POMPTON LAKES − Madison needed less than 60 minutes to accomplish what 19 other teams failed to do over Pompton Lakes’ first 23 games of the season.
Fueled by two first-half goals from sophomore Summer Graziano and a dominant defense performance, the Dodgers shut out Pompton Lakes, 4-0 in the North, Group 1 final on Nov. 11 at Lakeside Middle School, repeating as sectional champions and securing the 18th sectional crown in program history.
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The result was even more impressive considering Pompton Lakes (19-3-2) had allowed just four goals all season entering the championship match. Madison (18-6) matched that total in a single afternoon while becoming just the third team to shut out the Cardinals this fall.
“It was so important for us to get those early goals. It’s a big win for us, especially coming back from the hard loss in the [Morris] county final,” Graziano said. “It’s big for our team and our seniors who really want to go all the way. Now we get to continue to play in the states, which is a lot of fun.”
Graziano put Madison in front with 4:45 remaining in the first quarter, then struck again just over four minutes into the second quarter to double the Dodgers’ advantage to 2-0.
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“If we came out ready to go and came out and scored first, we would be able to keep that momentum going rather than just playing from behind,” Madison coach Sarah Morano said. “We wanted to do well and we wanted to get back here [sectional final]. We work hard every day to make sure that we pack our schedule against top 20 teams so that when we’re in this situation we are ready to go.”
Coming out of halftime, senior forward Celia Stuart found the back of the cage less than three minutes into the third quarter off a corner, giving Madison a 3-0 advantage.
Madison continued to capitalize on set pieces in the fourth quarter as Lindsay Cathpole scored off a corner with 8:20 left to complete the scoring. It marked the Dodgers’ third goal generated from a corner and stretched the lead to 4-0.
“This is so much fun. I feel confident we’ll go even farther this year and next year,” Graziano said. “We have a great team and a good community. I think that really helps us.”
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The victory sends Madison to the Group 1 state championship game on Saturday, Nov. 14, where it will face South Jersey champion West Deptford at Bordentown High School.
This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Madison blanks Pompton Lakes for second straight field hockey title
