WEST LONG BRANCH — It feels like a recurring theme to see the Rumson-Fair Haven girls lacrosse team be crowned the Shore Conference Tournament champions.
However, the season was anything but easy for the Bulldogs. Their 17-6 win over Trinity Hall on Monday afternoon at Monmouth University was more triumphant than the score might indicate.
The Monarchs, who entered the SCT with the top seed, defeated the Bulldogs earlier in the season. But Rumson came away with its second straight title after losing to Trinity in the 2022 final.
Second time was the charm for Rumson-Fair Haven
Injuries sidelined some Bulldogs the first time the teams met this season but that wasn’t the case in the second go.
“We knew what we needed to do defensively," said R-FH head coach Amy O'Keefe. "Some things we didn't do in the first game, so it definitely helped playing them the first time and honestly, those are what those games are for. We knew when it mattered, we knew what we needed to do to get it back."
The turning point
Much like the Bulldogs start to the season, they also had to go through a bump in the road to start the game. A slow-paced game played in the Monarchs’ favor, they led at the end of the first quarter 4-2. O'Keefe believed her team appeared "rattled" in the first quarter, but began to get into their pace and gained confidence.
Just like in Bulldogs' lacrosse fashion, a few adjustments changed the vibe of the game entirely. Rumson began to move the ball around the net much faster, get the ball into the hands of their playmakers, Loyola University-Maryland commit Rachel James and lone senior Abby Boyle, and good things started to happen.
“We kind of did it for her, she's our only senior and we wanted to set her off with another Shore Conference Final win," said James on Boyle.
"I feel so happy honestly, having this win being the end of the Shore Conference, it feels so awesome to go home with a win and not a loss," said Boyle.
Bulldogs scored four unanswered in at the top of the second quarter to take the lead. They also held Trinity Hall scoreless in the third quarter with their hounding defense from midfielders and attackers. Their freshman goalie Sydney Kiernan also played solid.
Abby Boyle says it's time to focus on the state tournament: 'This should fire us up'
The Ohio State commit Boyle led the ship of the SCT champions. She scored five goals, was dominant on the face off, while also being a leader. She’s surrounded by juniors, but she has all the trust in them.
“She's incredible," O'Keefe said of the senior Boyle. "She's been incredible all year on the draw. It kind of gave us the ball and a lot of opportunity that they didn't have."
James also got in on the scoring with a hat trick herself. As for the rest of the Bulldogs, Sophie Yockel finished with a hat trick, Mia Milkowski and Kendall Carcaterra each had a goal, Kathryn O'Connor and Daisen Iwan each had two goals.
For Boyle, her resume as a lacrosse player already speaks volumes, and she says it's time to move focus to Rumson repeating as a state champ.
“This should fire us up, I'm so fired up from winning this game. I wanted a Shore Conference win and we got that, now I want a states win, and we are so capable of doing that," said Boyle.
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