Written by: Thomas Conneely, Salman Khan, and Rehaan Kalolwala
The 2026-2027 Chatham High School boys soccer freshmen team has made a strong impression this season. Earning victories in big matchups and with emphatic win after emphatic win, the team continues to impress. The team still manages to improve, despite still adjusting to the daily life of high school. With more fixtures in store, the improvement should continue to build. The question isn’t if the team is going to improve; it’s how much they will improve.
So far, the team has shown almost all the traits of a strong team. Led by Coach Cicarelli, the team has achieved a 7-2-2 record (W-D-L), with a key victory against Randolph in a stunning win in comeback fashion. Also managing to draw twice against #1-ranked Delbarton in the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC), the freshmen team has thrived under the bright lights too, winning in a 5-2 blowout against Mount Olive on Cougar night. With their impressive record, Chatham has earned the 4 Seed in the Morris Knolls County tournament.
Sadly, disaster struck when the Cougars exited early in the 2nd Round of the Morris Knolls County tournament after a tragic 3-1 loss against their lower-ranked seed opponents, Pequannok. Despite their loss, the team has shifted their focus to the main task, which is focusing on winning for the remainder of the soccer season.
When asked who their toughest opponent this year has been, midfielder Carles Hosta Gelpi answered: “Definitely Delbarton; They have a very annoying playstyle that makes you need to stay vigilant, otherwise they’ll take advantage of your mistakes and pose a threat because of them.” Hosta Gelpi has 5 assists throughout the 8 games he has played in so far (missed 3 due to hamstring injury)
It’s not been smooth sailing completely for the team through this year. We also asked the question: what has been the biggest challenge so far and why. Fullback Ben Manwaring states, “The biggest challenge so far is being down two at halftime away against Randolph. Coming back and winning that game was an immense challenge, because we had to pretend that after half that it was a whole new game. We could’ve given up, but we came back and won 4-2.” This also has shown the traits of a great soccer team, showing resilience and not letting the scoreboard discourage them. To paraphrase Ted Lasso, “Goldfish are the happiest animals on earth because they have a 10-second memory. Be a goldfish.”
For Chatham Freshman players, this season is more than just winning. It’s been filled with challenges to overcome, building a foundation for their future success and preparing for next year’s team. Will the boys soccer freshman team continue to impress? We think so.
Injuries:
Carles Hosta Gelpi, Midfielder (Hamstring – was out for 2 weeks, Active currently)
Jimmy McBride, Striker (Quad – Missed 1 week, Active currently)
Most Recent Fixtures:
Livingston 2-1 W (9/11/26) H
Randolph 4-2 W (9/15/26) A
West Morris Mendham 4-3 L (9/19/26) A
Summit 5-2 W (9/22/26) H
Montville 5-1 W (9/30/26) H
West Morris Central 5-0 W (10/02/26) MK Cup H
Pequannok 3-1 L (10/06/26) MK Cup H
Delabarton 2-2 D (10/8/26) A
Overall record: 7-2-2 (W-L-D)
Only 6 games left as of 10/09/26
Next game: (10/13/26) against Hackettstown (Home – Cougar Field), as of the time of publication.
