It was a combination of “perfect timing and seizing an opportunity” for Lenape High School alumni Rob Pensabene and Bryce Reece to play at the same college in a championship match.
Lenape High alums find success on university lacrosse field
It’s a story about two best friends and the game of lacrosse.
Bryce Reece and Rob Pensabene have known each other since they were youngsters growing up in Mount Laurel. The game of lacrosse has been a big part of their lives since third grade, and both continued with their U13 team through Lenape High School.
They both found success on the field, Reece at middle and Pensabene at goalie.
“Rob and Bryce have been playing together since their days at their U13 team, the Mount Laurel Indians,” Rob’s mom Kristine said, adding the boys also played for the South Jersey Black Storm.
With those teams, the pair ended up on the New Jersey All-Star team together and placed second at the Worlds (championship) in Denver. They also represented Lenape at States, according to Kristine.
The two friends went their separate ways after high-school graduation in 2019. Pensabene played lacrosse at Cabrini University in Pennsylvania and Reece played at Lenoir-Rhyne University in North Carolina.
End of a friendship? Far from it. The two remained best friends and this year, they got a chance to play on the same lacrosse field again.
“I went to Cabrini for a bit,” