Morristown outlasts Chatham in Morris County Tournament lacrosse final
Morristown outlasts Chatham in Morris County Tournament lacrosse final
Jane Havsy, Morristown Daily Record Sat, May 9, 2026 at 6:15 PM UTC
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MADISON — The Morristown girls lacrosse team earned more than a plaque after defeating Chatham, 7-6, in the Morris County Tournament final. The Colonials were also rewarded with an oversized gold bag of Haribo gummy bears.
And just like the plaque, the players lifted it skyward in celebration.
Simone Claps #2 of Chatham girls lacrosse plays against Eloise Downes #2 of Morristown in a Stars & Stripes Red game, Chatham, Tuesday, Apr. 8, 2025.
It is Morristown's fourth MCT title, and all of them required getting past Chatham. The Colonials beat the Cougars in the 2023 and 2024 finals, as well as a 2018 semi.
"It's unreal," Morristown senior goalie Eloise Downes said. "We didn't get what we wanted (last year), but now all our hard work has been rewarded. ... We were really well-prepared. We've been in a lot of close games. We really pulled the momentum."
The Colonials (11-4) looked back at their overtime semifinal win against Mendham on May 6. The girls were also able to refer back to a 12-8 regular-season loss to Chatham, when they allowed seven second-half goals.
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Morristown had a two-goal lead after the first quarter, which they held at halftime.
Senior midfielder Peyton Furst got the Cougars within one goal with 20.4 seconds left in the third quarter. But Morristown senior Caroline Condon was able to extend the lead again 1:06 into the fourth, completing her hat trick.
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Furst had two goals in the final for top-seeded Chatham (9-6). Cougars senior Annie Irish added a goal and an assist, two draw controls, and two ground balls. Senior Leah Tapper had a goal and an assist and three ground balls.
"It's so exciting, so rewarding," said Condon, the MCT MVP, between rounds of TikTok dances with the MCT plaques. "We had the standard set, and we always expected to find ourselves in this game. This year, it's even more special. We're finally clicking, and hitting a part in our season when we're feeling good and things are working for us."
The Morristown girls lacrosse team celebrates after defeating Chatham, 8-7, to win the Morris County Tournament on May 9, 2026.MCT championship tradition
At least one of these teams has been in the MCT final dating back to 2013.
Chatham beat Mendham to win the title last spring, after losing to Morristown in 2023 and 2024. The Cougars had defeated the Colonials in the 2022 final, after losing to Mendham the year before and in 2019. Morristown toppled Chatham in a 2018 semi, then defeated Mountain Lakes to win the title. The Cougars had lost to Mountain Lakes in 2014, beat the Lakers in 2015, and lost to them again in 2016 and 2017.
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The Colonials were able to celebrate the title with the next generation of girls lacrosse, the sixth-grade youth team. The varsity girls volunteer as their coaches on weekends, and many of the youngsters spent time in Morristown head coach Allie Ferrara's Frelinghuysen Middle School math classroom this week talking about the future.
Ferrara presented many of them with extra players' plaques, handing them between the railings into the stands on Saturday.
"The pride I take in getting to coach these girls comes from having played through the same stages that they're living now," said Ferrara, herself a Morristown alumna. "I'm so happy for the senior class. And then they'll get to watch the next generation come and do the things they paved the way for."
This article originally appeared on Morristown Daily Record: Chatham vs. Morristown in Morris County Tournament girls lacrosse final
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