Rumson-Fair Haven Outlasts Shore Regional For Second Straight SCT Field Hockey Title

Photo above: 2015 Shore Conference Tournament champions

Holmdel – Although the ball was rarely out of their own 25 the entire second half and a good portion of the first, Rumson-Fair Haven was still deadlocked with Shore Regional in a scoreless tie with just under six minutes to play in the Shore Conference Tournament field hockey final Thursday evening at Holmdel High School.

Holding a 24-4 shot advantage and completely dominating time of possession up to that point, the Bulldogs were setting up for their 17th penalty corner of the night after being frustrated on the 16 previous corners awarded to them.

Finally, with 5:09 showing on the clock, the Bulldogs were able to take a collective “cy of relief” after 75 nerve-wracking minutes of play when Lilly Croddick’s shot bounced past Shore Regional goalie Sarah Dwyer for the game-winning goal.

On the play, senior midfielder Maggie Jennings inbounded to University of Maryland commit Madison Maguire, who after controlling the ball just outside the striking circle found Croddick to her left for the game-winning shot off a screen from freshman forward Bridy Molyneaux.

“It was definitely frustrating when we don’t get to finish with all the opportunities we had,” Croddick said while rehashing the Bulldogs many missed scoring chances, “There wasn’t a lot of time left so we knew we had to execute; I was just thinking of putting the ball in the goal. We kept the pressure on until we were able to finish. I think because there was a lot of skill from both teams, we just needed to play with a lot of heart and that really showed with how we broke through in the final few minutes to get the win.”

“It’s just such a testament of their hard work,” Rumson-Fair Haven head coach Julie Brewington said. “I feel like we had so many opportunities all game to score and they just kept working. That could’ve discouraged anyone, but they just kept working and working. That’s what championship teams are made of and I couldn’t be prouder to coach a team that was able to overcome that adversity.”

For the No.1 seeded Bulldogs (19-0) – ranked No.1 in the Shore Conference, No.2 in the state and 13th nationally – it was their second consecutive Shore Conference championship after stripping the title away from Shore Regional last season. Prior to that, the third-seeded Blue Devils (17-4) held the title for an amazing 15 consecutive years.

“To be able to defend (the title) is a whole other feeling,” Brewington said. “It’s really special for these girls to see how their hard work can pay off and what it means to be a championship-caliber team.”

Jennings, who will play lacrosse next year at Villanova University, was phenomenal at both ends of the field Thursday. Her relentless pressure as a marker, playmaking ability and aptness for putting the ball on goal make her a special player. She had a number of close scoring chances thwarted by Dwyer, who’s one of the top goal keepers in the state and will play for Boston College next season.

“For two years now, Maggies has been our unsung hero,” Brewington said. “She does so much work behind the scenes that not everyone recognizes. We would not be the team we are without her; she’s all heart. She had an unbelievable game and comes up big for us in all our tight games. She’s an explosive player that works so hard on both ends of the field. She’s super-fast, tough to beat and like I said, she’s all heart and that’s what counts in games like this.”

“This game was a learning experience,” Jennings said. “We need to get our shots off quicker and be more aggressive in the circle. The game was closer than we thought it would be so that made the win even better.”

Shutting out Shore Regional was in itself a feat, as the Blue Devils feature two of the Shore Conferences top offensive threats in Stanford-bound midfielder Jessica Welch and Monmouth University commit Annie Deusch – a two-way defender.

However, considering the Bulldogs have not allowed a goal since September 24 in their 13-1 win over Monmouth Regional and have given up only four goals all season, another shutout should come as no surprise.

“It’s huge (the shutouts). Our defense has been playing so well together and with our goalie (Anna Babiak),” Brewington said. “We’re doing such a better job from the beginning of the season communicating defensively. There’s so many less break downs. Our communication between our defense and forwards really helped us today. Containing the ball and keeping it on our side of the 50 was the forwards working and playing team defense as well.”

Up next for the Bulldogs is the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group II tournament, where second-seeded Rumson earned a first-round bye and will face No.10 seeded Ewing – a 1-0 upset winner over No.7 Point Pleasant Boro in the first round – Saturday, 10:00 a.m. at Rumson.

“Now our focus turns to the state tournament, and we’ve been working so hard for this,” Maguire said. “We went to the (Tournament of Champions) last year, so now we’re looking to go even further and hopefully win it.”

The Bulldogs are defending CJGII and Group II champions. They were defeated by NJSIAA Group IV champion Eastern in the Tournament of Champions semifinals last year. Eastern is currently undefeated and ranked the No.1 high school team in the nation.

“We’re looking at that T of C, staring it straight in the eye,” Jennings said. “We made a bet with our A.D. so we got to win it all.”

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