BOYS LAX - RYDER, RAIDERS START STRONG: TR EAST 14, FREEHOLD TWP. 5

By Bob Badders - Senior Staff Writer

    TOMS RIVER -- There is a sense of confidence surrounding the Toms River East boys lacrosse team as it heads into postseason play. And although those on the outside might not think the Raiders can stop any of the top four seeds from winning the Shore Conference Tournament, they are eager to let their abilities prove otherwise.
    Friday's first-round game against Freehold Township was the start the fifth-seeded Raiders were looking for as they fought through squall-like conditions to top the 12th-seeded Patriots, 14-5. Senior midfielder Eric Ryder scored four times and added an assist while junior attackman Gabe Perrone scored twice and assisted on four goals. On Monday, the Raiders will play the winner of Saturday's game between fourth-seeded Red Bank and 13th-seeded Jackson Memorial.
    "We're looking forward to the opportunity to play one of those teams," said Ryder, referring to top-seeded CBA, No. 2 Red Bank Catholic, No. 3 Rumson-Fair Haven and Red Bank. "The past three years we haven't been in the SCT so now in our first year in it we're looking to make a statement."
    After a scoreless first six minutes of the game, the Raiders set the tone for what would be a convincing victory with three goals in a span of 52 seconds. Mario DelleFave hit on a feed from Gerard Iervolino at the midway mark of the first quarter and Nick Ferrante made it 2-0 43 seconds after that. On the ensuing face-off, the Raiders got control and took a 3-0 advantage when Perrone took a goal-mouth feed from Ryder and put it past Patriots goalie Zak Gergely. The Raiders held that lead through the first quarter and then took a 4-1 lead early in the second quarter. From that point, they dominated the midfield and won most of the ground balls on the slick turf. That allowed them to close out the first half with four unanswered tallies that put the game out of reach for Freehold Township. Iervolino scored both his goals during that stretch with Ferrante and senior middie Joe Martinez adding the other.
    "We just come out and try to score quick and keep it going from there," Perrone said. "Our face-offs and fast breaks are the major threats of the team."
    Ryder scored both of the Raiders' goals during the third quarter before East closed out the game with four goals in the final quarter. After the Patriots had cut the lead to 10-3, Ryder scored at 3:00 and 4:55 to push the lead to nine goals. DelleFave and senior middie Ryan Sanberg scored down the stretch while the Pats added two more as well for a final score of 14-5. It was the kind of win head coach George Peters hoped his team would come away with in their first SCT game. Despite its 14-2 record, the Raiders have been prone to lulls during games and even though Friday's contest wasn't a perfect one, he was happy with the effort.
    "An upset is always possible," Peters said. "(Freehold Township head coach Steve) Gibb is a strong coach and we knew he would make adjustments. You always have to be very cautious in first-round games. You want to play up to your potential even though you're the higher seed."
    If Red Bank and its high-powered offense led by Conner Lawlor and Corey Lunney can get past Jackson Memorial today, Toms River East will have the chance its been waiting for. The Bucs won a tri-championship with RBC and Rumson in Class A Central and have only one loss on the season. Can the Raiders get win if that's who they face? We don't know for sure because they have yet to be challenged by one of the top four, but the Raiders do have quality wins over Monsignor Donovan, Howell and Manasquan. They proven to themselves they can compete at a very high level and now they just have to prove it to everyone else.
    "From the beginning this team has had a very positive attitude and we jelled very quickly," Ryder said. "It's important for us to show every team in every game that we're here to play."
    "The one thing we have to avoid is the letdowns, but if we do that and play like we can I think we can hang with anybody," Peters said. "The thing about this team is that it isn't intimidated. The kids look at every game as a challenge and say 'OK, bring it on'. They want to beat the best and that's very refreshing."
    On Monday and for the rest of the season, the Raiders will lean on what has become their biggest strength - leadership. Seniors Ryder and defensemen Nick Saltzman and Rich Harrington have been the go-to guys in the locker room with fellow senior long-stick midfielder Joe Shore also providing guidance. They don't have any experience in this situation, but their hoping that won't matter in the big games.
    "We have great leadership," Perrone said. "Everyone is very positive toward each other and there's a lot of dedication all the way around."
    "In the past the seniors didn't know what to expect but these seniors have a will that hasn't been here before," Peters said. "The attitude here is much different and I expected that from these guys. This is a fun team to be around."
   
  

Box Score

(5) Toms River East 14, (12) Freehold Township 5

Freehold Township (6-7) 0 1 1 2 -  5
Toms River East (14-2)   3 5 2 4 - 14

Goals: (FT) Talamo 2, Miller, Mango, Maddalena; (TRE) Ryder 4, Perrone 2, Iervolino 2, DelleFave 2, Ferrante 2, Sandberg, Martinez.
Assists: (FT) Mango, Berkowitz, A. Maddalena.
Saves: (FT) Gergely 16; (TRE) Lanni 10.
Shots: Freehold Township 19-18.



E-mail: badders@digitalsports.com