Chatham Field Hockey are the 2021 Morris County Champions
The way things were going for the Chatham field hockey team in the first half of the Morris County Tournament final, there was a feeling that the Cougars were losing, even though the game was scoreless at the break.
Top-seeded Randolph spent nearly every second of the 30 minutes of the first two quarters pressing forward against Chatham and drawing penalty corners.
“We just told them to keep their heads up,” Chatham coach Kaitlin Leyden said. “It was still 0-0, so we were still in it. They just had to be told that and have it confirmed. There was plenty of time left. We told them to step to the ball and be a little more aggressive and in the second half, they did that
It took a muscle shot by Brooke DiBiase to tie the score in the third quarter and a winning foot race to the ball for a goal by Mia Sciacchitano in the fourth quarter to secure Chatham’s 2-1 upset for the 2021 MCT championship on Tuesday night at Boonton High.
Randolph (14-3), which has lost twice to Chatham this season, took a 1-0 lead in the third quarter off a penalty corner goal scored by Gianna Drake. But Chatham (8-5-1) managed to tie the game less than two minutes later on one of its two penalty corners in the game.
Sophomore Emmy Chazen inserted the ball to DiBiase up top and the junior wound up to blast it home (see below) for the 1-1 tie with 7:51 left in the third period.
“On that corner, I slammed in that goal and it was the hardest shot I’ve ever taken, I think,” DiBiase said.
Sciacchitano broke the 1-1 tie with 6:10 left in the fourth quarter. Sophomore midfielder Kitty Garrett made a strong hit forward and the ball tipped off a defender’s stick. Sciacchitano raced forward and got her stick on it a split-second before the charging goalie and it carried into the empty goal (see below).https://www.youtube.com/embed/-4bLWkVLTkY?wmode=transparent&jqoemcache=C6SKF
The Rams finished the game with a 16-4 advantage in shots and a 19-2 gap in penalty corners, with four or five coming in the closing minutes.
“It was pretty intense,” Sophia Claps, Chatham junior defender, said. “There were so many corners that were called. It was really hard, there was so much pressure on us trying to stop them. But I really think as a team we just pulled through and stayed strong to the end.”
Junior Kelsea Lee would be the first to fly to the inserted pass on the penalty corners and DiBiase took on the second player. Senior goalie Kelly Bernich came up with 10 saves and the entire Cougar team provided a line of defense, from the forwards and through to the back line.
COUGAR NOTES: Sophomore forward Mia Sciacchitano has scored just two goals for Chatham this season but both of them have been game-winners. She scored her first varsity goal in a 1-0 home win vs. Mount Olive and then went 10 games without a goal before striking against Randolph in the MCT final … junior Maddie Engelkraut celebrated her 17th birthday Tuesday, claiming the MCT championship was her “birthday wish” … the MCT championship was the third for the Cougars since the tournament began in 1977. Chatham also won the championship in 1978 and 2010 … the goal by Brooke DiBiase was her team-leading 10th of the season. DiBiase was named the Defensive MVP of the game and Randolph’s Sarah Bona was named the Offensive MVP … it was the third meeting this season between Chatham and Randolph, with Chatham winning, 1-0 in overtime at Randolph on a goal by Maddie Engelkraut on Sept. 10 and the Rams came to Haas Field and won a 2-0 game on Sept. 30.
