Chatham High School (N.J.) Girl’s lacrosse team fall behind, 2-0, early in its game against Ridgewood. But the Cougars fought back and ultimately came out on top, 7-6, against the Maroons Thursday evening at Hass Field.
It was a defensive battle, with the offense doing just enough for Chatham (8-0) to emerge victorious in the end. But no mistake, defensive was the name of the game for the Cougars, head coach Helen McCutcheon-Oliver noted.
“We found a way to win,” McCutcheon-Oliver said. “It was an aggressive game, and I’m glad we figured it out. Our defense played fantastic. We just couldn’t convert on offense. The fact that we let up only five goals for the entire game is something we’re making a little habit of, which is nice.”
Chatham tallied two markers from seniors Grace Hallahan and Ashlyn Carpenter to knot the tilt at two all with 4:27 remaining in the first period. But Ridgewood found the back of the net to break the tie and make it 3-2 with under a minute to play in the first quarter.
However, the Cougars scored four consecutive goals to take a 6-3 lead with 4:55 to go in the second period.
Refusing to lay down to Chatham, the Maroons (3-3) did not permit a goal for a nice stretch while scoring two tallies of their own to slice the deficit to one (6-5) with 1:34 left in the third quarter.
The Cougars’ defense, when the team needed it most, stood tall to start the fourth period. Then, Chatham junior Leah Tapper threatened with a blast that rocketed off the top right post to keep the game at one goal.
On the other end, Cougar senior goalie Annie Alden made a nice save, one of three, with 5:08 remaining in the tilt to keep Ridgewood at bay.
With Chatham needed a measure of breathing room, senior Ava Cantillion stepped up and provided it with a tally with 2:23 to go in the affair.
Unfortunately for the Cougars, Ridgewood won the draw and waltzed in for the score with 1:55 to play in the game.
But that is when Chatham’s offense effectively kept the ball away from the Maroons the rest of the way to secure the victory.
Hallahan enjoyed another fine game, finding the back the net twice, scooping up four ground balls, and winning two draw controls. Junior Peyton Furst had five ball controls, a ground ball, and added a helper.
Freshman LaBier Lindsey led Ridgewood with two goals.
Despite the Cougars facing tough competition in their last three games (Summit, Sacred Heart (Ct.), and Kent Place) and their bodies being somewhat tired, Hallahan said they gave their best effort possible, knowing a four-game break is looming.
“It was definitely an intense game,” Hallahan said. “I think we’re still reeling off of the past week. And I think this weekend is going to be a good break for us, because I think our bodies are going to get a good rest. But we knew with this break coming, we knew we had to put it all out on the field.”
Chatham squares off against Montclair Tuesday at 4:00 p.m.
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