Mountain Lakes Shut-Down Defense Helps to Beat Madison, 6-4

Madison (6-6) hosted the Quarterfinal Round of the Morris County Tournament at Twomby Field in Madison, NJ, after earning the 4th seed in this spring's edition. The Dodgers knocked out #15 seed Morristown in the first round, while the traveling 5th seed Mountain Lakes (12-4) took down #12 seed Parsippany Hills in its first round matchup.   Both teams were patient offensively, with great defense from both sides making the offenses work hard for shots and good looks. The lone goal in the first frame came from junior attackman [player_tooltip player_id='123667' first='Jacob' last='Deutsch'] (LIU), coming off a hard dodge from X and finishing it with a textbook question mark shot. Both offenses started opening up in the 2nd quarter with Madison upperclassmen [player_tooltip player_id='66094' first='Matt' last='Lutz'] (Utah), Jake Rodin, and [player_tooltip player_id='172798' first='Justin' last='Goldberg'] (Marist) each tallying a goal, but the Lakers weren't going out without a fight. Senior middie [player_tooltip player_id='177025' first='Vincent' last='Cina'] (Grove City) was productive, netting a pair, while the attack duo of senior [player_tooltip player_id='177031' first='Holden' last='Gillespie'] (Bucknell) and junior [player_tooltip player_id='143667' first='Lawson' last='Fagan'] (Dartmouth) each connected on a goal of their own to knot the game at four goals apiece at the break.   The second half was controlled by Mountain Lakes, with the Lakers winning the time of possession battle with their ability to repeatedly win face-offs with sophomore FOGO [player_tooltip player_id='176275' first='Jayden' last='Hernando'] at the helm, notching nine face-off wins at a 75% rate. Gillespie and Cina each added another goal for Mountain Lakes to extend their lead, but the big story was its defense.   The Lakers held Madison scoreless the entire second half with smothering defensive work by an experienced upperclassmen unit consisting of guys like [player_tooltip player_id='121330' first='Ty' last='Plotts'] (St. John's), Aaron Gellert, and [player_tooltip player_id='177026' first='Ryan' last='Sluck'] among others. Senior goaltender Bailey Austin didn't see a ton of shots on cage, but multiple times in the second half, he came up with timely saves for his team and was a big reason why the Lakers are moving on.   Mountain Lakes will take on top-seeded Delbarton (14-4) in the Morris County Tournament Semifinal Round at Cougar Field in Chatham, NJ, on Saturday, May 9th. The winner will advance to the MCT Championship on Tuesday, May 12 on the campus of Drew University at 7 p.m. and will face the winner of the #3 West Morris vs. #2 Chatham.    Fagan had a phenomenal game for the Lakers and put his versatility on full display with a pair of goals and three assists, getting in on the action on every one of his team's goals except one. He has great size and skill at the righty attack spot, but also worked from X as well, dishing out two assists from behind the net for high-percentage step-down looks. The Dartmouth commit stayed patient with the ball, using his defender as a screen to net his first game with good hesitation on his dodge to catch his defender flat-footed and by surprise. The Leading Edge product's other goal came in the final seconds of the third frame, with still no score since halftime. After the Lakers killed off Fagan's penalty, he came sprinting onto the field, and when no one picked him up, he pulled out from outside 15 yards and stung the top-right corner to awaken the crowd. He is currently 2nd on the team in goals (24) and leading in assists (36) and points (60).     Sluck gave Madison huge problems offensively and was all over the field making plays for his team. He registered about four caused turnovers in this game, displaying his speed to match feet with his opponent and timely takeaway checks to jar the ball loose in 1v1 scenarios. He has a good approach to the ball, using the length of his stick as well as his lower body strength to hold his ground and not allow his matchup to get inside. He does a great job of pressing out, while being smart enough to throw checks that don't leave himself exposed and out of position. He was a big factor late in the game, producing a failed clear for Madison by crossing over the midfield line and laying a hard check and shoulder to prevent the completed pass, and the Lakers will look for more of that during their MCT run.     Cina hit a season-high mark with his hat trick performance in this matchup and was effective from range and in tight for his team. He was an active dodger to help get the defense moving in a low-scoring affair, but with Mountain Lakes' unselfish play, he worked more effectively off-ball in this game. The Grove City commit was able to find passing lanes to camp out in, and when he got the ball with an open look, he produced. Fagan assisted him on his first two goals, surveying from X and finding Cina with time and room at the top for a snipe, changing planes and putting a lot of power behind it. His hat trick tally came as the nail in the coffin, with a crisp pass from Gillespie in tight and a quick and accurate low shot to beat the goalie. Cina currently has nine goals and nine assists on the year.     Regan was a beast defensively for the Dodgers, displaying his size, speed, and skill to deter opponents from challenging him. He tallied five caused turnovers, with an aggressive and physical style of play and a knack for the ball when loose. He was pestering his matchups all game long with firm poke and slap checks while also throwing a body check or two in there as well, but with good form and clean contact. The Drexel commit played great position defense and forced his opponents to pass the ball or risk losing it. Regan had a few deflections with an active stick in the passing lanes, and when he got the loose ball, he was up and out quickly, looking to kickstart the offense. He has also shown that he can handle the ball well and looks to be a threat in transition if the defense slides late, shown by his two goals and four assists on the year so far.     Manning played well in the loss, seeing shots from great shooters for Mountain Lakes while registering eight saves for his team. He came up with a big save early to keep the game scoreless and also showed flashes of his athleticism and effort by hustling to the end-line on shots, looking for any chance to help his squad. The Patriot Lacrosse product stood tall in cage, making a few saves in tight with quick hands and good instincts, and on clears, he did a good job of staying patient, working the ball up the field methodically. He brings energy to the defensive unit with his communication to his teammates, while also delivering crowd-stunning saves as well. Manning has come up big for Madison all year so far, and I don't expect that to change down the stretch and the back-half of this 2026 season.

Madison (6-6) hosted the Quarterfinal Round of the Morris County Tournament at Twomby Field in Madison, NJ, after earning the 4th seed in this spring's edition. The Dodgers knocked out #15 seed Morristown in the first round, while the traveling 5th seed Mountain Lakes (12-4) took down #12 seed Parsippany Hills in its first round matchup.