Chatham Pushes Summit to Brink, But Loses in 5OT

Facing a team that had won 66 straight games and two consecutive Tournament of Champions titles is undoubtedly a daunting task. But the boys lacrosse team took Summit High School to the brink in the Group II final on Thursday, dropping a heartbreaker, 7-6, in a five-overtime thriller at Ridge High School. 

With both teams trading goals for much of the second half, a scoring drought consumed the final five minutes of the fourth quarter, as well as the following four overtime periods, before Summit's Sonny Round secured his team's 67th straight win as he scored with 2:26 remaining in the game's fifth OT. 

“We had opportunities and they had opportunities,” Chatham head coach Anthony Calandra said. “Someone was going to put one in. But our effort was tremendous all day long.” 

While the game’s final score left Chatham and its fans disappointed, the Cougars fought hard with arguably the states best team, battling back from a number of deficits to extend this game to extra time. 

“Our two goals coming into this game were to win the ground ball battle and win the time of possession,” senior Nick Guida said. “In the first game that we played Summit, they really dominated us on the ground balls and the little things, but we really put a whole game together [today] playing for those ground balls.”

In a back-and-forth affair, Chatham controlled the time of possession in the second half, methodically passing the ball around and searching for an opening in the Summit defense.

“We knew we had to possess the ball; we knew we had to keep their possessions limited, and we did that,” Calandra said. “To play against them, and to take them as deep as we did–you don’t want to lose a game ever, but the effort was great. The seniors did a great job and everyone banded together. [Summit’s] a great team. They’re a great team.” 

With Chatham controlling the ball in the Summit zone, their willingness to be patient resulted in fewer scoring chances. But Calandra explained that Chatham came into this game with a plan, and they executed that plan.

And that plan got the Cougars into a five OT grudge match with a perennial lacrosse power.  

“We drilled it all week long, as far as being patient and trying to get good shots, and that’s what we did,” Calandra explained. “That’s what got us in the opportunity down the stretch.” 

Chatham trailed 2-0 after the first quarter, as Summit's Mike Ford netted two goals less than 10 seconds apart late in the first quarter to give the Hilltoppers an early lead. But Chatham refused to relent, as the Cougars answered each Summit goal in regulation with one of their own. 

Sean Whiteman led all Cougar scorers with two goals, one to bring Chatham within one goal at 4-3 late in the second quarter and his second to tie the game at 5-5 early in the fourth.

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