By BRIAN TORTELLA
Correspondent
On X @tortreports
It’s been quite the roller coaster season for the Kingsway Regional High girls lacrosse team. After a parent quite literally had to come out of the stands to coach, the Dragons now hold a 7-5 record through 12 games with Suzanne Phalines at the helm.
Kingsway defeated Clearview, 12-8, in an old-school Tri-County Conference clash on Wednesday. It was the second time the rivals met this season, with Kingsway previously coming away with a 14-12 win on April 15. A third matchup is expected to take place in mid-May during the Gloucester County Cup.
“I think today’s game is about being in the right headspace,” Phalines said. “I feel like every time we play them, it’s completely different in the way they prepare for other games, with the rivalry that’s going on. This year is a big year for us, because when we played Clearview the first time, it was the first time we’ve ever beaten Clearview in program history.”
Sophomore attack Phoebe O’Rourke continued the excellent start to her career with a team-high four goals in the victory — adding to her impressive mark with 116 goals through 34 career games. She consistently averages just more than three goals per contest, and recently reached the 100 career goals milestone in a 21-5 triumph over Woodstown on April 17.
“I definitely didn’t think this was a possibility as only a sophomore in high school, let alone my whole career,” O’Rourke said of the landmark. “I’m really grateful for the opportunity, and super thankful for my teammates who helped me along the way. I’m really proud of myself.”
Visably emotional after the intense affair, senior captain Ally Phalines — coach Phalines’ daughter — was a force to be reckoned with, adding three goals and five ground balls.
“The stakes were really high this game,” the Virginia Tech commit said. “I think my emotions kind of get the best of me sometimes, and I need to reel them back in, but that’s what you do when you play Clearview. That game is always going to be intense.”
Just like her mother, Ally also took note of the fact that this year was the first time they’ve ever defeated Clearview.
“This being my senior year, that was our goal, that we need to beat Clearview,” Ally added. “I’ve been here four years, and this season is the only time we’ve beaten them. When my sister (Haley Phalines, a current University of Albany star) was here, she never beat them, so it feels good to (finally) get that rivalry win.”
Senior Madi Rothwein contributed with three goals and seven ground balls, but she took the time to recognize and credit her “little sister” O’Rourke after another brilliant performance.
“Phoebe performs at a very high level as a sophomore, which is very good and obviously brings a lot to the team,” Rothwein said. “She always drives and sees the picks, and also has her head up looking to feed when she drives.”
Another day, another impressive team win for the Kingsway girls lacrosse team.
“I think it was a great team win,” Rothwein added. “We really came out strong in the first half, set the tone, and it kind of got them frazzled. In the second half we held our own on defense, and we came out with the win.”
WHAT’S NEXT: Kingsway (7-5) travels to Washington Township on Friday at 4:15 p.m. Clearview (8-4) hosts Haddonfield on Friday at 4:15 p.m.
