Lady Bulldogs Get Upset in Shore Conference Lacrosse Championship

Despite having defeated Shore Regional twice during the regular season, Rumson-Fair Haven’s girls lacrosse team could not hold off the Blue Devils in Wednesday’s Shore Conference Tournament championship game.

Top-seeded Rumson lost 9-7 to the second-seeded Blue Devils on the artificial turf at Monmouth University’s Kessler Field to drop to 1-4 all time against Shore in SCT championship games. The Bulldogs entered the game as the defending tournament champions, having vanquished Shore in last season’s final, but trailed by a goal at halftime and could not recover.

“This was the most satisfying because nobody expected us to win,’’ Shore head coach Chris Raichle said. “We were huge underdogs, and as athletic and gifted as they are, nobody expected us to win. To win this game is a huge, huge accomplishment.’’

Shore captured its record eighth SCT title in the 14-year history of the tournament and ran its record in SCT finals to 8-1, while Rumson will try to regroup for the upcoming NJSIAA Tournament. The Bulldogs could certainly see Shore for a fourth time this season in the state playoffs after having beaten the Blue Devils 11-6 and 9-5 while winning the Class A Central title during the regular season. 

Rumson struggled to win draws against Shore all afternoon and found itself in an early 2-0 hole. However, the Bulldogs rallied to take a 3-2 lead with 9:28 left in the first half thanks to a pair of goals by sophomore attack Emily Volker and a goal by senior attack Charlotte Brodsky. After Shore scored two straight goals to take the lead, Rumson came back with a goal by senior midfielder Chrissy Lushefski on an 8-meter shot to tie the game at four with 3:36 left in the first half.

Unfortunately for the defending champions, Shore sophomore midfielder Claudia LaMarca scored with just 53 seconds left in the half for a 5-4 lead and the Blue Devils never trailed again. Junior midfielder Chelsea Henderson led Shore with four goals, senior midfielder Jackie Bradley and junior midfielder Molly Arnette each had two goals, and senior goalie Tori DeScenza added 12 saves to spearhead the effort.

Rumson’s speed advantage was somewhat negated by its inability to win draws and create fast-break goals with its athletic array of scorers. Shore won six of eight draws in the second half, including one near the end that thwarted Rumson’s comeback bid.

“The draws were the key to the whole game,’’ Raichle said. “We had to win the draw because with their speed, we knew if they got the ball off the draw, they would just pound away with fast breaks. You’ve got to slow their game down because they’re too athletic.’’

Shore won the opening draw of the second half, leading to Henderson’s third goal of the game, which gave the Blue Devils a 6-4 lead with 23:03 remaining. The lead grew to three goals when Arnette scored with 5:09 to go for a 9-6 advantage. 

Rumson could never tie the game from there, although it did make the Blue Devils sweat a little when freshman attack Mary Scarrone scored with 2:09 left in the game to cut the lead to two goals.

“The feeling wasn’t good,’’ Raichle said. “They’re explosive, so they can score five goals in two minutes.’’

The Bulldogs peppered DeScenza, one of the Shore Conference’s top goalies, in the final 40 seconds. She saved one shot and watched two more go wide of the goal as Rumson could not complete its comeback. DeScenza has seven of her 12 saves in the second half.

Just when it looked like the balance of power in the Shore Conference had shifted to Rumson, the young Blue Devils showed that Shore should not be counted out just yet.

“I think we proved to everyone that we’re a force to reckon with,’’ Henderson said.

Rumson will have an opportunity to have the final say in the upcoming Central Jersey Group II playoffs, where there is a good chance it will see Shore again. 

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