Columbia's senior middie Will Mangan (left) is on the move against Montclair during this past Sunday's exciting 9-8 semifinal victory over the Mounties in Maplewood, propelling the Cougars into their first-ever Essex County Boys' Lacrosse Tournament final vs. Seton Hall Prep. (Photo by Doug Allen)

Columbia's goalie Charlie DeSocio (2) was brilliant all game long against Montclair, but came up biggest in the end with a couple of late saves to help preserve the Cougars' semifinal win over the Mounties. (Photo by Doug Allen)

Columbia's Corey Weiss (22) looks for a teammate while beind defended by Montclair's Mike Landy during Sunday's ECT semifinals. (Photo by Doug Allen)

Glen Ridge's attackman Brendan Goldstein (8) wards off a Seton Hall Prep defender during Sunday's ECT semifinal won by the Pirates, 11-6. The youthful Ridgers had a nice run to reach Final Four. (photo courtesy of corbosport.com)

Glen Ridge defenseman Troy Catalano (1) clears downfield against Seton Hall Prep during Sunday's ECT semifinals. (photo courtesy of corbosport.com)

Columbia-SHP Lacrosse Round 2
Will Happen In Sunday's ECT Final
By Steve Tober
for sidelinechatter.com

Columbia’s boys’ lacrosse team has proven it has answers on both ends of the field, whether it’s Rutgers-bound middie Will Mangan’s ability to score in bunches or standout goalie Charlie DeSocio’s incredible resiliency in the back where he makes his fair share of big-time saves.

Now, the ultimate test comes to the forefront for the second-seeded Cougars (9-5) who will make their first appearance in the finals when they take on local nemesis and top-seeded Seton Hall Prep for the second time this season, 2:30 p.m.,Sunday, at West Essex in the 2008 Essex County Tournament championship game.

Round 2 of Columbia-SHP boys’ lax is a chance for redemption for the Cougars, who dropped a hard-fought 11-9 decision to the Pirates (11-2), May 2nd, in a match where SHP out-shot the Cougars, 30-17, and rode four goals from sophomore standout Graham Horvath for the victory.

“Seton Hall Prep is a great team,” said Columbia Coach Dave Brothers. "They have tremendous defense and a lot of kids who can score.

“They are extremely balanced and have played well all year so it will be a great challenge for us.”

Columbia edged two-time defending ECT champion Montclair, 9-8, in the ECT semis, this past Sunday in Maplewood, as Mangan scored five goals and DeSocio was brilliant with 19 saves, including a one-on-one stop with 1:18 left and a final one with 12 ticks remaining.

Meanwhile, SHP dispatched with fifth-seeded Glen Ridge, 11-6, as Pat Byrnes, Max Dolce and Brian Larkin each had two goals.

Horvath, who has emerged as one of the top, young attackman in the state, had a goal and two assists vs. Glen Ridge (7-6), a very young team which did a solid job making it to the semis this spring.

Columbia has started coming on strong the past two weeks when it matters most, highlighted by a 9-8 come-from-behind triumph over a strong Summit team (11-3) on May 6 in Maplewood as senior middie Jamil Karriem scored off a pass from senior attackman Shane Galante with 26 seconds left in overtime for the game-winner.

The Cougars trailed the Hilltoppers, 8-3, after three quarters, but bounced back thanks to a 5-goal fourth quarter led by Mangan, who scored three of his four goals in the final 12 minutes.

“Beating Summit felt good because our varsity had not done that since I’ve been around,” said Brothers, who is in his seventh season at the helm. “It was a long drought and that win was a tremendous one for us.”

Mangan, who should be a great addition at Rutgers next year, has been playing simply great lacrosse as Columbia has played at its highest level this spring.

“Will is a solid ball player,” said Brothers. “He’s good inbetween the lines, he gets lots of ground balls, plays good defense and is certainly capable of scoring.

“He never leaves the field and we only play 12 kids. Will played well against Montclair plus the other kids helped keep nice possessions and everyone played hard in order to win a very, very tough game.”

Against Montclair (6-7), which had beaten SHP by a 6-5 score in each of the past two ECT finals, Mangan tallied three of his game-high five goals in the first quarter when Columbia took an early 4-1 lead over the up and down Mounties.

“Getting up early always seems to help, especially against a great team like Montclair,” said Brothers.

Of course, it also helps to have a superb net minder in the back and DeSocio, who will play next year at Drew University, has emerged as one of the hottest goalies in the state with his continued stellar play.

“Charlie is one of the best goalies I have ever had,” said Brothers. “He actually is a true middie who we had to convert for the past two seasons.

“He’s a great athlete and is really starting to play some good lacrosse and he was a factor against Montclair for sure.

The last time SHP and Columbia met back on May 2 nd, Horvath scored four goals and senior middie Byrnes added three for a Pirates’ team that has shown great progress under first-year Coach Dave Giarrusso.

But, Columbia’s Brothers is thrilled to have his team in the position it will find itself this Sunday.

“This will be our first finals since I’ve been around,” said the Cougars’ veteran head coach. “I am very proud of our team!”

Columbia's Will Mangan (right), who scored a game-high five goals vs. Montclair in Sunday's 9-8 ECT semifinal victory, pivots vs. the Mounties as he keeps the Cougar offense moving forward. (Photo by Doug Allen)

Columbia senior middie Jamil Karriem (11) prepares to fire shot against Montclair during Sunday's ECT semis in Maplewood. (Photo by Doug Allen)

Columbia senior attackman Shane Galnate (24) heads upfield vs. Montclair. The veteran Cougar had three assists to help his team win. (Photo by Doug Allen)

Glen Ridge's Dave Walter (11) releases the ball as he's checked by a Seton Hall Prep foe during their ECT semifinal battle. (photo courtesy of corbosport.com)

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