Chatham Boys' Lacrosse Survives Early Surge To Beat Seton Hall

WEST ORANGE — The Chatham boys' lacrosse team took a big step forward in overcoming an early deficit to defeat Seton Hall Prep by a final score of 15-10 on Wednesday.

The game started fast, with Seton Hall scoring off of the opening draw. They would tack on another goal off of a Chatham turnover forced by Matt Donovan, who then beat senior goaltender Mac Nestler.

The Pirates looked to start fast after losing their last game to Lawrenceville.

"Their faceoff guy is good, and faceoffs have been a weak point for our team," said senior Rob Guida.

The early two-goal deficit marked the first time in the Cougars' young season that they have been behind and have faced some adversity.

"They're a scrappy team—we knew they would come out fast," said Head Coach Anthony Calandra.

It was at this point in the game that Guida, his brother Nick, and the rest of the Chatham team would awaken their high scoring offense and take over.               

Nick Guida would take advantage of an out-of-position Seton Hall goalie to get the Cougars on the board, followed by a goal from senior Jack Beattie. After a Seton Hall goal from Tom Croonquist gave the Pirates the lead, Rob Guida emerged and showed the Pirates why he's one of the state's top lacrosse players, scoring two goals in a row to give the Cougars the lead.

"Rob's a great player," said Calandra. "He puts points up, and he has a lot of support around him."

Beattie and Nick Guida emerged on Wednesday as more-than-capable scorers on a deep Chatham team. Once the Cougars took the lead, Beattie and Nick Guida padded the team's advantage with relentless offensive pressure. Each player added three goals and one assist of their own.

"We knew our offense would produce," said Guida, who finished with four goals and two assists. "The offense is clicking."

While the Cougar offense did its job, scoring 15 goals, Guida acknowledged that this game was won with a strong defensive effort.

The Cougar defense, when called upon, didn't allow any quality shots to their opponents and kept bodies in the way of shooting lanes. All of Seton Hall's goals were unassisted off of turnovers or fast breaks.

Guida said he "knew we'd have to rely on our defense."

"We have trust in our goalie and defense," he said.

The Cougars are eagerly looking forward to their next game against Bernards High School on Friday. Between now and then, the team sees room for improvement.

"We need to improve on our face-offs and ground balls," Guida said.