At the final horn, Ally Mastroianni raced to be the first to hug goalie Arielle Weissman.

That’s how the senior midfielder ended up on the bottom of the joyous dogpile celebrating the Bridgewater-Raritan girls’ lacrosse team’s first New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Tournament of Champions title.

The scene following a 7-6 win over Oak Knoll School in the June 10 final offered a fitting finish to Mastroianni’s decorated career. The North Carolina recruit, who won the Heather Leigh Albert Award at the 2015 US Lacrosse Women's National Tournament, starred for the Panthers in every phase this spring, posting 72 goals, 35 assists, 109 ground balls and 124 draw controls.

She is the Epoch/US Lacrosse Mid-Atlantic Girls’ Player of the Year.

Nike/US Lacrosse High School Rankings

National Boys' Top 25 | National Girls' Top 25
Northeast Boys' Top 10 | Northeast Girls' Top 10
Mid-Atlantic Boys' Top 10 | Mid-Atlantic Girls' Top 10
South Boys' Top 10 | South Girls' Top 10
Midwest Boys' Top 10 | Midwest Girls' Top 10
West Boys' Top 10 | West Girls' Top 10

“I didn’t really focus on the individual stats or anything,” said Mastroianni, who totaled 349 goals and 212 assists in four varsity seasons. “I just had that ultimate goal of winning a [Tournament of Champions] with my teammates. The fact that we were able to accomplish that this year is everything I could ever want.”

Mastroianni has long been one of New Jersey’s best. She committed to the Tar Heels before she’d ever played a high school game and promptly backed it up by scoring 97 goals as a Bridgewater-Raritan freshman in 2014.

Her offensive stats have actually gone down each year since then, but that says more about the supporting cast that’s developed around her. The 5-foot-9 Mastroianni has the physical tools to dominate on her own — with a game built on athleticism, speed and one of the most powerful shots coach Alyssa Dragon Frazier has ever seen – but she’s unselfish, too.

“She’s really just all over the field,” Dragon Frazier said. “She’s a fun player to watch and a really fun player to coach.”

This spring, Mastroianni showcased the full range of her skills. She registered at least four points in 16 of 23 games, and she posted 20 goals and 13 assists in seven NJSIAA playoff wins.

She also was a force at the draw circle and a hard worker on the defensive end. She’s as proud of those extra possessions won and turnovers caused as anything else on her impressive stat line.

“It’s not all about scoring or doing the pretty plays,” Mastroianni said. “It’s about getting the 50-50 balls and all the little things, too.”

Mastroianni was perfectly willing to share the spotlight. When opponents decided to faceguard her, she was content to set picks and try to create space for her teammates. Seven other Panthers – including fellow U.S. Lacrosse All-American Hannah Hollingsworth – scored at least 20 goals.

In many ways, she embodied the slogan a group with nine senior starters picked for this season: “We, Not Me.”

“It didn’t really matter that she wasn’t scoring as many goals as the year before,” Dragon Frazier said. “It was more about winning games and winning championships.”

That attitude carried Bridgewater-Raritan throughout the season. The Panthers only lost once in the regular season, won the Somerset County title and rolled into the postseason as a state championship favorite.

They had to get through unbeaten Ridgewood, though. Bridgewater-Raritan had lost to the Maroons in the Group 4 playoffs the past two seasons. This time, the Panthers held on for a 10-9 win with Mastroianni providing two goals and an assist.

That May 31 breakthrough set the stage for Bridgewater-Raritan’s first state title since 2009 and eventually the Tournament of Champions crown. The victory over Oak Knoll avenged the group’s only regular-season setback, and the emotional celebration afterward marked the culmination of a marathon journey.

The Panthers sat down before the first practice of the season and talked about what it would take to win the ToC. Then – with Mastroianni in the lead – they followed the plan to realize a dream much longer in the making.

“We’ve been playing lacrosse together for as long as I can remember,” Mastroianni said. “We’re best friends on and off the field, so we’ve all had the same goal forever. And we’ve been by each other’s side making each other better every step of the way.”

