Boys Lacrosse Crushes GL 12-3

It might be early in the season, but everything's already clicking for the Cranford boys' lacrosse team, as they rolled past Governor Livingston 12-3 on Saturday at Memorial Field. 

Steve DiGiovanni tallied five goals, giving him 10 for the season in just two games. The result was positive, but even the coach didn't expect it. 

"No, I really didn't," said Cranford's Al Reinoso. "We were worried about GL. They are a good, rising young team and I was really happy with our teams' ability to raise their level and stay at that level the entire game. Attack did an excellent job. We rotated a lot of guys in, we had a lot of young guys, we had a sophomore, we had a freshman playing, everybody contributed. Everybody got some points on the board for us. They did a real nice job of settling the ball down when we needed nice slow possessions."

"Our whole defense came together, we were talking well, getting good communcation on our slides," said junior goalie Bobby Anstatt. "Midfielders got back on defense. Offensively, we were working the ball around, easily taking shots when we needed to, we didn't force the ball at all, so we played well there too." 

"We thought it was going to be closer, just because the know me and Steve, we felt they were going to shut us both off," said senior Michael Sheehan, who had two goals and two assists. "We played really well, buried them early, played some sophomores, some second lines in, so they really got some good looks too." 

With a 2-0 record and a combined 21 goals in their first two games, the Cougars' confidence is high, important for such a young team. 

"I think that builds our confidence a lot," Anstatt said. "Not only are we playing better, but we're also correcting ourselves and we're learning as we go. I think we have the mindset that we've gotten better." 

"We need that confidence, because right now, the season really starts getting tough," said Reinoso. "We have a big game up at Vernon (Monday night). They're an excellent young program. It's their night game, so they'll be really fired up for that. And then we have Glen Ridge, which is the class of our league and defending conference champs. So if we want to be serious about competing for that title, we have to do a decent job against them. It's going to be a real test for us." 

"The team's effort was awesome today," said DiGiovanni. "Everyone came out ready to play like we did against Oratory. We're really trying to improve every day, like Coach Reinoso said, so can get up to the big dogs, like Glen Ridge. We're going to be ready, I think."       

That game will be played at home on Friday, and the Cougars will be hoping everything clicks in what will be the biggest game of the season to date. 

"Glen Ridge, wow, they're a top-ten team in the state," said Sheehan."They could make a run at the Tournament of Champions. So that could be our toughest game other than Summit." 

Now they need to continue to work on the little things. 

"Our sticks have gotten a lot better," said Anstatt. "Even though we have a young team, we all have good sticks and we're moving the ball around. We're really not forcing the ball inside and taking bad shots. We only shoot when we need to." 

As for Anstatt, he's happy with his play so far, but is still looking to refine his game. 

"I'm making saves so far, which is good," he said. "I had some better clears today, which is a nice change of pace, because they havn't been so much in the past. But we're getting open, getting ready on the clears, and that's good too." 

"He played a very solid game," said Reinoso. "He saw everything, he stopped everything from outside. They only beat him with quality shots. He did a real good job running the defense an clearing the ball. He did an excellent job."   

Sheehan has been impressed with a number of players early on. 

"Bobby always plays well in goal. Will Bender did an amazing job taking faceoffs. Kyle Floyd did a good job. Mike Kelly, and newcomer Alex Bartley did a good job. I'm really proud of the way this team is stepping up."