Montclair Girls Lacrosse Success Continues and Knocks on the Door

The Montclair girls lacrosse program may not have been able to bring home any hardware in recent years, but they’ve been preparing for it.

Mounties head coach Kim DePaolera believes this is her third official season leading the program (not counting the COVID season) and that this spring was her best season, going 11-9.

But despite the .500 mark, Montclair is a dangerous team in the playoffs, having reached the finals of the Essex County Tournament again (where they lost 15-9 to Glen Ridge) and the semifinals of the North Group 4 State Sectional (where they lost 19-4 to Morristown).

“This season was one of the best we’ve had since I’ve been at Montclair,” DePaolera said. “We made a commitment the whole season to focus on the here and now and that’s exactly what we did. We told the girls all the time, ‘Be where your feet are.’ And they did that.”

Mounties Girls LAX, everyone participated

DePaolera said the team aspect brought out the best in her 2024 team. “We had multiple scorers and assists in our games,” the Mounties head coach said. “We had a lot of turnovers while limiting our transition turnovers. And we worked hard to get to the county finals and the state semifinals.”

She added that her team was now focused on the game. “We really took advantage of the time we had together. Every day we tried to perform to grow and get better,” DePaolera said.

As part of its postseason run, Montclair played its best in a 17-11 win over Westfield in the North Group 4 quarterfinals, the second straight year the Mounties have won at Westfield in the state tournament. Additionally, Montclair defeated rival Montclair Kimberley twice last spring. The Mounties defeated the Cougars 9-8 in five overtimes on April 27 and defeated MKA, 13-10, in the Essex County Tournament. The Cougars would go on to win the Non-Public B state title.

Defeats Westfield in state tournament

The win over Westfield was the second game against the Blue Devils this past spring. Montclair lost to Westfield 16-8 on May 16. It showed what DePaolera liked about her team, as they improved the second time around. This was the case against Glen Ridge. The Mounties lost to the Ridgers 15-9 in the ECT Final (May 11) and only lost to Glen Ridge a week later 14-13 on May 18. “We played teams multiple times and improved each time we played them. We came together through tough losses and celebrated our successes. The girls got the accolades they deserved. But overall, it’s the team effort to get better every day that made this season really special.”

One of the biggest holes to fill next season is senior Liz Giordano, who will play at Villanova University next season and was named to the All–New Jersey Group 4 third team. She was also named to the All-Super Essex Conference American first team and the All NJIGLL Stars and Stripes White Division first team. Giordano’s 47 goals and 17 assists only tell part of the story.

“Lizzy became an even more all-around top threat on our team as her assist game improved,” DePaolera said of Giordano, who has been a cog in the team’s offense the past three seasons. “We always knew she could finish the ball, but to see her lacrosse IQ improve when she was throwing the ball to a teammate for a better shot — that was a treat. Her game became even more lethal.”

Saraisky, leader of the defense

The other top senior was defenseman Hannah Saraisky who was named to the All Group 4 second team. The defense was part of the All NJIGLL Stars and Stripes White Division first team. It was the faceoff circle that gave the Mounties a big advantage.

“Hannah has really worked on her skills this season,” DePaolera said. “She’s secured the draw, which ultimately allowed us to be successful in the games. Without her constant level-headedness and voice of reason, our outcomes in the games might have been very different. She’s not a show-off player. She does her job and does it well. So it’s nice to see her get this award.”

While the Mounties will need to replace Giordano and Saraisky, Montclair has plenty of top players returning. Juniors Olivia Nicoll, Aven Hodgson and Lily Donohue, along with sophomores Sefina Morrison, Maya Abell and Ava Rosendorf, are returning in 2025. Freshman Keira Griswold was one of the SEC’s top newcomers.

Nicoll was Montclair’s leading scorer this spring with 68 (29 assists and 97 points) and earned an All Group 4 second team nod. The junior also brought home first team honors in All SEC American and Stars and Stripes White Division.

“Olivia is driven and determined,” DePaolera said. “There’s really no stopping her when she sets her mind to something. She’s been committed to it since her freshman year, but this year she’s really committed to it and taken it upon herself to be a leader. Olivia was chosen because she deserves it. She executes and achieves no matter the circumstances, and she never backs down from a challenge.”

Hodgson, second best scorer in ’24

After Nicoll, Hodgson was the next best scorer with 78 points and 59 goals. She was also named to the All Group 4 third team. The junior joined Nicoll and Giordano on the All American first team and Stars and Stripes White first team.

“Aven had an outstanding season,” said Montclair’s head coach. “She earned every spot she got and she was fearless and determined. She never wavered and really worked hard for her teammates. The amount she has grown since her freshman year is incredible. We loved watching her find herself this season.”

One of the top newcomers in ’24 was Griswold who scored 30 goals, fourth best on the team. The freshman was named to the Stars and Stripes White first team and the All American second team. Griswold’s opening act did not surprise her head coach.

“We knew from day one of tryouts that Keira was special,” DePaolera said. “She found her groove and blew the water out of it. Her confidence is what really made her fly this season and earned her accolades. Once she found her groove, she was unstoppable. We can’t wait to see what’s next.”

With several key elements returning in the spring of 2025, Montclair will once again pose a threat for both the ECT Championship and a state title.

Montclair Girls Lacrosse Tribute

All Group 4

• Second Team: Olivia Nicoll, Attack, Junior, Hannah Saraisky, Defense, Senior
• Third team: Aven Hodgson, junior, Lizzy Giordano, senior

Super Essex Conference American Division

• First team: Lizzy Giordano, senior, Olivia Nicoll, junior, Aven Hodgson, junior
• Second team: Lily Donohue, third year, Sefina Morrison, second year, Keira Griswold, first year, Maya Abell, second year
• Honorable Mention: Hannah Saraisky, Senior

New Jersey Interscholastic Girls Lacrosse League

Stars and Stripes White Division

• First Team: Lizzy Giordano, senior, Olivia Nicoll, junior, Aven Hodgson, junior, Keira Griswold, freshman
• Second team: Lily Donohue, junior, Sefina Morrison, sophomore, Hannah Saraisky, senior
• Honorable Mention: Ava Rosendorf, Sophomore

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