Bulldogs get second shot at Shore tomorrow

BY DOUG McKENZIE
Staff Writer

Above, Rumson-Fair Haven's Bridget Waclawik and Ocean Township's Carly Lyster battle for a draw control during their game on Saturday in Rumson. At left, Ocean's Lynette Gomez tries to weave her way through the RFHdefense en route to the net. You'll have to excuse the Rumson-Fair Haven girl's lacrosse players if they've been looking ahead to tomorrow's scheduled game.

You see, the Bulldogs have looked like an elite team all season, with just one slip-up on their resume. That loss came at the hands of the Shore's top-ranked team, Shore Regional. Since that time, the Bulldogs have been playing like a team on a mission.

Tomorrow they get their shot at redemption, and according to head coach Amy Wylde-O'Keefe, they'll be ready to stake their claim as the conference's top team.

"The score was 15-9 (the first time against Shore), but we were right there with them with about 15 minutes left," Wylde-O'Keefe said. "We started pressuring them late in the game and they were able to get some quick goals.

PHOTOS BY CHRIS KELLY staff "We just couldn't connect against them," the coach added. "We couldn't get the ball from our backs to our attackers. Once our attackers get the ball, we can definitely score on them. I think we can play a little differently defensively too. We'll show them some different looks on Friday."

Should the Bulldogs find a way to play a complete game tomorrow, they may indeed have something for the unbeaten Blue Devils (7-0).

Just ask Ocean Township, who entered Saturday's match-up with RFH ranked third in the Shore (behind Shore and RFH), but quickly saw just how good the Bulldogs can be.

RFH jumped ahead early on the strength of three first half goals from junior attacker Leigh Ann Torcivia and two apiece from senior midfielder Bridget Waclawik and sophomore attacker Celee Belmonte. Rumson held a 9-4 lead at the half, and was just as dominant in the second half, outscoring the Spartans 7-2 to record the impressive 16-6 win.

"Since we lost to Shore we've been working on some things," Wylde-O'Keefe said. "Everything just came together for us against Ocean."

Though the game was billed as a battle between two of the Shore's top three teams, the Rumson coach admittedly didn't realize how big the game was for most of the week leading up to the first whistle.

"We didn't really think of it as that big of a game to be honest with you," she said. "I didn't realize they were No. 3 in the Shore. They scored some goals early and they stayed within three or four for a while, so I was a little nervous at first. But once I saw how well we were playing I realized we'd be okay."

Following her team's impressive showing, Wylde-O'Keefe became even more confident that the Bulldogs could play with anyone in the Shore, including Shore Regional.

"We have such good talent on this team we should be playing like that in all of our games," she said.

And they enter tomorrow's showdown relaxed and ready to compete.

"We don't have anything to lose," the coach said. "We want to win our division, but it's so hard with Shore in there. And we'll probably see them again in the Shore Conference Tournament. I haven't seen Jackson (ranked fourth in the Shore), so I'm not really sure what they have, but I think it's pretty much Shore and us this year."

Before turning their attention to Shore, the Bulldogs had plenty of work to do this week. On Tuesday they faced St. John Vianney, and will take on sixth-ranked Manasquan later today, weather permitting.

"We're going to use the games this week to practice everything that we've been going over since the Shore game," Wylde-O'Keefe said, adding that she's not overly concerned with her team getting caught looking ahead.

"Defensively we're pretty experienced, though we're pretty young at the attack position," she said. "With Bridget, I expected her to score a lot because she's such a talented player, but I really have to give credit to the other attackers. They're really stepping it up, and as a result we have some very well rounded scoring. It's not just one person with this team."

But the Bulldogs' offense starts with Waclawik, who has further cemented her status this season as one of the top players in the state.

"And I have to give Bridget a lot of credit, because she's such a good player she could be scoring more than she has been," the coach said. "She holds back a little bit and gets everyone else involved when she should could be taking it herself. I couldn't ask for a better player."

Tomorrow, Waclawik and company will look to give their coach something else to be thankful for - a win against the Shore's top team, and a reason to believe that elusive division title may actually be within their reach.