Hometown Hero News

ROXBURY, NJ — Five straight Morris County Tournament titles say Chatham owns this trophy. One look at West Morris's October says the Wolfpack did not come to Roxbury to watch a coronation.

The two meet Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. at Roxbury for the Morris County Tournament championship — the second half of a title doubleheader, right after the boys final at 5 — and it is our Game of the Week.

THE DYNASTY

Chatham (10-3-2) is the No. 2 seed and the five-time defending champion, going for an unprecedented sixth straight crown. The Cougars have treated this tournament like a formality so far: 6-0 over Kinnelon, 3-1 over Madison and a 6-0 rout of Montville in the semifinal — 15 goals for, one against.

Junior midfielder Lucy Arps is the engine. She had piled up 14 goals and 10 assists by mid-October, and in the semifinal she set up goals for Sophie D'Egidio and Junna Sho as Chatham pulled away. Behind her, junior goalkeeper Charlotte Nelson anchors the defense — Arps and Nelson have both committed to the University of Pennsylvania.

THE CHALLENGER

West Morris, the No. 5 seed, took the hard road. The Wolfpack beat Pequannock 5-1 and edged Mendham 2-1, then did what nobody else could do all season: beat Randolph. The top-seeded Rams were unbeaten and had allowed one goal in nine matches. West Morris shut them out, 2-0.

It was no fluke. West Morris carried a seven-match unbeaten streak into the quarterfinals, with senior goalkeepers Colleen Cleary and Megan Fiessler sharing four shutouts along the way, and Emma Gegenfurter, Alanna Vieira and Caroline Sardeira powering the attack.

THE FIRST MEETING

These two have seen each other once already: Chatham won 2-0 at home on September 19. Saturday is a neutral field, under the lights, with the trophy in the building — and, as the state bracket stands, they are slated to meet yet again on October 27.

Somebody's season-defining Saturday starts at 7:30. Get there early — the boys final kicks off at 5, and the nightcap is the best game in the county this week.

Tournament bracket, scores and schedules compiled from Daily Record and MaxPreps reports.