Following Shawnee High School girls’ lacrosse first win of 2016, senior Liza Barr spoke of how the team’s ultimate goal was to finally bring home a sectional championship, something the Renegades hadn’t done since 2013.
Last Wednesday, Shawnee was able to finally achieve that goal.
The Renegades won the South Jersey Group IV championship last Wednesday, defeating two-time defending champion Lenape High School, 12–9. It is Shawnee’s 12th sectional championship all-time and the third since lacrosse sectionals expanded to four groups in 2007.
“I’ve been waiting three years for this day,” Barr said following the win.
The sectional championship was the latest achievement in a season full of success for the Renegades. The 2016 team sprinted through the regular season with a 16–1 record. The Renegades were the last undefeated team in South Jersey, starting the season 15–0. Their only loss in the regular season was by one goal against perennial powerhouse Moorestown High School.
Julie McGrory, the first-year head coach for Shawnee, said this year’s team was extremely motivated and always had its eyes on the prize. The team’s mental toughness came into play against Lenape in the championship. Shawnee led for most of the game, but multiple times the Indians pulled within a goal. After a fast start from Lenape in the second half cut Shawnee’s lead to 6–5, McGrory called timeout to help settle her team down.
“We talked a lot about mental toughness and about confidence,” McGrory said. “Being in those one-goal situations during the regular season helped us out.”
For most of the team, the championship was the first in their young careers. Some of the seniors were part of the 2013 team that went on to win the Group III state championship. Senior Sammi Tucci didn’t play on the varsity team during that playoff run, but got to witness the team win the state title.
“We had to remake ourselves with a young team,” Tucci said following that season. “It took a little time, but we knew we had the potential.”
Senior goalkeeper Bianca Smith didn’t start on the varsity team until this season. She was a key piece for the Renegades during the season and made a number of key saves in last Wednesday’s championship game to keep Shawnee out in front.
Even though Smith was playing in the biggest game of her career, she said there weren’t any nerves entering the game.
“At this point, I had the confidence in the team in front of me,” Smith said. “I just knew what I had to do.”
Shawnee defeated Lenape twice in the regular season, but beating the Indians in the playoffs was still a hurdle they had to overcome. In 2015, Lenape defeated Shawnee, 10–7, in the South Jersey Group IV championship. This year, Shawnee was determined not to let that happen again.
“Lenape’s a fantastic team,” Barr said. “The last time we beat them by nine, but we knew this game was going to be a lot closer than last time.”
“You want to be playing your best lacrosse in June,” Barr added. “That’s what we’re doing.”
Many of the players agreed the biggest difference between this year’s team and previous seasons was chemistry, which was apparent as the Renegades spent more than 40 minutes on the field after the game celebrating with the sectional championship trophy as a team. Smith and Tucci both said the accomplishment was a true team effort.
“The biggest thing was the fact that we were family and played for each other,” Smith said.
“We had so much trust in each other that we could do it,” Tucci said.
