The Lenape defense completely stone-walled the vaunted Montgomery offense. Johnson recorded only one save - on a direct kick from 25 yards midway through the second half.
"Our defense has been doing a great job all season," said Lenape coach Kevin Meder, whose team will play for its fifth consecutive state title Saturday at The College of New Jersey. "Montgomery was a very dangerous team, but Rachel [Johnson], Courtney [Norton], Morgan [McDivitt], and Lizzie [Duffey] were just phenomenal in the back.
"They've been outstanding all year. And of course with Allison behind them, it's just been awesome all year."
Lenape advances to play Montclair or Ridge on Saturday in the state final.
Offensively, Lenape (23-2-1) was once again led by senior Katie Rigby. One game after scoring two goals in a 3-1 win over Eastern in the sectional final, Rigby netted two first half goals against Montgomery (18-2-2).
The forward headed in the first goal off a Rachelle Ross corner kick in the sixth minute. Her next goal was a tremendous display of athleticism. as Tori Prager slid the ball toward the net and a sliding Rigby sent the ball into the far side of the goal.
"Katie and the entire senior class have just refused to let this team lose, and they've been doing it all season," Meder said. "And I'm so happy for Katie that she's able to experience this and play at such a high level."
The highlight of the game after Rigby's goal was a gutsy and tough defense effort. Duffey, particularly, stood out in her defense of a speedy and physical Catrina Attanda, who had entered the game with 14 goals and nine assists.
"I kept telling myself not to dive in because I knew if I did, she was off to the races," Duffey said. "We knew they were a strong offensive team. But we came in just knowing that we had to contain them. It was a total team effort."
Rachel Johnson, a junior who has spent a year cementing herself as one of the state's premier defenders, was largely responsible for marking Montgomery's other much-heralded scorer, Colby Ciarrocca, who entered the game with 19 goals and 13 assists.
Rachel Johnson is one of the biggest reasons why her sister Allison has had a relatively quiet season in goal.
"Me and Ally, we fight all the time off the field," Rachel Johnson said. "But on the field, we come together - it's a completely different story. We just all play great team defense. And we know that defense wins championships."
Lenape 2 0 – 2
Montgomery 0 0 – 0
Goals: L-Katie Rigby 2.
Saves: L-Allison Johnson 1; M-Rebecca Ravitz 3.
Contact Chris Melchiorre at rallysports@phillynews.com.
