By Matthew Rocco
It was quite the campaign for the Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School girls’ lacrosse team. The Bulldogs won division, conference and state titles this season — a run that placed them in the ranks of the best programs in New Jersey.
Rumson-Fair Haven has dominated the conference in recent years. In fact, the Bulldogs haven’t lost to a Shore Conference rival since 2012, and their Shore Conference Tournament win last month was their fifth straight championship, tying a record held by Shore Regional High School.
An offensive onslaught — including six goals from Brittany Bruno and senior Elizabeth Scarrone’s 100th career assist — carried the Bulldogs to a 17-6 victory over Freehold Township High School in the Shore Conference Tournament finals.
The Bulldogs added a sectional title in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) tournament. Bruno scored her 200th career goal — one of four goals on the day — to lead the Bulldogs in a 14-4 rout of Red Bank Catholic High School in the Central Jersey, Group II championship.
Scarrone had three goals and two assists, while Kyra Weiner and Mel Guido each found the net three times. Sophia Bocklage, the Bulldogs’ sophomore goalie, had five saves.
The Bulldogs (21-3), who had a perfect record against division opponents, also won the Class A Central title, finishing three games ahead of Holmdel High School and Shore Regional.
Haddonfield Memorial High School ended Rumson-Fair Haven’s postseason run in the first round of the Group II playoffs. The semifinal matchup turned out to be a nail-biter, with Haddonfield holding off a late rally by the Bulldogs in an 8-7 final.
The Bulldogs look poised to defend their place at the top of the Shore Conference next season.
Bocklage will bring a full season of experience in the net, and the team will return Guido and Gillian Curran, who were among the Bulldogs’ top scorers in 2017.
Their leading scorers this season were Bruno, a Villanova University commit, and Scarrone, who will play for Vanderbilt University. Rumson-Fair Haven’s other college commitments include Weiner (Colgate University) and Catie Clark (Lafayette College).
