The Holy Cross Academyl girls’ lacrosse team put together an early run and a late run, but it was Shore Regional’s run in between that made the difference.

The top-seeded Lancers of Delran had their season ended by Shore for a second straight year after dropping a 10-8 home game to the second-seeded Blue Devils in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association South Jersey Group I championship game June 1.

Shore defeated the Lancers 7-6 in last year’s final.

“I don’t think anything changed with them (from last season),” Holy Cross coach Emily Burdalski said. “We were prepared; we knew what we had to do. Unfortunately we just didn’t execute today for a full 50 minutes.”

Holy Cross (20-3) came out on fire by scoring four of the game’s first five goals, and also tallied three of the last four. But the second-seeded Devils scored five straight to end the first half and three of the first four to start the second.

“Lacrosse is a game of runs,” Burdalski said. “Any time a run like that kind of ends a half it’s tough to get going. We just didn’t execute for the full 50 minutes and we knew that’s what we had to do.”

Julia Kuzy gave Holy Cross a 1-0 lead 5:11 into play before Shore tied it minutes later. The Lancers responded with two goals from Brooke Caruso and another from Kuzy to open a 4-1 advantage with 9:23 remaining.

Allie Reiser scored her second goal of the game with 6:50 left in the half and then Shore’s dangerous George sisters took over.

Sophomore Mary Kate George, who now has 70 goals this season, scored two straight to tie the game. With 0:33 left, her big sister Sarah scored twice within 12 seconds of each other to put Shore up 6-4. Sarah George, headed for Ohio State, has 87 goals and 43 assists.

Mary Kate George had a goal waved off due to a yellow card with three seconds left, but Shore had the momentum.

Holy Cross tried taking it back when Brielle Bennett scored 1:03 into the second half. But just 1:55 later, Becca Witschel scored the first of her two goals to start the Blue Devils on a 3-0 spurt that made it 9-5 with 13:57 remaining.

“I thought that (Bennett goal) would spark us,” Caruso said. “Then they came right back and scored and I guess our spark just kind of let up.”

Bennett cut it to 9-6 before Talia Binns got the goal back for Shore with 6:30 remaining. Bennett and Caruso scored in the final minute to complete their hat tricks and make it close.

“When we were up 4-1, we just didn’t keep the momentum,” said Caruso, a junior from Marlton who belongs to St. Joan of Arc Parish. “That’s when they struck back and we weren’t able to regain the lead. It was tough when they got up on us, and we started falling back a little bit.”

Despite the loss, it was an outstanding season for a Lancers team that only graduates three starters in goalie Cassy Skelton, defender Tatum Dougherty and midfielder Savanah Haran, who had 51 goals and 10 assists.

Caruso led the team with 87 goals and 38 assists, while Lauren Maloney had 45 goals and 15 assists, Kuzy had 39 goals and 18 assists and Bennett had 40 goals and 12 assists.

“This group was just resilient,” Burdalski said. “We didn’t have technically the most skill all over the field, but they just had such a will to win and that’s the whole reason we made it as far as we did. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

“It was a good year for us. . .a great year,” Caruso said. “I’m excited for next year.” 

So is her coach.