Ocean City's Shannon Decosta hawks the ball on defense.
By Lesley Graham
The Ocean City High School girls’ lacrosse team ended the week 3-0 in conference play, defeating Absegami 16-2 on Friday.
The win for the Red Raiders upped their record to 13-2, while Absegami dropped to 5-8.
As in previous games, Ocean City used balanced scoring to dominate the game, playing the majority of the contest on the offensive end of the field. Seven different Red Raiders contributed to the scoreboard.
Danielle Donoghue, a senior midfielder for the Red Raiders, dominated the draw controls, limiting Absegami’s opportunities. Donoghue also led all scorers with seven points, six of them being assists.
With 18 minutes to play in the first half, Ocean City held a 3-0 lead. Absegami found an offensive opportunity to cut the lead to 3-1, but Ocean City answered right back, increasing the lead to 4-1.
The Red Raiders never looked back then, scoring six more goals while only allowing one in the final 15 minutes of play. They scored their 10th goal with only four seconds remaining in the half. 
Ocean City's Ava Auwarter looks towards the goal for an offensive opportunity.
Ocean City was patient on offense, using steady possessions while working the ball for five minutes at a clip off the clock, then looking for the good shot opportunity.
Red Raider Head Coach Alyssa Morrison pointed out that learning and practicing the importance of possession will help the team tremendously in the upcoming post season.
“Going into the post season the clock is going to be a big part, not just stalling but running an offense and tiring out a team’s defense is critical,” Morrison said.
Ocean City used the halftime to make a few small adjustments, focusing on its offensive ball movement and making quality cuts and passes throughout the entire field of play.
The Red Raiders limited their turnovers in the second half. They also tightened up their defense, which resulted in a scoreless second half for Absegami.
Ocean City will be back in action for another busy week next week as it closes out the regular season with three conference games.
Ocean City's Shannon Decosta hawks the ball on defense.
