The West Orange boys lacrosse team had been outscored 29-3 in its last two games in losses to Hanover Park and Roxbury. That was before Thursday's game with Union City, when head coach Brian Cohen challenged his team to show some real force.
The Mountaineers did just that, thumping Union City 16-0 as John Dennis led the way with four goals with Tom Schuster and Peter Zipf adding three apiece.
"We were ready to play," said Cohen, whose team beat Union City 16-5 last year. "I challenged the team. I told them it wasn't so much about getting a win, but about coming together as a team.''
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Cohen once again was taken by Dennis' effort.
"He's one of the best players, if not the best in the league (Super Essex Conference)," said Cohen. "He's so athletic and fast. Nobody can guard him man to man."
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The first three games, the Mountaineers had outscored their opponents 23-22. That included the season-opening 14-3 win over Newark East Side.
"I know we were better (than Union City), I was hoping we could win," he said.
Cohen had shared a communication he had with Union City, a team now 0-7 that has been outscored 101-8. The Bulldogs are in their third season of varsity play.
"They wanted to play us twice,'' said Cohen, whose team will play Union City again May 10 in Union City. "I told the kids, 'See, they think they can handle us, so they wanted to play us twice.' After the game, their coach (Craig LaPierre) told me, 'I hope we give you a better game the next time.' "
The Mountaineers took the game away early, rolling to 10-0 halftime lead. Juniuor goalie Dan Shelley, in his second season as a starter, stopped four shots in the third quarter to protect the shutout.
"He made one humungous save," said Cohen.
Junior Dan Contreras scored his first two varsity goals. "He's coming along and he's really fast," Cohen said. "He's a really speedy kid."
The stakes get lifted today when the Mountaineers play host to Morristown at 4 p.m.
Union City is ranked 180th out of 182 teams in the state, according to www.laxpower.com. Unbeaten Morristown (5-0) is ranked 27th in the same poll. The Mountaineers are ranked 162nd.
"They are a buzz saw and Jeff Bigas (the Colonials' coach) does a great job," said Cohen. "They are where we want to be."
