By Jim Hintelmann
LINCROFT – With a relatively young team, Rumson-Fair Haven’s boys lacrosse team went 17-8 last season and reached the Shore Conference Tournament finals before losing to Southern Regional. That experience has paid off so far this season with the Bulldogs scoring their most impressive win of the season, a 10-3 rout of perennial power Christian Brothers Academy Tuesday in a non-division matchup. The win extended Rumson’s win streak to four following an opening game loss to Caldwell, and the Bulldogs used a combination of solid defense along with a trio of hat tricks (three goals) by Henry Sillen, Rob Garavente and Griffin Schultz. “We stuck to the game plan,” said Rumson coach Andy Eastwood. “We had a little trouble finishing early on, but once we scored in the second quarter we got rolling and things got better.”
If there was a turning point in the game it came early in the fourth quarter after CBA’s Nick Casner scored successive goals to cut Rumson’s lead to 7-3. On the ensuing faceoff, however, Rumson’s Butch Clark controlled it and passed to Sillen, who in turn passed it to Garavente, who scored. Garavente and Sillen then closed out the scoring.
“That was a momentum changer,” said Eastwood. “Clark plays big in big games. He won 11 of 17 faceoffs. We also got a great game from our goalie, Kyle Knapp.“We matched up well today and the defensive guys played to their responsibilities,” said Eastwood.
Following a scoreless first quarter, Rumson finally broke through early in the second quarter on a pair of goals by Sillen, who will be attending the University of Georgia next year. Sillen’s three goals lifted his total this year to nine. This is his second year as a varsity starter.“I’ve been playing lacrosse since I was in the youth program in the third grade,” said Sillen, who also plays basketball. “This wasn’t my high game of the season. I scored four goals against Allentown this year. This was a big game for us.”
Schultz made it 3-0 for Rumson with a goal late in the first half, and Rumson added three more scores in the third quarter on goals by Garavente, Bryan Hess and Sillen. CBA’s Connor Macrae finally broke the ice for the Colts with a goal early in the fourth quarter, and Casner added the final two goals for the Colts. CBA (1-3) is in a mild rebuilding season with five senior starters, but the Colts should improve as the season goes along.
Rumson has beaten CBA six straight times with the last CBA win coming in 2010. Knapp, starting his second season as a goalie, had nine saves for the Bulldogs.“I’m not surprised that we are doing so well,” said Eastwood. “Last year was a different story because we were so young. Our young guys gained a whole year of experience under their belts and a great state tournament experience.“Our experience level is much further along than we were last year,” he said.
