Why Rumson-Fair Haven boys lacrosse isn't going to 'dial back the aggressiveness' on defense

RUMSON — To accomplish a Group Championship three-peat is no easy task, but the Rumson-Fair Haven boys lacrosse team likes it that way.

A day after defeating a tough Marin Catholic team that traveled all the way from California, the Bulldogs on Saturday had to face St. Augustine, a team that they beat last year in overtime - and they won in overtime again against the Hermits again.

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“This is a tough stretch,” R-FH head coach Marc Moreau. "This is my own doing with the schedule but I think you don’t learn when it’s easy, you learn when you have adversity and we’re kind of creating some adversity for ourselves.”

Rumson won the St. Augustine rematch 9-8. Thanks to a Leo Passalaqua goal with 36 seconds left, R-FH was able to slip by the team that took the lead twice in the game. He was jumped on by teammates in celebration.

“The past two goals I scored I sweep to my right, I knew they were going to overplay my right, so I did the same move, ran to my right, rolled back, knew they were going to overplay it, shot with my left, nothing but net,” said Passalaqua.

Passalaqua finished with three goals and an assist to lead the Bulldogs in scoring. Behind him was Andy Croddick and Britt Lumsden with two. Alastair Orr, Grayson Goldin, and Troy Monte got in on the fun with a goal themselves.

Shore Conference Tournament titles, sectional titles and group titles are something that R-FH has already experienced. However, with the newly implemented Kirst Cup, a better question is whether they have enough to be the best in New Jersey. Here's where things stand going forward:

Bulldogs’ ‘read-and-react’ offense

The Bulldogs have a set of skilled players on both sides of the field that can make an impact at any given time. The little things that hinder most teams at the Shore (such as catching and passing) aren’t even a thought as they rarely make beginner mistakes. Junior midfielder Grayson Golden has elite stick skills whether it’s passing or shooting. When shooting, he’s able to get a high-velocity shot off at weird angles at any given time from any range. The Bulldogs have a lot of underclassmen, but they’ve shown to step up in key moments.

“We don’t really have a lot of scripted plays, it’s a read-and-react type offense,” said Moreau. “We graduated a lot of kids that played a big role for us three years this past year and now they’re learning to do it on the fly, it took them some time today to get there, but they got there. It took them some time yesterday but they got there.”

Passalaqua is fast, strong with the stick, and can make moves past defenders. Once he gets into the lanes, he either can rip off a crafty shot, or pass off for an assist once the defense collapses.

“I’ve never seen anyone as shifty as him, it’s like he’s glitching across the field,” said junior goalie Mychal Walker.

What also gets them going is their face-off, get off player in Luke Marascio. The senior can be trusted to win the face-off when his needs it most. He’s won 63% of the face-offs so far this year.

Bulldogs’ (sometimes overly) aggressive defense

The defense of the Bulldogs is their bread and butter. Longstick midfielder Lumsden and defenseman senior Monte are both physical players that intimidate ball handlers. Their athleticism not only makes them able to jump passes, but their speed and stick skills also makes them possible offensive threats.

“All of us, we just come out with a certain physicality and it shows on the field and shows on the scoreboard,” said Monte.

The irony is that their biggest strength is also part of their weakness. The Bulldogs are physical, bullies, and aren’t afraid to make hits and try to pop the ball loose. At times, that same style can cause penalties in which have them playing a man down, forcing them to clamp around the net at times.

“By far,” said Moreau when asked if defense is their strongest weapon. “Big, fast, athletic, a lot of time penalties are questionable and it’s the officials opinion if it was a penalty, (but) I will never dial back the aggressiveness they play. Even if that means we’re going to get the penalty box, we got to be smart. We’ve had some not-so-smart penalties and those are the ones we cannot afford to have.”

Their goalie junior Mychal Walker made three huge saves, one in the final minute moments of the fourth quarter, and another in overtime to prevent a loss. Despite the clutch plays, Walker credits the saves to the team effort.

Mychal shouted defensive guys out such as Monte, Broderick Page, Tobias Najenson, Frank Argilagos, Matteo Gangemi, and Croddick.

“Man, I mean I’ll get a lot of credit for that but I think it all goes to my defense," said Walker. "All the shots are low angle shots, easy for me to save, defense made the clears. It’s all up to my defense.”

Final take

The Bulldogs believe that they can compete with any team in the state, and their battle-tested schedule will set them up nicely to compete for a Kirst Cup title at the end of the season.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: NJ Shore lacrosse: Rumson-Fair Haven outlook for 2024 season