By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Publisher LINWOOD – Lauren Angello and the rest of the current Egg Harbor Township senior girls lacrosse players watched Mainland Regional, a team with strong senior talent, rip off a 16-win season in 2013 that included a playoff win over Lacey Township. Angello and the Eagles think they can be that type of team this season, and if the first week is any indication, they might be right. Coming off a confidence-boosting 15-14 win over a tough Southern Regional team, EHT, which won just five games last season, stormed into Linwood on Tuesday and beat the Mustangs 21-13 to improve to 3-0. The Eagles got off to an hot start, as Angello scored in the first minute of the game, and held the lead throughout the first half to take an 11-7 lead into halftime. 
EHT junior midfielder Rachel Lucia brings the ball upfield during the Eagles’ 21-13 win over Mainland Regional on Tuesday in Linwood. (Glory Days Magazine photos/Dave O’Sullivan) “Last year they beat us by a lot, so I think they kind of felt like they had (a win) in the bag. We wanted to come out strong today and we did,” said Angello, who finished with four goals and two assists. Mainland (0-1) is a tough team to beat, however, especially when the Mustangs are at home. The Mustangs closed the gap to 15-12 midway through the second half, but EHT answered with key goals by Angello and Jordan Valian, who scored on a penalty shot to make it 17-12 and stymie Mainland’s comeback attempt. 
EHT’s Mackenzie Meyer and Mainland’s Riley Dolan fight for position in front of the Mustangs’ goal. “We knew we had to be very intense at that point because we wanted this win so much,” said junior midfielder Rachel Lucia. Mackenzie Meyer and Abigail Umphlett led the Eagles with five goals each while Valian and Syndey McLaughlin each chipped in with four. Victoria Spano added a goal for EHT. Riley Dolan led Mainland with a 6-goal effort. Angello said the win over Southern Regional, in which the Eagles had to make a late comeback from four goals down, has served as an early-season launching point and confidence builder. “It was only a one-point win but it was a huge win for us. It was amazing,” Angello said. Lucia said the Eagles, who dominated possession against Mainland and have outscored their first three opponents 57-29, are brimming with confidence here in the first week of the season. “I figured we had a good team this year. Last year we had some good seniors but for us (younger players) it was a new experience. This year we’re kind of putting it all together,” Lucia said. “From here on out I think we can keep this up against everybody. Compared to where we were last year, if we can keep this up like this, we’ll be unstoppable.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays
Confident EHT girls lacrosse team beats Mainland to improve to 3-0
