Chatham Field Hockey Team Seeks Sectional Championship

CHATHAM, NJ — The Chatham field hockey team is now seeking a state tournament title to go along with its Morris County Tournament championship.

The Cougars (11-5-1) are the seventh seed and will face Warren Hills, the second seed, in the quarterfinals of the NJSIAA North Jersey, Group 3 tournament on Nov. 2.

“Warren Hills is always an amazing program―they are skilled and smart field hockey players,” said Chatham head coach Kaitlyn Leyden. “We need to make sure that we play with confidence and not hesitate or be frantic. If the team believes they can win, they will do it.”

Chatham defeated 10th-seeded Mount Olive, 4-3, in the first round of the tournament on Wednesday, Oct. 27. The game was decided on penalty strokes after a 3-3 tie resulted after two overtime periods.

“The team played well; we were unlucky with capitalizing on our 37 shots on goal, shots bouncing off posts, and several goal line saves on Mount Olive’s part,” Leyden said. “Their goalie also had a spectacular game and denied 20 of our shots on goal. Mount Olive was up by two goals, which can be very defeating for a team, but this Chatham team understood not to hang their heads low and to keep battling, because eventually those shots will go in. Our forwards and midfielders kept the pressure inside Mount Olive’s circle, which allowed us to capitalize and tie up the game. Every practice we go through strokes, so both our players and goalies are ready to go. Going into strokes is anyone’s game, but I knew that this group of players and Kelly Bernich, our goalie, were ready.”

Chatham, the third seed, won the Morris County Tournament championship with a 2-1 victory over Randolph on Oct. 19. The team defeated 14th-seeded Morris Knolls, 6-0, in the first round on Oct. 2; 11th-seeded Pequannock, 4-0, in the quarterfinals on Oct. 9; and seventh-seeded West Morris, 2-0, in the semifinal round on Oct. 16.

“The journey leading to the finals was difficult, and many of the teams we were going to play were ones we previously faced twice in the regular season. Our goal was to get to the finals. The last time Chatham was in the finals was in 2010,” Leyden said. “The team had to face West Morris for a third time in the semifinals, a team that knocked out Chatham in 2019 and is always a difficult competition. The team knew it was going to be a hard battle, but they were determined to get to the finals. During this game, the momentum and chemistry on the field was electric. There was no stopping these players from dominating from start to finish.”

Randolph was the top seed in the tournament.

“As we entered the finals, the team understood that we were the underdogs and we were predicted not to be victorious over Randolph (No. 20 in the state and No. 1 in the conference), but we knew we could do it if we truly believed in one another and held each other accountable,” Leyden said. “During that game, Randolph had many opportunities to be victorious, but our defensive unit kept their composure and focused and denied their opportunities. The few opportunities that Chatham had on offense were capitalized and led us to our victory.”

Chatham’s defense was key to winning the county championship.

“Randolph had many opportunities, 19 corners and 16 shots on goal, but our defense denied them those opportunities,” Leyden said. “Our forwards never gave up, and the few opportunities that we had we capitalized on. Everyone truly left all they had on the field. We told them, win or lose, if you can truly walk off the field and say ‘I gave it all I had,’ then that is all we want from you all. That is exactly what every player did on that field.”

Chatham has won five straight games including the Morris County Tournament semifinal and championship games and two regular-season games.

“The team has been playing well the past few weeks. We have some injuries, but the players are tough and push through as hard as they can,” Leyden said. “Overall, this team never gives up and always tries their best. I am extremely proud to be their coach. A team that never gives up is always a tough team to beat. When we don’t play our best, the team knows that and is determined to work hard at practice and do better the following game. What more can a coach ask for?”

Leyden said the team’s defense, including Kelsea Lee, Sophia Claps, Kate McManus, Maddie Englekraut, Sarah Lapus, Emmy Chazen, and goalie Kelly Bernich, has been solid over the last few weeks.

“On offense, Mia Sciacchitano and Brooke DiBiase have been key players to our success,” Leyden said. “All of our players, though, from the defense to the offense have scored or received an assist. It is pretty impressive.”

Leyden said a highlight of the season was honoring the team’s seniors on Senior Day in a game against Sparta.

“Our seniors this year consist of six individuals who are all leaders on and off the field,” she said. “They have created a close-knit field hockey family by building chemistry within this team. We have a lot of new varsity players to this team, due to losing 12 seniors from last season. During this game, it was amazing to see each one of them dominate the field from start to finish. All of their hard work over the past four years paid off. The class of 2022 is truly a special group of individuals who I am so lucky to have and to be their coach. The success of this season is credited to all six seniors who truly keep their team accountable every practice and game.”