Moffa a keeper in the cage

Moffa a keeper in the cage

For Chris Moffa it all started with a forgetful goalie and missing jock strap.

When Moffa was growing up he was playing midfield for the Eastchester Blue Devils youth lacrosse team.

One day in seventh grade Moffa got his break. The team’s starting goalkeeper had forgotten his cup before one game, a serious problem if a lacrosse ball is flying out at you at high speeds. The team needed a replacement.

He hasn’t left the cage since and has gone on to become an All-American net minder at Fordham Prep, one of the best squads in the CHSAA and New York City each season.

Moffa, a four-year starter headed to St. Joseph’s University to play lacrosse, hasn’t forgotten his middie skills though. They are some of the things that set him apart from other goaltenders. He said he is most comfortable with the ball in his stick and he is excellent at clearing the ball, sometimes all by himself.

By crazy Brown means taking the ball over midfield himself and trying to score goals and make plays on offense. He put one in the back of the net in a scrimmage against Midwood at the Mayor’s Cup on April 4 on Randall’s Island and has an assist for the Rams, who are 3-2 this season.

In the cage, Moffa has improve on seeing the ball even better out of opponents sticks and is blocking bounce shots better than he has in the past.

Moffa is the only player on the senior-laden team to beat rival Iona Prep, topping the Gaels three times including the CHSAA championship game three years ago. The Rams have not beaten them since. That includes an 11-5 loss in last season’s Metro Championship game, the culmination of a playoff between the best teams in the CHSAA, PSAL and private schools.

Iona lost Moffa to Fordham in junior high. Rick Trizano, the Gaels coach, was one of Moffa’s coaches with the Blue Devils and tried to get him to attend the New Rochelle school. Instead, his job is to give Trizano nightmares – something he hopes to do again this season as the two teams are the favorites in the CHSAA.