VIDEO: Leaving no doubt--Delbarton drops Pingry in TOC final | ||
|
It may have been a letdown to many of those in attendance. But for Delbarton, the final of the boys' lacrosse Tournament of Champions was a thing of beauty. A stifling defensive performance, combined with a big night for two senior attackers, led Delbarton to a 13-4 triumph over Pingry in the final at Kean University. It's the second TOC title in three years for the Green Wave, and the fifth overall in program history.
Delbarton controlled much of the first half, building a 6-3 lead at the break. But the Green Wave turned it up a notch after halftime, scoring seven straight goals to end any doubts. Offensively, Keegan Khan and Michael Rutter led the way for Delbarton. Khan had four goals and two assists, while Rutter scored three times and added three assists. Colin Crowley had a pair of goals for the Green Wave. Rory Madigan had two assists. It was on defense, however, where Delbarton really shined. The Green Wave, led by Jack Kielty and Matt Douglas, shut down Pingry's dangerous midfield duo of Jake Moss and Thomas Zusi. The Big Blue managed just eight shots on goal in the game. Kielty and Douglas also combined on the offensive end, when Douglas set up Kielty for a goal. That score was part of a four goal flurry in 40 seconds early in the fourth quarter that made the score 12-3 in favor of the Green Wave. Sam Johnson, Garrett Samuelson and Liam Higgins also scored for Delbarton. Ben Shepard had two goals for Pingry. Austin Chang and Josh Gully also scored for the fourth-seeded Big Blue. Goalie David Metzger made six saves in the first half as he tried to hold Pingry in the game. Frankie Dillon had three saves in the second half. Pingry, which stunned top-ranked Bridgewater-Raritan in the semifinals to reach the ultimate game for the first time, ends the season at 17-4. Delbarton played in the TOC final for the ninth time and is now 5-4 in championship games. The Green Wave, which was the second seed in this year's tournament, finishes 21-2 and will be ranked #1 in the state. For sports video highlights of this New Jersey high school boys' lacrosse Tournament of Champions state final, click play in the box at left. |