Top Lax Recruits
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By Chris Goldberg
TopLaxRecruits.com, Posted 5/29/16
Middle Country (N.Y.) 2017 Jamie Ortega had as perfect a day today as one could have.
First she scored the game-winning goal with four seconds to play to lift Long Island Metro I to a 13-12 win over D.C. Metro in the finals of the Onondaga (top) Division at the US Lacrosse Schoolgirls Women’s National Tournament at Lehigh University.
Then Ortega was named the winner of the prestigious Heather Leigh Albert Award as the top performer in the tournament. There was little time to celebrate as her family drive down the turnpike and Route 476 to catch North Carolina – where Ortega is committed – stun Maryland, 13-7, for the Division I National Championship at Talen Energy Stadium.
“Today was just an overall exciting day,” said Ortega. “I started my day off with the winning the championship game and that was a great feeling. Just to bring another win for Long Island three years in a row is a great feeling.
“Now, with UNC winning the NCAA championship, it topped my day. Words cant explain how happy I am for them; they deserved that!”
D.C. Metro 1 rallied in the second half after Kelsey Huff netted her third goal of the game to give Long Island a 12-7 lead with 11:34 remaining. D.C. Metro then ripped off five straight goals, tying the score at 12 on back-to-back goals by Jane McAvoy. The second came with just 28 seconds remaining.
D.C. Metro won the the next draw and Sydney Watson drove towards the goal before getting her shot attempt blocked. Long Island picked up the loose ball to start transition and Ortega buried the game-winner, her third of the game.
“We had a really good chemistry on the field and a great connection,” Ortega said. “We flowed really well together and everyone on the team really pushed each other and brought out the best in each other.”
How did she fell about winning the award?
“This award is a huge accomplishment for me,’ she said. “I’ve always wanted to have the honor of receiving this award and I did this year and it feels amazing. But i wouldn’t have gotten it without my teammates. They brought out the best in me and really pushed me. They played a huge role in this tournament for me and I’m really lucky to have them as my teammates this year.”
Ortega said she will take on more of a leadership role for Middle Country. The team went 16-2, but fell to West Islip Wednesday in the Suffolk County Class A playoffs.
“It (the event) showed me that teamwork is the biggest thing for any team and to always push each other,” she said. “Hopefully next year I can bring Middle Country closer together and bring out the best in them on the field – and show them how important it is to play for one another and how we all have to be each other’s biggest fans.”
The other finalists for the HLA Award were:
Kelsey Dunn (D.C. Metro 1)
Samantha Fish (San Diego)
Jillian Girardi (Upstate NY)
Madison Doucette (Philly 1)
Kelsey Huff (Long Island Metro 1)
Lexi Ledoyen (D.C. Metro 1)
Samantha McGee (Philly 1)
Olivia Muscella (Philly 1)
Olivia Rosenzweig (Hudson Valley)
Grace Rotondo (D.C. Metro 1)
Past Heather Leigh Albert winners
Year Name Team
1994 Beth Potter Philadelphia
1995 Jaque Weitzel South
1996 Sheehan Stanwick South
1997 Sheehan Stanwick South
1998 Kellie Thompson Chesapeake
1999 Lauren Aumiller U.S. U-19 National Team
2000 Kristy Dirks Middle Atlantic
2001 Katie Chrest Middle Atlantic
2002 Kathleen Miller Middle Atlantic
2003 Jennifer Hauser Middle Atlantic
2004 Megan Bosica Middle Atlantic
2005 Megan Bosica Middle Atlantic 1
2006 Emma Hamm Upper Atlantic 1
2007 Amanda Jones Upper Atlantic 1
2008 Kelly Austin Middle Atlantic 1
2009 Taylor Trimble Philly 1
2010 Taylor Trimble Philly 1
2011 Taylor Ranftle Long Island Metro 1
2012 Maeve McMahon Lower New England 1
2013 Kelly Myers Washington D.C. Metro
2014 Olivia Jenner Baltimore Metro 1
2015 Allison Mastroianni NJ North
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