Rumson-FH boys soccer team meeting its preseason expectations BY VIN RAPOLLA Staff Writer Expectations were high for the Rumson-Fair Haven (RFH) boys soccer team this fall. With the return of eight starters from last season’s 12-6 team, head coach Dominick Kalorin had every reason to expect the Bulldogs to put together another strong campaign, and thus far, they have not disappointed, racing out to a 8-2-1 mark, with the postseason tournament deadlines upon us. “We’re really playing well, so I can’t complain at this point,” the coach said. “This is pretty much where we were hoping to be at. We knew we’d do well, but didn’t necessarily expect this record.” With a 7-2 mark in the division, the Bulldogs are among the top teams in the B Central Division, with Point Beach leading the way at 10-2-1 (9-2 in the division). However, the Bulldogs are especially looking forward to the postseason, where Kalorin thinks his team can do some damage. The RFH team has been led by senior sweeper Rob Ednie. Ednie, who started last season at forward, was moved to the sweeper position at the start of this season and has done a fine job in controlling the tempo of the game while also managing to contribute offensively. “He’s doing a phenomenal job this year,” said Kalorin. “He’s got total control of the field.” Also playing well has been senior George Fahoury, who up until a broken foot sidelined the halfback, was leading the team with seven goals. Oliver Nuss, another senior halfback, has also stepped up as of late to propel the Bulldogs. In addition, senior goalkeeper John Rumph has picked up right where he left off last year, playing very solid in between the pipes. “It’s pretty much been an entire team effort,” said Kalorin. “Pretty much the entire team has scored goals, not just one person.” In order for his team to be successful throughout the rest of the regular season and into the playoffs, Kalorin feels his team needs to continue to play as a team, and to keep the ball on the ground and out of the middle of the field. He’d also like to see his team be a little more consistent with finishing plays and scoring — something that becomes increasingly difficult against the better team you face in postseason play. However, the Bulldogs still have a tough next couple of weeks ahead of them before postseason play. They face off against a slew of top Shore Conference teams, including St. Rose, Middletown South, Freehold Borough and Manasquan. All of these games test the Bulldogs as they look ahead to the postseason. “If we play our game, we should be fine,” said Kalorin. “These games are going to be great practice going into tournament play. At this point only time will tell.” Notes... The majority of the local boys teams look like shoe-ins for postseason play this year. Ocean Township has fallen out of the A North division race, but at 7-3-2 has played very well against an extremely challenging schedule. That tough schedule will become an asset once the Spartans reach the state playoffs. Long Branch is in a similar position. The Green Wave tied a tough A North team from Marlboro, 0-0, on Monday to improve to 7-3-2 on the season. The Wave entered the week trailing B North Division-leading Wall Township by just one game, and will be looking forward to Wednesday’s match-up, which will likely decide the division championship. The Red Bank Regional (RBR) Bucs may also be a factor in the division race, having improved to 7-3 with a 1-0 win over Freehold on Monday. RBR has played throughout the season and is another team that will benefit from playing a tough schedule. The third local team out of B North that is playing its way into the postseason is Monmouth Regional, a team that is gaining momentum down the stretch. Both the Wave and the Bucs can thank the Falcons for knocking off Wall on Friday, thus tightening up the division race. That leaves Shore Regional, a solid team that fell to 8-4 overall with a tough 2-1 loss to Point Beach on Monday. On the girl’s side of action, Ocean (11-0-1), Red Bank Catholic (9-3) and Shore (10-3) are all assured of berths in both the SC and the state tournaments, while RBR (5-5) still has some work to do.