Well-Trained: Rumson Boys Soccer Hitting Its Stride In Time for State Playoffs

RUMSON — When Avery Bellincampi looked around on opening day at the other nine field players wearing the same Rumson-Fair Haven boys soccer jersey as he was, he did not see a lot of faces he recognized.

Sure, he knew them from the halls of RFH High School and others from travel soccer, but on the high-school pitch, Bellincampi was the only player on the field Aug. 31 vs. Howell who started varsity games for the Bulldogs the year prior, when he was a sophomore.

Two-plus months later, Rumson is moving on in the NJSIAA Tournament with Bellincampi as one important cog in the complete machine and Wednesday’s win over Holmdel in the Central Jersey Group II first round was a demonstration of how far the Bulldogs’ roster has come since the start of the season.

Bellincampi and senior midfielder Cristian Santos were part of an 80-minute effort that controlled the game for Rumson’s side, but it was a first-year starting goalkeeper and a recent jayvee call-up who took care of the key plays on both ends of the field in a 1-0 Bulldogs win over Holmdel.

“The new players, they don’t have a lot of experience, but they have grown so much,” Bellincampi said. “In the summer practices, when I was looking around, I thought, ‘This might be a tough season.’ Now, it’s like everyone has grown so much.”

Junior Levi Ashwal scored the first goal of his varsity career to post the game’s lone goal and senior Brody Carr protected the 18-yard box in the closing minutes to finish off the clean sheet for himself and his defense.

Carr has had big shoes to fill throughout his first season as a starter after waiting his turn behind 2025 All-Shore selection Jack DelPriore. The senior in goal has delivered by leading a Rumson defense short on experience that has allowed 35 goals in 21 games while facing a loaded schedule. Heading into Wednesday’s state opener, Holmdel had won six straight games but could only muster one shot on goal, which Carr saved. Carr made his presence felt on corner kicks and free kicks, including in the final seconds of the game, when he out-jumped a throng of players to secure the ball as the clock hit all zeroes.

“He is the star of our defense,” Bellincampi said. “He doesn’t drop the ball. He talks, he is loud — he does everything.”

On the other end of the field, it was another player who had been waiting for his varsity chance, only he had been waiting throughout the current season as well. Ashwal positioned himself for a free kick by Santos in the 30th minute and when the ball bounced to his feet, he poked it off Holmdel goalkeeper Ryan Frigiola and into the goal.

Rumson-Fair Haven coach Jeff Soares said he has been looking for a chance to incorporate Ashwal throughout the season and felt his composure around the goal would be an asset to the Bulldogs at some point during the season. That turned out to be the case in the team’s biggest game of the year to date.

“You see the goalie drop it and everyone’s got to go to it,” Bellincampi said. “You’ve got to just attack it. He (Ashwal) did a great job.”

While Bellincampi came into the season as the lone returning starter from last year’s Bulldogs team that went 10-8-3 while playing in the Shore Conference Class A North division, both Santos and fellow senior Kyle Winig played key minutes off the bench and they have combined with Bellincampi to form a capable trio of scorers for Rumson. Santos leads the team in tota scoring with six goals and six assists, Bellincampi is right behind him with seven goals and three assists and Winig stands at five goals and four assists despite missing a two-plus-week stretch due to illness.

The three returning contributors have not been the only source of scoring for Rumson, which has developed a young group of complementary threats on the attack. Sophomores Leeam Goldstein and Winston Jefferiss each have four goals and four assists and junior Nate Zerillo (three goals) and Liam Kennedy (two) have combined for five goals.

After cooling off a surging Holmdel team that won the Shore Conference Tournament Coaches Cup, Rumson will travel Saturday to face third-seeded Ocean Township in a rematch between Class A Central rivals. During the regular season, Rumson and Ocean tied, 0-0, at Rumson.

“I expected to see hard work out there, because no one wants to go home,” Bellincampi said. “All the seniors want to keep playing. It’s going to be the same thing on Saturday.”