Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 6/9/17
Staff Report
Frankie Labetti said playing for Moorestown in its first New Jersey Tournament of Champions title game Saturday against Delbarton will be an unforgettable experience.
“It feels great, this is what our team has been working towards all year,” said the Quakers senior faceoff/middie who led Moorestown to an 8-4 TOC semifinal win over Pingry School on Wednesday at Kean University. “Me, especially, it’s an awesome feeling being one of the last two teams left in the state.
“It has been a dream of mine to make it to the TOC Championship and win it all. It’s an awesome game to be able to play in and to have the opportunity to play as my last time throwing on the black and gold is something special.”
Labetti had two goals and an assist and dominated at the face-off X Wednesday as Moorestown improved to 18-3. The Group 3 state champions, the tourney’s second seed, will face a top-seeded Delbarton (20-1) team that is ranked No 8 in the C2C North America Rankings.
The game will be held Saturday at Kean University at 7:30 p.m. Delbarton, the Non-Public A champion, toppled Ramapo, 10-4, in its semifinal.
“To be able to play against a great team like Delbarton for a game that means so much and is awesome,” said Labetti. “But it will take a total team effort from the first whistle to the last in order to win.
“If we work together and hook each other up like we have been doing all year I think we will be in great shape. But it doesn’t take a perfect game to be able to win, they are just another team standing in our team’s way of our ultimate goal and I know every player is going to leave it all on the field come Saturday night.”
Against Pingry, Labetti said the Quakers felt confident.
“Our game plan going into any game is really to just play our game,” he said. “We studied film and matched up against Pingry and had a game plan. But we really just played our game and controlled the flow of the game.”
Labetti, signed with Hartford, scored two goals in just over a minute in the fourth-period and assisted on a third fourth-quarter goal while winning all eight of the second-half faceoffs.
Moorestown led only, 5-4, after three periods, but Labetti made it 6-3 several minutes into the period and then added another goal just 1:08 later to make it 7-4. He then assisted on a tally by Quinn Willis (three goals) just 1:30 later to clinch it.
“The long possessions in the end of the third and into the fourth quarter really helped our team pull away,” Labetti said. “We started burying shots and we were able to let our defense rest, so when the ball was on their end they were able to pressure hard and helped us dictate the fourth quarter and ultimately win.
“I just stuck to what I have been doing all year at the X. I knew that I needed the ball to help my team and I was able to stay focused and grind it out at the x. My wings did a fantastic job being able to give me time and fight for that groundball as well.”
Liam Peck had six saves for Moorestown and Wesley Sporer added a goal and an assist.
Pingry 0 2 2 0 -4
Moorestown 2 2 1 3 -8
Moorestown
Ben Cantwell 1g
Sean Carden 1g
Will Corbi 1a
Frankie Labetti 2g, 1a
Wesley Sporer 1g, 1a
Quinn Willis 3g
Liam Peck 6 saves
Pingry
Drew Brosie 1g
Spencer Duryee 1g
George Enman 1g, 1a
Jake Moss 1g
Frankie Dillon 6 saves
David Metzger 6 saves