Memmott’s Career Day Powers No. 3 Rumson-Fair Haven Over No. 5 Middletown South
MIDDLETOWN — While Rumson-Fair Haven may have been down at times this year, the defending champions are not ones to be counted out. Rumson-Fair Haven is still an excellent lacrosse team, and it showed in a top-five matchup as the Bulldogs took down Middletown South, beating the Eagles 19-8.
The Bulldogs were determined to spoil Middletown South’s senior day and came out firing. Just 39 seconds in, sophomore attacker Becca Newell bounced one past goalie Sophia Harper to make it 1-0. With 9:46 left in the first, senior midfielder Chase Memmott flicked one in for a 2-0 lead. Memmott scored again at 8:44 to make it 3-0. Just 10 seconds later, junior midfielder Aly Megaw added another for Rumson, making it 4-0 with 3:36 gone.
Rumson-Fair Haven’s Becca Newell (Photo by Patrick Olivero)
Junior attacker Hayley Jamison, who scored four goals overall, got one back for Middletown South at 6:51 to make it 4-1. Rumson quickly responded, outscoring Middletown South 4-1 to end the period up 8-2.
In the second quarter, things got dicey for a moment for Rumson. Middletown South senior midfielder Abby Gallagher cut the lead to 5 with a goal at 9:05. At 5:40, sophomore attacker Ashley Penn made it a four-goal game. But momentum swung back as senior midfielder Chloe Kelly scored at 4:06, and Rumson built on the lead from there, controlling the game the rest of the way.
“Everybody showed up, and we did exactly what we wanted to do,” said RFH head coach Amy O’Keefe after the game.
Three players who really stood out for the Bulldogs were Memmott, Megaw, and junior goalie Sydney Kiernan.
Memmott tallied two goals and five assists in the victory, totaling a career-high 7 points. What Memmott accomplished today—and has continued to do throughout the season—is particularly impressive, especially given her transition from defender on last year’s championship-winning team to a fantastic midfielder this season.
Rumson-Fair Haven’s Chase Memmott (Photo by Patrick Olivero)
“I definitely knew I had to step up this year to secure my middie position after being on defense the last two years,” said Memmott.
“It’s amazing to see what Chase does,” said Kiernan.
What Memmott does is: a little bit of everything. The senior has 25 points, 46 draw controls, and 24 forced turnovers so far this season. Memmott is also a leader on this team and has developed close friendships with her teammates.
“Chase and I have been friends for a very long time,” said Megaw. “It makes it really easy and natural for us to play together.
Megaw had an exceptional day as well. Building on Memmott’s performance, the junior finished the day with a hat-trick and also added two helpers.
Rumson-Fair Haven’s Aly Megaw (Photo by Patrick Olivero)
“Aly has contributed to this team so much,” said Memmott. “She’s always cutting, shooting, no matter what it is, she’s there”.
“It’s such an awesome team to play with,” said Megaw. “I’m really proud of how we played today”.
Kiernan continues to be reliable in the net. The junior, who is committed to play for Michigan and is already a championship-winning goalie, came into today with a save percentage of 57.8% and was once again excellent, making some big saves and also forcing three turnovers. What makes Kiernan so valuable is her ability to calmly help the Bulldogs cross the field and lead from the back.
“Syd is constantly giving everyone on the field advice” , said Memmott. “She’s always working for others around her.”
“Syd has been such a good person to have behind me,” said Megaw. “She’s a great leader back there”.
Rumson-Fair Haven’s Sydney Kiernan (Photo by Patrick Olivero)
One thing that was echoed by all of the Bulldogs players and their coach: their strong belief that they can win more hardware this postseason.
“RFH has a track record of bringing home hardware,” said Aly Megaw. “I don’t think it’s going to stop.”
Memmott felt the same way: “I’m definitely very confident that we could win the Shore Conference Tournament and states,” said Memmott.
“We have been working really hard”, said Coach O’Keefe. “It’s going to be hard to beat us twice.
“We are putting in the work, and we have a lot of great captains and an amazing coach,” said Kiernan.
One thing that has been clear from the start about Rumson-Fair Haven is that, even though they lost some elite players from last season, this team has not lost its championship pedigree, and they will not go down without a fight.
The Bulldogs (7-3, 2-3) play Shore on Monday, while the Eagles (7-4, 1-4) finish out the week with a non-conference game vs Old Bridge.
