Third-Quarter Surge Sends Ridgewood Past Southern in Group 4 Final

EWING — For nearly three quarters, Southern Regional proved it belonged.

Against one of New Jersey’s premier lacrosse programs, the Rams matched Ridgewood’s physicality, frustrated its high-powered attack, and repeatedly rose to every challenge. But on the biggest stage of the season, a handful of missed opportunities and a decisive third-quarter surge by the Maroons proved to be the difference.

Ridgewood pulled away late for a 13-8 victory Saturday afternoon at TCNJ, denying Southern its first NJSIAA Group 4 state championship while capping another remarkable season for the Rams.

Still, head coach John Pampalone walked away proud of what his team accomplished.

“I’m just really proud of the way we came up here and fought,” Pampalone said. “We played them toe to toe for two and a half quarters, maybe even a little longer than that. When you play these types of games against opponents like Ridgewood, you can’t let opportunities slip away. A missed shot that hits the pipe, a ground ball, a missed rotation on defense — those are the things that come back and bite you.”

Southern entered the afternoon as the South Jersey Group 4 champion, looking to capture the first state title in program history against a Ridgewood squad loaded with Division I talent.

The Rams never backed down.

After sophomore midfielder Will LoSauro opened the scoring for Ridgewood less than a minute into the contest, junior attacker Gavin Nascimento answered with a pair of first-quarter goals, including one set up by junior midfielder and Mount St. Mary’s commit Kyle Sininsky, giving Southern an early 2-1 advantage.

Even while losing every faceoff in the opening quarter, the Rams’ defense stood tall, limiting clean looks and forcing Ridgewood to earn every inch offensively.

The momentum continued into the second quarter.

Penn State-bound senior attacker AJ LoSauro scored twice around Southern goals from Sininsky and junior attacker Shea O’Donnell before freshman attacker Ryan Chang knotted it up.

Southern nearly carried the lead into halftime, but Sininsky’s point-blank shot rang off the bar as time expired, sending both teams to the locker room deadlocked after an impressive first-half showing from the Rams.

“I thought Vinnie Ruta did a yeoman’s work out there,” Pampalone said. “He allowed our long poles to rest for a lot of the time. We knew we weren’t going to win many faceoffs. We just needed to compete.”

The Rams reclaimed the lead less than two minutes into the second half when O’Donnell buried his second goal of the afternoon to make it 5-4.

Then Ridgewood found another gear.

Freshman attacker Jax Monte tied the contest before sophomore midfielder Ryan Laffey gave the Maroons the lead for good. AJ LoSauro completed his hat trick moments later, and Monte scored again with just 12 seconds remaining in the quarter as Ridgewood closed the third on a 4-0 run to seize an 8-5 advantage.

“That was the biggest change,” Pampalone said. “They put tremendous pressure on us the whole game, and we just didn’t make enough plays in the second half. We hit the pipe. We had one-on-one opportunities with the goalie. When you don’t cash in on those opportunities, Ridgewood certainly will.”

Southern never stopped fighting.

Sininsky scored midway through the fourth quarter before senior attacker Braedyn Gialanella added a pair of goals, but every Rams push was met with a Maroons response.

Le Moyne-bound senior attacker Cooper Adkins scored twice in the final quarter, while AJ LoSauro finished with five goals and one assist to lead Ridgewood. Monte added two goals and two assists, and Laffey chipped in a pair of goals as the Maroons secured the Group 4 crown.

For Southern, Sininsky totaled two goals and three assists, while Nascimento, O’Donnell, and Gialanella each found the back of the net twice. Junior attacker Cash McVey contributed an assist, and junior goalie Nick Hughes made 12 saves to keep the Rams within striking distance for much of the afternoon.

Perhaps no statistic better illustrated Southern’s uphill battle than the disparity in faceoffs.

Sophomore faceoff specialist Ryan Inzerillo won 21 of 25 draws for Ridgewood, helping the Maroons finish with a 29-19 advantage in shots and dominate possession throughout much of the second half.

“We absolutely have to control possessions better,” Pampalone said. “If we convert a couple shots and come up with a few more ground balls, I think it’s a completely different game. But hats off to Ridgewood. They’re a great team, and that’s what they do.”

Despite the disappointment, Pampalone sees no reason to believe this program’s climb is finished.

He pointed specifically to senior faceoff specialist Vinnie Ruta, whose journey embodied Southern’s resilience.

“Vinnie has been with us for four years,” Pampalone said. “He started as a freshman as a long pole, went through an awful ACL injury early in his sophomore year, and worked his way back. He became a self-made faceoff guy and battled against some of the best players in the state.”

Pampalone also praised seniors Braedyn Gialanella and Jayden Nascimento, acknowledging that replacing their production and leadership will not be easy.

Yet with much of its nucleus returning, Southern believes another opportunity awaits.

“Last year we lost in the sectional championship, and that became our motivation,” Pampalone said. “This year we won the sectional again, but we wanted this gold trophy really badly. We’re going to do everything possible this offseason and next season to come back and hopefully get one for our school.”

Saturday’s result brought heartbreak, but it also reinforced just how far the Rams have come.

Southern walked off the field after pushing one of New Jersey’s best teams for nearly three quarters, believing its own state championship moment may not be far away.