Boys’ Lacrosse Defeats Vernon to Improve to 3-0

It was a long bus ride to the top of New Jersey and back Monday night, but the Cranford varsity lacrosse team made the most of their journey by posting an impressive 10-8 victory over a powerful Vernon squad.

Steve DiGiovanni was on the attack once again, notching his third five-goal performance of the season to lead the way. The Hofstra-bound senior now has 15 goals in just three games.

"Our team came ready to play," said DiGiovanni. "We came out from the get-go. It was a close game. I think that was the hardest game we ever played as a team together. Being on the Cranford varsity for four years, I felt that was the first time that we all stuck together, not just as individuals."

"It was really important for us because we came out strong and it was a tough team," said senior Alex Bartley. We all came together, we all played hard, got our jobs done and we won."

"We had a big win, big play from everybody," said senior Kyle Floyd. "The defense played well as a team. Everybody did their part. It's a good way to start the season."

It was a nip-and-tuck battle all the way, as Cranford took a 2-1 lead after the first period. Vernon tallied four goals in the second to even the match at 5-5 at the midway point. The Cougars would bend but never break, as the defense worked hard under pressure to the very end to stop Vernon's relentless late attack and hold on for the win.

"They made a little run for it in the fourth," said DiGiovanni. "We just had to hold them down with two minutes left and that's what we did."

Cranford outshot Vernon 30-19 for the game, but it was their three goals in the third frame that provided a little cushion heading into the final stanza, where both teams notched a pair of goals. Eric Knight added two goals, while John Ruban, Michael Sheehan and Luke Diano scored one apiece for the Cougars. Ruban also had two assists to help the cause. Goalie Bobby Anstatt earned 11 saves in the victory.

"It was a very nice win," said Cranford coach Al Reinoso. "It was a tough game. The fact that it was our first real test, it was close throughout and we really battled and we had to make adjustments on the fly, the boys came through in all of those aspects. Defensively, we had to do a couple of things because they had a couple of really talented players, and we adjusted at halftime and we executed a lot better in the second half. They were throwing different looks at us and we were able to adjust to that, and keep a lead and ice the game down the stretch."

"It's good to come out strong in the beginning of the season," said Floyd. "We're showing we can still be a dominant team despite what we lost last year. We have a lot to prove this year."

The Cougars have a few days off before they face one of the top teams in the area, with Glen Ridge coming to town on Friday afternoon for a 4:30 p.m. test at Memorial Field.

"I told the boys, it's been kind of like climbing a ladder, each team has been tougher than the last," Reinoso said. "This is no exception, even tougher than Vernon. They're the class of the new conference that we're in. They're a perennial power in Group 1, and they're loaded this year. They're pre-season favorites to win, and I think they're ranked in the Top 20. So we have our work cut out for us."

"We're going to have to come out stronger than we did against Vernon," said Floyd. "It's going to be a tough match, but it's going to be a real defining point in our season."