Article by By Vinny Caggiano| For NJ Advance Media
Ramapo boys lacrosse regroups to beat Chatham this time in NJ, Group 2 title game
CHATHAM -- After losing to Chatham a year ago in the same title game, it seemed like déjà vu all over again for Ramapo.
Chatham dominated the first 10 minutes of this year’s rematch, sprinting up and down the field and attacking its way to an early three-goal lead.
Eventually, Ramapo slowed down the tempo, penetrated Chatham’s lock-down defense and created its best scoring chance thus far, but Matt Karsian’s shot rung off the post and it seemed as if everything was going wrong for Ramapo.
Finally, with 1:44 to go in the first quarter, Andrew Robbins broke through with a wrap-around score. That goal was all Ramapo needed to turn around the game.
From that point forward, second-seeded Ramapo, No. 16 in the NJ.com Top 20, controlled the pace of play to knock off top-seeded and No. 3 Chatham, 10-8, in the NJSIAA/Investors Bank North Jersey, Group 2 championship in Chatham.
Despite falling behind to the reigning champions early, Ramapo coach Tom Albano remained confident in his team.
“We knew that [Chatham] comes out of the gates really fast,” he said, “And we knew we kind of had to weather the storm a little bit. They got their first three goals boom, boom, boom, but we knew as long as we could chip one in and stay with them that we were going to have an opportunity to win the game at the end.”
Sporting a methodical, grinding offense, Ramapo did just that.
Jack Griffin tied the game at three in the second period with one of his four goals on the day and gave Ramapo all of the momentum. Along with a hat trick and an assist from Robbins and crucial saves by Johnny Caponi, Ramapo stood tall to win its first sectional title since 2006.
Ramapo’s upset victory came against a Chatham team that had won three of the last five North Jersey, Group 2 titles, including last year’s versus Ramapo.
“This is a special group of kids that have worked their butts off for the last two years,” Albano said. “Guys played with confidence, young guys stepped up when we needed them to step up... We’re a complete team right now.”
In a game that featured four ties in second and third periods, Ty Jaten finally put Ramapo up for good with five and half minutes left in the third. The goal capped yet another lengthy, slow-paced Ramapo possession, which was exactly in line with Ramapo’s strategy according to Albano.
“Our starting attack line and our offense as a whole, they did what we asked them to, and that was to be patient, take your time, don’t settle for shots and when you get an opportunity to put the ball in the back of the net that’s what you do,” he said.
Besides the seven combined goals from Griffin and Robbins, Karsian and Eddie Krabel each found the back of the net once and Ryan Sisti tallied three assists.
For Chatham, who came into the matchup with just two losses on the season (both against top-ranked Delbarton), Ryan Decker and Chris Francesco netted two goals apiece and accounted for two of the team’s three first period goals.
After Decker, Francesco and Connor Byrd put Chatham ahead 3-0, Albano called a timeout to settle his team down and remind them that they’ve been in this position before.
“That’s why the sport of lacrosse is beautiful,” he said, “No matter what type of hole you’re in you can still dig your way out of it. If you get those chances, those opportunities like we did in transition, the game can change really quickly.”
Now that Ramapo has avenged last season’s loss to Chatham and has upset the No. 3 team in the state, it turns its focus to Wednesday’s Group 2 final against South Jersey champion Rumson-Fair Haven, No. 14 in the NJ.com Top 20.
“We’re happy to win the sectional championship, it’s always the first goal, the first mountain you have to climb,” Albano said, “But our goal still is to win on Wednesday, that’s the real state championship.”