Chantilly - Westfield Square Off in Round 2
CHANTILLY, VA - The Chantilly Charger boy's lacrosse season is perfect (11-0)...so far. After running the table on the regular season, the Concorde District, and the 1st round of the tournament, the Chargers are on a run towards a state championship.
The Westfield Bulldogs (8-4), have played well enough to be considered one of the top 4 teams in the state. In their last meeting, the Bulldogs lost by 11 goals. But tournament time means a new beginning, and the Bulldogs are looking to upend the brash Chargers...
Where: Chantilly High School
Time: 7:15 pm
Media: Gameday Radio \ Gamedaymagazine.com
KEY MATCHUPS
CHANTILLY
Over the years, Chantilly was just an also-ran in the Concorde District- not the case anymore. 2008 appears to be the year of the Chargers as they've ascended to the top of the Northern Region and the state. Toppling all the traditional powerhouses, it appears to be Chantilly's time. Led by a strong offense of Jake Nolan, Tyler Ott, and Kevin O'Neill, the Charger's defense is just as formidable and so too is their goaltending. Simply put, this team has no weaknesses and they've established themselves as the team to beat.
WESTFIELD
Westfield, however, may not match the firepower of their Charger counterparts but they've been here before. Their biggest strength may come in the experience department where every year they've been close to capturing a region and state title. If there's any coach who knows how to prepare their players for this type of stage, it's Westfield Head Coach Gary Malm. The Bulldogs may have lost earlier in the year by a large margin, but this squad should be back with a vengeance and their sights set at another Concorde title.
PREDICTION
By all means, don't expect such a blowout this go-round. Malm will get his troops ready for a fight, no doubt about it. However, this is Chantilly's district title to lose this year. They have the firepower to outlast any team in the Concorde and the region, and we expect Chantilly's path to a state title to begin tonight with a solid victory over Westfield:
WESTFIELD 7- CHANTILLY 12
