The Essex County Tournament lacrosse game was barely one minute old when Ava Anderson found the back of the net for Verona. From then on, pretty much every minute belonged to the VHS squad, which blew past Caldwell in a lopsided 17-4 game. Caldwell was the number five seed going into the tournament, to Verona’s number four.
Anderson and fellow senior Dana Pena led the scoring for Verona, with five goals and two assists for Anderson, and five goals and one assist for Pena. Erin Kiernan, a sophomore, was right behind with three goals, and CC Courter, Giuliana Frizzi and Julia Mackey also put up points for the VHS squad. Verona’s defense was on fire too, with only a handful of shots getting anywhere close to goalie Ashley Kenneally.
With the win, Verona (8-0 on the season) moves on to face Glen Ridge next Saturday, April 29 at 10 a.m. in the semifinals. The Ridgers, who are the number one seed in the ECT and one of the top teams in the state, advanced their record to 7-2 after a narrow 15-14 win over Saddle River Day.
Photos copyright Fred Goode. Used by permission.
