After a dominate 4-0 first period, Chatham High School (N.J.) Boy’s let Westfield back into the game, leading by just a goal at the break.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!But the Cougars (1-0) hung on for a 12-9 victory over the Blue Devils in the end Tuesday night at Cougar Field.
It was the first time Chatham defeated Westfield (0-1) since 2017.
Though the Cougars’ offense did not click the way it should, head coach Christian Scarpello said he feels it should gel once everyone see more playing time together as a unit.
“We’re still working out kinks offensively,” Scarpello said. “There are still some new pieces, with a limited pre-season (played). But they will take care of themselves on that end. So, we just got to continue to get better and get familiar with one another. “
Scarpello, however, was not pleased with Chatham’s overall defense and non-discipline approach. But he was happy with the goalkeeping and faceoffs.
“I thought the defense played subpar today,” he said. “Tucker (McWilliams) has been great in goal, and Christian did a great job facing off. Just some stuff to clean up; it was self-inflicted. I don’t know how many penalties we had, but it was a lot.
Senior Shep Boyd opened the scoring for the Cougars 1:18 into the contest for a 1-0 advantage.
Another three goals, including ones from seniors Johnny Roskell and Kyle Gibney, gave Chatham a 4-0 lead after the first quarter.
But Westfield responded with three unanswered markers of its own to slice the deficit to 4-3 with 3:40 remaining in the first half.
Next, senior Hunter Bingham provided the Cougars with a two-goal advantage with 3:17 to go in the second period.
But the Blue Devils answered with two straight tallies to tie the game at 5-5 before senior Ryan Hoffelder found the back of the net for a 6-5 Chatham edge with 15.6 left in the half.
Gibney, a University of Vermont commit, handed the Cougars a 7-5 lead in the first minute of the third quarter.
“We were definitely a little sloppy on offense, but it was first game jitters and stuff,” Gibney said. “But my teammates are finding me off-ball. And, yeah, we’re just going to continue to work on that.”
Hoffelder extended Chatham’s advantage to 8-5 with 9:10 remaining in the third period.
Not to be outdone, Westfield scored back-to-back markers to close the gap at 8-7 midway through the third quarter.
Both teams exchanged goals to keep the Cougars leading by a score. But the Blue Devils knotted it up early in the fourth period.
Then, Hoffelder registered his third tally of the day to give Chatham a 10-9 advantage for good with 9:57 to go in the contest.
Boyd banged one home, while Nicholas Lagunowich added an insurance marker for good measure to seal the deal for the Cougars.
Gibney and Hoffelder led Chatham with three goals apiece, while Boyd had two tallies and two assists. Bingham, a two-sport athlete who is committed to Fordham University for football, recorded a marker, as well as sophomore Sam Lowe.
The Cougars travel to Rumson Fair-Haven Saturday for a 2:00 p.m. tilt.
Featured Godly Item: Philippians 4:13 Lacrosse LAX Player Graphic Bible Verse T-Shirt — $16.99.
Featured Awesome Item: Lacrosse Gifts for Boys – Ideal Lacrosse Socks Gift For Teenagers, Excellent Present for Young Players, Comfy and Stylish, Practical Gifts for Men, Unique Gift for Girls — $9.99.
Note: If you click the above Amazon link and make a purchase, I may earn a commission to help support my continuing efforts to provide free content to my readership, while affording coverage to the athletes and teams that so deserve the recognition.
— Jerry Del Priore