Lacrosse – Barnegat Stuns Wall to Reach SCT Quarterfinals

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WALL — Despite an undefeated record as part of the best season in the short history of its lacrosse program, Barnegat entered the Shore Conference Tournament with an abundance of doubters who didn’t believe the Bengals were a true threat.

Barnegat’s performance on Tuesday afternoon should go a long way toward changing that.

Junior midfielder Ricky Gerena scored twice and assisted on five other Barnegat goals, and sophomore midfielder J.J. McKenna tallied three times as the 10th-seeded Bengals pulled away in the second half and stunned seventh-seeded Wall, 12-10, in the first round of the Shore Conference Tournament at Wall’s 18th Avenue Athletic Complex.

“I feel like we definitely sent a message,” Gerena said. “Nobody thought we would come out and have a winning season, and we’re surprising a lot of people. People will still doubt us, but we’re here to play."

Leading 6-5 at halftime but trailing 7-6 early in the third quarter, the Bengals (11-0) scored four unanswered goals in the final 6:19 of the quarter to take a 10-7 lead. McKenna scored twice in a span of 48 seconds in the latter stages of the fourth quarter to give Barnegat a five-goal edge and enable it to hold off a late rally by the Crimson Knights (9-3). The win marks Barnegat’s first SCT victory in its first appearance.

“We step up when we’re down, and we play our game,” said senior goalie Matt Grobelny, who finished with 10 saves. “We came out and played how we should have been playing the entire game.”

The Bengals will play at second-seeded Southern Regional in the quarterfinals on Thursday. The Rams blew out 15th-seeded Toms River South, 14-1, in the first round to extend their winning streak to 13 games.

Senior attackman Ethan Tonneson finished with two goals and two assists, and Matt Manno and Ryan Reynolds also scored twice for the Bengals.

Wall senior Kyle Critchlow scored a game-high six goals, including the 100th of his career. Senior attackmen Kyle McDonough and Bruno Setteducati finished with two goals and two assists, and one goal and three assists, respectively.

Gerena’s goal with 1:12 left in the second quarter gave the Bengals a one-goal edge entering the second half, but Wall quickly wiped the lead away when Setteducati and Critchlow scored less than two minutes apart early in the third quarter. The Bengals had yet to register a shot in the quarter and were dangerously close to letting the game slip further away. Instead, a team facing a moment they had yet to experience played with poise and urgency usually reserved for a team more seasoned in tournament play.

Gerena tied the score at seven when he took a pass from Reynolds and curled around the cage before finishing with a high shot at 6:19. Gerena and McKenna combined to go 5-for-7 on face-offs in the third quarter, and the extra time of possession helped Barnegat take the lead for good on Manno’s unassisted goal at 2:08.

Manno isolated his defender behind the net and cut in front before whipping his shot past Kaplan for an 8-7 advantage. McKenna gave Barnegat the first two-goal lead of the game when, after taking a pass form Gerena, he faked a shot, moved around a defender and scored at 1:23. An extra-man opportunity goal by Reynolds off a great feed from Tonneson with 4.3 seconds left in the third quarter pushed the lead to 10-7.

“When they jumped on us we didn’t put our heads down,” Gerena said. “We kept fighting every minute.”

“Coming in I didn’t know which way the game was going to go,” said Barnegat head coach Ryan Dalon. “It started going back and forth, and we thought whoever got a two-goal lead would most likely pull away, and that’s what happened.

“The kids played loose, which was great. I’m very proud of the way they played today.”

Barnegat struck first on a goal by Manno 1:30 into the game to begin what became a contest with great flow and pace. The teams traded goals to the tune of 13 lead changes through the early portion of the third quarter.

Special teams and face-offs also played a crucial role in Barnegat’s win, especially in the second half. Wall’s Casey Foley went 8-of-13 on draws in the first half, and the Crimson Knights went 2-for-2 on EMOs and killed off two of three man-down situations. Over the final two quarters Barnegat would reverse that trend. The combination of Gerena and McKenna won five of the seven draws in the third quarter and the Bengals killed off all five of their penalties while finding the back of the cage on two of three EMOs.

Barnegat’s defense and Grobelny in net also did a fantastic job of holding Wall in check in the third and fourth quarters to allow its offense to grab the lead. Senior Greg Moran helped establish a physical presence and set the defense, and the unit as a whole was quick to ground balls in its own end. Wall’s offensive strategy of having two players on the crease was also a challenge for Barnegat’s defenders, but one they adjusted well to as the game went on.

“We always rely on Matty making big saves throughout the game, and he always finds a way to do it,” Dalon said. “Wall ran a different offense we’re not used to seeing, and we had to make adjustments. (The defense) made the right ones and forced their attack to make another pass.”

It all added up to the most significant victory Barnegat has claimed in its eight years as a varsity program. After winning a combined eight games through the program’s first five seasons, the Bengals have posted double-digit victories in each of the last three seasons. This season’s 11 victories matches the program record set last year.

“Compared to last year, as soon as we started coming out and destroying teams we knew we were better,” Grobelny said. “There’s more room to grow, and I’m ready to keep getting better.”

Waiting to test Barnegat’s mettle on Thursday is Southern, the school Barnegat split from when it opened in 2004. The Bengals and Rams were set to meet on May 1 to decide the Shore Conference Class A South division title, but were washed out by rain. The division will be decided at a later date. Now the Bengals’ focus is on taking out their juggernaut rival and reaching the SCT final four.

“It’s going to be a good test and a win would put us in the running for the title,” Grobelny said. “We know we can play well against them.”

“We’re excited,” Gerena said. “We know they’re good, but we’re just going to come out and play the way we play.”

It’s hard to argue with that rationale. So far, the Barnegat way has been perfect.

Box Score

10-Barnegat 12, 7-Wall 10

Barnegat (11-0) 3 3 4 2 - 12

Wall (9-4)          3 2 2 3 - 10

GOALS — B: J.J. McKenna 3, Ricky Gerena 2, Ethan Tonneson 2, Matt Manno 2, Ryan Reynolds 2, Mark Magoon; W: Kyle Critchlow 6, Kyle McDonough 2, Bruno Setteducati, P.J. Brown.

ASSISTS — B: Ricky Gerena 5, Ethan Tonneson 2, Ryan Reynolds; W: Bruno Setteducati 3, Kyle McDonough 2.

SAVES — B: Matt Grobelny 10; W: Hunter Kaplan 3.

SHOTS: Wall, 35-20.