Boys Lacrosse Rolls Past Oratory 14-3 in Opener

Cranford boys' lacrosse team proved ready for the new season with an impressive 14-3 victory over visiting Oratory Thursday, combining crisp passing, solid defense and an offensive outburst, led by senior Steve DiGiovanni's five-goal effort. 

"I think it was a pretty good outing for us," said Cranford head coach Al Reinoso. "We're happy with the results, obviously. I was a little worried. Oratory is a vastly improved program. I was worried to see if we had any first game jitters or nervousness coming out of the chute this season, but everything was pretty much to order for us."

DiGiovanni, who has already committed to playing at Hofstra in the fall, is poised for a big season. A handful of goals is a great way to get started.

"I came in with a few jitters because we didn't know anything about Oratory, but we had a good practice yesterday, everybody was clicking. We came out ready to go, we came out victorious. We still have things to work on."

"He was prepared for the opening game," Reinoso said. "Right from the get-go, he had his game on, he had his shot on, he distributed the ball well, and he looked to either finish himself or distribute. He really had an excellent start to the season. He had his shot picking the corners while on the run."

Michael Sheehan had two goals and an assist, while Bobby Anstatt started in goal and shut out Oratory in the first half with the help of Will Bender and the defensive corp.

"I thought we did really well, actually," said junior middie Matt Nunziato. "We moved the ball really well. It just came together. We meshed a lot better. We had a couple of bumps in the road in the pre-season, but that's what the pre-season is for."

"We were happy with the defense the first half," Reinoso said. "The second half could have been a little better obviously, but the result was what we needed."

The victory was also important because it gave them a head start in the new Union County League. The Cougars will next host Governor Livingston on Saturday at 11 a.m. at Memorial Field.

"GL is another team that is vastly improved," Reinoso said. "I saw them in the summertime and in the fall. They have a lot of good, young, solid players We're anticipating a real dogfight and hopefully we'll be able to elevate our game so that we're prepared for that."

"They're definitely a harder team," said Nunziato. "But it is nothing we can't handle. I'm sure we'll do all right. I think we're going to get pretty far in the post season. It's a really good team. We have some young players, but if we figure it out towards the end of the season, we'll be all right."

The Cougars played their first real game on the new FieldTurf at Memorial Field, and they couldn't have been more impressed with the results.

"It's a lot better, definitely," said Nunziato. "It's so much more of an upgrade. The game's just faster. It's totally faster in transitions, ground balls, everything, it's great."

"The home advantage is really great," said DiGiovanni. "Everybody comes out here. It's nice to look in the stands. We have all these new facilities. It's awesome. You move so much faster. I'm going to college to play on turf, so I'm really fortunate to have this. Everything is faster. The ball on the ground, the ball up top. Everybody's moving quick. It's great."