SPARTA — The Chatham Cougars girls' lacrosse team continued its winning ways on Monday, blowing past the Pope John XXIII High School Lions of Sparta by a final score of 17-6 in a game that featured a rare 11 a.m. weekday start.
The Cougars (2-0) started fast, scoring the first four goals of the game before Sparta got on the board.
The team continuously applied its aggressive pressure on Sparta, not allowing the Lions to cross into the offensive zone for more than a few minutes in the first half. Chatham took a 10-goal lead into the half.
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"We like to work on the fast break and get a lot of defensive pressure," said Head Coach Deb Marriott.
The Cougars executed numerous strong, crisp passes over, around and through Lion defenders. Because of that, the team was able to create numerous scoring chances, and often scored a goal immediately off of a pass.
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Lion defenders also found themselves missing defensive assignments. The faster, more skilled Chatham team caused numerous miscommunications among Sparta's players, and the Cougars capitalized, taking advantage of the prime shooting real estate to score.
"We were connecting in transitions, and had good ball movement when we had possession," said Marriott.
Sophomore Jaclyn Leto was the star of the game, tallying a seven point performance. Leto's effort was reflective of the team's dominance as she led the Cougars with four goals and tied for the game lead with three assists.
"She played solid and did a great job getting open and being seen by the other players," said Marriott. "She's one of four scorers for our team, and today was just her day."
Strong performances were also recorded by sophomore Kelsey Perselay and senior Meghan Murray, who each added two goals of their own. Kathryn Maiorano, Kate Murphy and Kate McCutcheon equaled Leto's assist total by each tallying three assists.
"I think we worked as a team and played well," Leto said.
Her attitude is a direct reflection of Marriott's, who is constantly trying to get the team to improve.
"We need to get better on defensive play, slides, and pressuring the ball," Marriott said.
Chatham looks to continue to improve on its two-game winning streak as it plays Jefferson on Tuesday at home.
