will overcome the challenges in the game and will win it,’’ said Garavente. “It all comes down to mental toughness and heart.’’
Allentown’s losses have come to some pretty impressive teams. It lost twice to Lawrenceville, including the Mercer County Tournament final, to BridgewaterRaritan and national powerhouse Moorestown.
While the Redbirds would love another meeting with Notre Dame, it’s more important to take care of the business at hand.
“We are trying to focus on one game at a time,’’ said Garavente. “Even now in the season, we are constantly working on things and learning. While the sectional final keeps us motivated we take each day at a time.’’
Allentown has won fourof-five and has been led by Marin Hartshorn with 48 goals and 15 assists, Kaitlyn Bergan has 32 and 19 and Brianna Samuels added 31 and 12.
The loss of injured Julianna Golden’s scoring ability has been filled by a committee that is stepping up and playing well. One of those players has been Kylie Reed.
The defense is led by Abby Howell in the cage. Key players in front of her have been Gianna Skowronski, Mary Bellotti and Sierra Wojcik.
Jackson Liberty is paced by Maeve Carney with 53 goals and 22 assists, Jade Rivera adds 51 and 14 and Donna Polhemus has 28 goals. Bailey Havens guards the cage for the Lions.
Besides wanting to settle a score from last year with the Irish, the Redbirds want to prove the MCT final was really not the team they know they are capable of being.
“That final game taught us a lot about our team,’’ said Garavente. “We realized the ways we need to step up and be a lot tougher mentally in high-pressure situations. Everyone is realizing how pivotal their role is and it has truly allowed us to come together for this next chapter in our season.’’