By Rich Chrampanis
RUMSON – Red Bank Catholic has served notice early that it is not only a contender for a Shore Conference championship, but a state title as well.
Mia Cupo’s hat trick earned the Caseys a 3-0 win at Rumson-Fair Haven Monday night. RBC entered the Shore Conference showdown with a perfect 6-0 record and needed only four minutes to take the lead. Lexi Sinatra served a corner into the box, where Cupo connected on a powerful header. RFH keeper Lexi Brisman got a piece of it, but the momentum was too much as the ball pierced the back of the net to give the Caseys a 1-0 advantage.
Rumson-Fair Haven created an opportunity later in the first half when United States Under-17 National Team player Jordan Sullivan put a shot on target. Samantha Myers-Wiak produced an outstanding defensive clearance to keep the Bulldogs off the scoreboard.
Cupo nearly added a spectacular second goal during the closing seconds of the half. She beat a defender with some impressive footwork before firing a shot off the left post. It was mere inches from being one of the best goals of the season; instead, RFH survived, still trailing 1-0 into the break.
The Sinatra-to-Cupo connection struck again in the 58th minute. Sinatra delivered another well-placed corner, and Cupo finished the service out of the air with her left foot from six yards out for her second goal of the match. Two corners, two assists for Sinatra and two goals for Cupo gave the Caseys a 2-0 advantage.
Cupo completed the hat trick in the 79th minute. Izzy Fisano sent a deep ball ahead down the left wing; Cupo chased it down and finished at the near post to close out the scoring. Cupo now has seven goals through RBC’s first seven games.
“I feel like we had the rhythm together, and building off all of the wins, we just kept the momentum going,” Cupo said. “It was really a teamwork effort because the defense shut everyone out. It’s been the third game in a row they’ve done it, and we’re going to keep the momentum going.”
Goalkeeper Heidi Wierman finished with eight saves and recorded her fifth clean sheet of the season. It’s shaping up to be a special season for a team that went 14-5 a year ago.
“Our chemistry is great,” Sinatra said. “We do a lot outside of soccer, which definitely helps us and keeps us going. We have something to lose, and other people don’t.”
Red Bank Catholic improved to 7-0 with another victory over a state-ranked opponent. The Caseys entered the state rankings at No. 19 and should move up after another high-quality win, along with victories over Trinity Hall and Allentown.
The article originally appeared in the September 24 – 30, 2026 print edition of The Two River Times.
