Bulldog's Lacrosse Play Fast and Dominate Reigning Shore Conference Champs

Rumson-Fair Haven’s quest to prove that it is the heavy favorite to win this season’s Shore Conference Tournament (SCT) title began on Saturday morning with an impressive 11-1 win over defending SCT champion Red Bank Catholic in a boys lacrosse game on the Caseys’ home turf at Count Basie Field.

 “We had this part of the calendar circled and knew that we had to make a statement in the Shore that after knocking on the door the past few years, now it’s our year,’’ said RFH head coach Jim Barbiere. “I think they were able to demonstrate that in a big way today.’’

While RBC has lost several top players to graduation, including current Navy Prep freshman Kevin Whitlock, the Bulldogs still had a score to settle after losing to the Caseys in last year’s SCT final.

“We knew that they had lost some of their best players, but we definitely didn't want to underestimate RBC this year because it's a big rivalry game and because of the fact that they beat us last year in the Shore Conference final,’’ said senior defender Matt Gilbertson.

The Bulldogs sprinted out to a 7-0 lead after the first quarter and eventually pushed the lead as high as 10-0 before cruising to the win on a blustery day. Senior attack Beau Bennardo had two goals and two assists, Curran and senior attack P.J. Maher each had two goals and an assist, senior attack Dylan Benedickson scored twice, Cornell-bound senior midfielder Mike Huttner had a goal and an assist, and senior Ian Moore and junior Ryan McCausland each chipped in with a goal apiece.

“We’ve been looking forward to this game since last year,’’ said Curran, who missed last spring’s SCT final because of a torn ACL suffered in the preseason. “We were fired up today to get this win.’’

Junior goalie Artie Tildesley made eight saves on 14 shots to nearly shut out a top-five team in the Shore. A goal by Mark Powell with 10 seconds left in the third quarter was all that stood between Rumson (6-1) and a shutout, as Tildesley continues to play well in his first season as a starter. He replaced the graduated Trevor James, one of the Shore’s top goalies last season.

“I was seeing the ball well today, and our defense played great and limited their shots,’’ Tildesley said. “Trevor James was a great goalie, but I think I have stepped into things and done all right. We have developed great chemistry on defense.’’

The defense, led by Gilbertson, a Dartmouth recruit, and coordinated by assistant Reid Jackson, has gone from a question mark in the preseason to a strength. Gilbertson heads up a group that also includes seniors Sam Waters and Danny Mentel and the rotating trio of Ben Albainy, Bryce Harlan and Charlie Gravina.

“We knew that they had a lot of big, physical players, so we really focused on the groundball game and just didn't want to get outhustled,’’ Gilbertson said. “The key was communication. We knew (RBC junior Doug) Whitlock is a big righty shooter and likes to sweep right, so we needed to communicate who was hot and who had to slide first and go early to him and force him back the other way.’’

The Bulldogs’ offense came out and ended any suspense fairly quickly with an eye-opening display in the first quarter. After taking a 3-0 lead, they pushed the margin to 4-0 on a goal by Moore off an assist by Huttner with 1:17 to go in the first quarter and then netted three quick goals. Bennardo scored, Benedickson followed 16 seconds later and then Bennardo scored a deflating goal for the home team with six seconds left in the first quarter for a 7-0 advantage.

“We've been making it our mantra to play fast,’’ Barbiere said. “They really executed that in the first quarter.’’

After a scoreless second quarter, Rumson pushed the lead to 10-0 in the third period after a goal by McCausland before the Caseys finally got on the board in the waning seconds.

Rumson, whose only loss is to state power Ramapo in a nonconference game, will now take on another perennial contender, Christian Brothers Academy, in a nondivisional game on its home turf at Borden Stadium on Monday night. The hope is to show that the SCT title goes through the Bulldogs this season.

“They are very good, so we have to bring it,’’ Curran said. “This (RBC) game was like practice for that game.’’