EPOCH/US LACROSSE MID-ATLANTIC REGION PLAYER OF THE YEAR

ALLY MASTROIANNI
School: Bridgewater-Raritan (N.J.)
Year: Senior
Position: Midfielder
Stats: 72 goals, 35 assists, 109 ground balls and 124 draw controls to help Bridgewater-Raritan go 22-1 and win its first NJSIAA Tournament of Champions title.
Coach Alyssa Dragon Frazier: “She’s really just all over the field. She’s a fun player to watch and a really fun player to coach.”
Also notable: Ali Baiocco, Oak Knoll (N.J.); Zoe Belodeau, St. Stephen's & St. Agnes (Va.); Maddie Jenner, McDonogh (Md.); Quinn Nicolai, Moorestown (N.J.); Courtney Renehan, Glenelg (Md.); Sam Swart, Archbishop Carroll (Pa.).

NIKE/US LACROSSE MID-ATLANTIC REGION TOP 10 (FINAL)

1. McDonogh (Md.), 22-0

The Eagles’ unprecedented streak lives on as they finished an eighth straight perfect season with another IAAM title. They beat Notre Dame Prep (Md.), 12-9, in the final May 13 for their 177th consecutive win. Julia Hoffman (Maryland) posted a team-best 55 goals, and Maddie Jenner (Duke) added 44 to go along with 165 draw controls.

2. Glenelg (Md.), 20-0

The Gladiators were perfect on the way to a repeat Maryland 3A/2A title, finishing with a comfortable 12-3 win over C.M. Wright (Md.) in the championship May 23. Their résumé included a victory over IAAM power Notre Dame Prep (Md.) and two defeats of rival Marriotts Ridge (Md.). Glenelg put up 319 goals in 20 games this season with Alayna Pagnotta (Jacksonville) scoring a team-high 64 of them and Lindsay LeTellier (Davidson)assisting on 74.

3. Notre Dame Prep (Md.), 19-3

The Blazers pushed top-ranked McDonogh twice but couldn’t spring the upset. The second one was a 12-9 loss in the IAAM championship on May 13. Their only other setback came to Glenelg on April 15. Caitlynn Mossman (Boston College) stoked the offense with 46 goals and 46 assists, while goalie Lucy Lowe (Penn State) limited opponents to 6.7 goals per game.

4. Bridgewater-Raritan (N.J.) 22-1

Kirsten Murphy’s goal with one minute, 37 seconds left put the Panthers ahead for good in a 7-6 win over Oak Knoll (N.J.) in the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions final June 10. The victory gave Bridgewater-Raritan its first ToC title and avenged its lone loss of the season. Ally Mastroianni (North Carolina) did a little of everything, piling up 72 goals, 35 assists and 124 draw controls.

5. Ridgewood (N.J.), 21-1

The Maroons piled up as many impressive wins as anybody this spring, but their unbeaten run abruptly ended with a 10-9 loss to Bridgewater-Raritan in the NJSIAA Group 4 semifinals on May 31. Chelsea Trattner (Stanford) and Alex Absey (Columbia) netted 61 goals apiece, while Hannah Cermack (Boston College) posted 47 goals and 44 assists for the team lead in points.

6. Bishop Ireton (Va.), 19-5

The Cardinals earned WCAC and Virginia independent school titles, finishing the spring on a 13-game winning streak. They closed with their best victory, dropping St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes (Va.), 9-8 in overtime, on May 21. Madison Mote (Notre Dame) was the offensive catalyst, posting 24 goals and 68 assists for the season.

7. St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes (Va.), 27-2

The Saints started the spring with 15 straight wins and later claimed the ISL title, but they came up short in the Virginia independent school tournament. They lost 9-8 to Bishop Ireton in overtime on May 21. A high-scoring attack showed remarkable balance all season with Zoe Belodeau (Penn) leading the way and tallying 115 goals and 55 assists.

8. Oak Knoll (N.J.), 21-5

The Royals recovered after a slow start to the spring to make the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions final but fell there to Bridgewater-Raritan, 7-6, on June 10. It was their second straight loss in the ToC championship. Ali Baiocco (Stanford) scored once in the finale to close her senior season with 104 goals.

9. Summit (N.J.), 19-3

The Hilltoppers couldn’t land a repeat NJSIAA Tournament of Champions title. They won the Group 3 championship again but fell, 11-9, to Oak Knoll in a ToC semifinal June 7. Two of their three losses came to the Royals. Katia Carnevale (Lehigh) scored 58 goals, and Helen Johnson (Stanford) added 40 to drive another deep postseason push.

10. Moorestown (N.J.), 20-3

The Quakers battled Summit into the final minute before falling, 9-8, in the NJSIAA Group 3 championship June 3. Moorestown’s marquee victory in a strong spring came against New York power Garden City. Penn State-bound Quinn Nicolai provided a consistent spark with 60 goals and 28 assists.