Devils’ Day: Shore Regional boys lacrosse beats Rumson-Fair Haven for first time in program history

They have squared off for years, often multiple times each season, and whether it was a regular season, Shore Conference, or NJISAA Tournament game, Rumson-Fair Haven had always emerged victorious over Shore Regional.

That all changed on Wednesday afternoon in West Long Branch during a Shore Conference American Division showdown.

Junior attackman Reid Spallone delivered three goals and two assists, senior midfielder Tucker Malfa tallied two goals and one assist, and senior midfielder Brendan O’Brien scored a goal and won 17 of 22 face-offs as the Blue Devils stunned the Bulldogs 10-8 for their first win over Rumson in program history.

Trailing 2-1 after the first quarter, Shore scored four times in the second to take a 5-4 lead into halftime. It was a lead they never relinquished as they matched Rumson in the third quarter and outscored them 3-2 in the fourth to finish off the upset.

Sophomore goalie Joey Longo finished with eight saves, while senior midfielder Lukas Villa, junior midfielder John Mazzacco, and senior attackman Braden Miller registered a goal and an assist each. Senior defenseman Will Turner added one goal.

The Blue Devils were 0-15 versus Rumson dating back to Shore’s inaugural varsity season in 2011. The closest they had played the Bulldogs prior to Wednesday’s victory was a 12-8 defeat in the first round of the 2013 state playoffs. Rumson has the most boys lacrosse state sectional titles (7) in Shore Conference history and is the only team to win a group state title, which the Bulldogs have done three times since 2015.

“Every year we know we play Rumson and it could be anywhere from one to three times,” Shore head coach Gregg Malfa said. “We told the guys, at some point, it can’t be just about talent. Obviously, they are a very talented team, but we also have some talent. It’s about the type of effort we put in and the standard we want to set. Rumson has set the standard, so you measure yourself against them. You want to make sure you’re competing with them, and today we were lucky enough to keep ourselves in the game and give ourselves a chance to win.”

O’Brien’s dominance at the face-off X helped to facilitate the Blue Devils’ historic win. Rumson opened an early 2-0 lead, but O’Brien kept getting Shore possessions, which allowed them to settle down and get one back to head to the second quarter down by only a goal. The Blue Devils then scored four times in the second quarter to take a 5-4 lead into halftime.

“That was one of the keys to the game, and it’s a key to any game, really,” Malfa said. “Face-offs and ground balls win you games and they award you possessions when you need them. They jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead, and if you can’t get a possession back and calm yourself down and get a goal or two, it can get away from you. He got us that possession that kept it from getting away from us early.”

From there, Shore’s balanced offense made good use of the possession advantage. Seven different players scored goals and eight players recorded at least one point, including a pole goal by Turner.

“We really have anywhere from six to eight or nine guys we can comfortably put out there and be able to handle the pressure a team like Rumson is going to put on you,” Malfa said. “And it’s not one or two guys doing all the scoring. We have five or six guys we can rely on, and maybe even beyond that. We haven’t had that depth in many years, if at all.”

Shore’s win was Rumson’s second division loss and effectively eliminated the Bulldogs (4-4, 2-2) from contention for the division title. Manasquan is unbeaten and defeated Shore earlier this season, so the Blue Devils (5-2, 3-1) will need some help in that regard. The path is there, however, with Shore still having to play Christian Brothers Academy on April 30. A win there coupled with a CBA win over Manasquan could create a shared championship scenario.

Those are situations Shore will dissect at a later date. The season is still just a few weeks old and there is a lot of important lacrosse left to play. If the Blue Devils are going to win their first sectional title this season they’ll likely have to get through Rumson again in the South Group 1 playoffs. For the first time, they’ve proven they can. But Malfa, the only head coach in program history, knows there is more heavy lifting ahead.

“It’s a great win and they should enjoy it. It’s the reward for all the hard work they’ve put in during the preseason and the first (seven) games,” Malfa said. “Enjoy it, but then get back to business. As much work as we put in getting here, we’re going to have to put in a little more to stay. The kids handled it very well. They were very humble because they knew what it took to get to this point.”

“These guys have all bought into the fact that if we can give two percent more effort every time we go out on the field, we’re going to be in games against high-level competition. If we can do that consistently, we should be able to have a very nice season. The key is consistency.”