RUMSON – The Bulldogs won their sixth straight Shore Conference Tournament championship, beating long-time Shore rival Manasquan, 11-7, on the turf on Monmouth University’s Hesse Field on May 12. No other girls lacrosse program in SCT final history had ever won six consecutive titles until the Bulldogs did just that. 
The win represents the program’s seventh overall Shore Conference Tournament title which leaves them one win shy of tying the Shore Regional girls lacrosse program’s eight overall SCT championships. With their sixth straight title, the Bulldogs eclipsed the Blue Devils mark of five straight SCT championships achieved from 2005 through 2009.
Just as impressive though, the victory marked the program’s 102nd straight win against Shore Conference opposition in both the regular and postseason combined, dating back to May 14, 2012, when they lost, 10-7, to Manasquan in the SCT semifinals. A week later they beat Holmdel to start the streak.
“This is special because we’ve now made some history,” Bulldogs head coach Amy O’Keefe said. “That is what we wanted. That’s what we wanted, to be in a place that no other team had been before. That’s what makes this one really special. We want to keep it going and now we have to go for the most wins (in SCT final history) and I think we have good shot at it.”
Two years ago the Bulldogs captured the program’s first-ever NJSIAA Group title, beating Bernards, 14-11, for the Group II championship and earning a trip to the Tournament of Champions.
Ranked seventh in the state at the time, Rumson fell, 10-4, to No. 1 and eventual T.O.C. champion Summit in the semifinals ending their 25-game winning streak.
Last season Rumson won its third straight and fifth overall sectional title taking home the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group II championship with a 14-4 victory over Red Bank Catholic. They then suffered a surprising and somewhat stunning 8-7 loss to Haddonfield in the Group II semifinal.
That loss to Haddonfield last season has served as a source of inspiration to this year’s team’s goal of not only returning to the T.O.C. but winning the whole thing.
Rumson (19-3, 10-0) is currently ranked eighth in the state with their only losses coming against second-ranked Moorestown on opening day, No. 2 Oak Knoll and Lawrenceville Prep, who lost a tough 10-7 decision to Oak Knoll and won the Mercer County Tournament championship. So the Bulldogs are battle tested entering the state playoffs.
On Thursday after receiving a first-round bye, the top-seeded Bulldogs easily took care of No. 8 seed Delran beating the Bears, 13-5, in the quarterfinals. Delran got by ninth-seeded Wall, 11-7, before losing to the Bulldogs.
Rumson will now face fourth-seeded Ocean Township – a team they dismantled, 19-0, in the SCT semifinals - in Monday’s sectional semifinal. They’ll more than likely face the winner of the Red Bank Catholic – Manasquan semifinal on Thursday for the CJG II championship.
In their win over Delran, junior midfielder Cassey James scored five goals to push her team-leading season goal total to 48 on the year. She also assisted on two scores giving her 57 points on the year. Senior attacker Kate Caruso added two goals and four assists for a season total of 30 goals and 11 assists.
Freshman Mia James chipped in with two goals giving her 12 on the year and leading scorer Gill Curran had an assist adding to her 44 goals and 15 assists. Curran, who was a first-team All-Shore selection a year ago, also leads the team with 76 draw controls.
Freshman attacker Chase Boyle continued her breakout season scoring a goal to push her season goal total to 18 to go along with her 11 assists and 50 draw controls.
Senior first-team All-Shore midfielder Meg MacGillis added a goal against Delran giving her 20 on the year with 10 assists, while sophomore attacker Allie McGinty found the back of the net once and assisted on another for nine goals and 15 assists for the year.
Senior assist leader Mel Guido added to her total with one assist giving her 20 on the year with 22 goals and midfielder Jordan Johnson continued her impressive sophomore campaign with a goal and an assist pushing her season total to 23 goals and 12 assists.
“I think when I first came on this field with this team four years ago we were taught to spread the ball around,” Guido said. “For the past four years we know every play involves everyone. We also think to pass before we shoot and I think that is like the most important thing when we play.”
Senior Lilly Bedell, a second-team All-Shore selection last season,– leads a talented group of experienced defenders, including seniors Kylie Wise, Makenna Maguire and Grace Reid and junior Grace Jamin, for the Bulldogs while junior Sophia Bocklage is having another fine season in goal as a second-year starter.
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