Benjamin rallies past district rival Jupiter

JUPITER — When Jupiter and Benjamin meet up, it always seems to come down to the fourth quarter.

Thursday night was no different.

After Jupiter scored four straight goals to cut Benjamin’s lead to 6-5 in the final frame, the Bucs responded by ending the game on a 4-0 run to knock off their rivals 10-5 in a District 24 showdown at Jupiter Community Park.

“It’s a tale of two teams sometimes,” said Benjamin coach Shane Rye. “I think it was just a matter of fundamentals, and executing. We didn’t do anything fancy.”

Benjamin seniors Christian Cropp, Griffin Bowie and Peter Reed scored two goals apiece in the victory. Freshman Chris Radice led the Warriors with two goals.

Over the past six years, Jupiter versus Benjamin has become one of the hottest rivalries in the area. The schools sit just over four miles apart, and most of the teams’ players came up through youth ball together; many are now club teammates on Palm Beach Revolution.

Seven of the past 10 meetings between the teams have been decided by at most three goals. Barring a major upset, Benjamin (10-2, 5-0) and Jupiter (12-3, 4-1) will likely meet again on April 7 in the district championship with a regional playoff spot on the line.

On Thursday, Benjamin (10-2, 5-0) sprinted out to a 5-1 first quarter lead and then extended that margin to 6-1 at halftime. Jupiter found its footing in the third quarter, scoring three straight to cut the deficit to 6-4 entering the fourth.