Summit and Oak Knoll have become synonymous with the Union County Tournament final.
It seems almost every year the two crosstown rivals meet for county supremacy, and it’s usually a toss up as to which team will bring home the trophy.
This year, Summit maintained its hold atop the county, holding off the Royals 8-5 to win its second-straight title and 10th overall. Oak Knoll, ranked No. 2 in the NJ.com Top 20, lost to Summit in the final last year and was looking for its first title since 2023.
Summit, ranked No. 3, picked up its second win of the season over Oak Knoll after beating the Royals 7-5 in a NJIGLL Stars & Stripes Red Division contest back on April 12.
“We knew they were going to come out strong defensively, we thought maybe they would put a zone on us just because the last game they threw a zone on us in the second half and it really kind of flustered us,” Summit’s Nell Ducey said. “We really emphasized working on a new offense and putting players in different positions and I think we executed that well today, trying new motions and we really kind of picked apart their defense.”
Oak Knoll struck first when Maris McGinty scored with 7:10 remaining in the first quarter, but Ducey evened the game 1-1 with 44 seconds left. The Royals then took a 2-1 lead at the buzzer after a goal from Taylor Martin made it a 2-1 game.
The Hilltoppers found their footing in the second quarter, holding Oak Knoll scoreless as Parker Febo and Ducey scored to give Summit a 3-2 lead at the half.
“A lacrosse game is four quarters and we weren’t going to let just one quarter define how we were going to let the rest of the game go,” Summit’s Emily Sensenich said. “So we knew that if we wanted to win the game we had to play a full four quarters.”
Summit kept up its offensive onslaught in the third quarter, scoring three-straight goals from Sloane Ricciuti, Molly Davies and Febo for a 6-2 lead with 6:03 remaining. Zoe Harmaty scored with four minutes remaining to cut the lead to 6-3, but another goal from Febo put the Hilltoppers ahead 7-3 at the end of the third quarter.
“From the defensive perspective, they have a ton of really good offensive threats, a ton of people who can score,” Summit’s Susannah O’Connell said. “They really pass the ball around really nicely, so defensively we worked on slides, communication and staying on our matchups, which I thought we did beautifully today. I’m just so proud of every aspect of the game and we executed very well.”
Lauren Dietrich scored early in the fourth quarter to pull Oak Knoll within 7-4, but Francesca Arcella gave the Hilltoppers an insurance goal with 5:31 remaining for an 8-5 lead. With 3:18 left Martin scored her second of the day for the Royals, but Summit managed to keep possession for the remainder of the game for the 8-5 final.
“The fast ball movement was really what got us to take the lead, moving it really fast so their defense was going to be tired out a little bit, and then once they were tired out we would go put it the other way and then hit those open gaps,” Ducey said of Summit’s offense. “(The lead) definitely gave us some comfort because we were playing a little bit sloppy in the beginning, but I think that cushion that we had really let us kind of take a step back and be more calm under the ball and under the pressure.”
For Summit, Febo led with a hat trick, while Ducey finished with two goals, two assists and four draw controls. Davies, Ricciuti and Arcella each added a goal, and Sara Scallon contributed four draw controls. Goalie Katherine Hicks made six saves as the Hilltoppers won their third-straight game.
For Oak Knol, which was held to its second-lowest goal total of the season, Taylor scored twice. Harmaty added one goal and one assist and Dietrich also scored. McGinty chipped in a goal and led with four draw controls. Beatrice Burton had one assist and two draw controls. Goalie Alex Genua made two saves.
“We knew this game could go either way, it’s two good teams out there on the field,” Sensenich said. “I think we really emphasized that if we wanted to win today we have to want it, so we really put that into our 50/50s, our hustle, everywhere on the field we just tried to give 100 percent.”
Saturday’s final once again solidified Summit’s dominance in both Union County and the state. It was the Hilltoppers’ ninth win of the season against a team that has at one point been ranked in the Top 20, and the victory meant a lot more to the players than just another trophy.
“It’s amazing, it’s the last time we’ll ever play (Oak Knoll) for the rest of our lives so it’s pretty amazing,” Ducey said. “Ending with that win and being able to say that we ended it was pretty much God willing.”
“I think this trophy is a testament to all of the players that came before us and put in the hard work to make Summit lacrosse a legacy,” Sensenich added. “Summit lacrosse is just a different atmosphere than anything I’ve ever played in. I play three sports but Summit lacrosse is not just a team, it’s really a family. That’s honestly the thing that works the best for us is our chemistry, our trust in each other and our constant support of each other.”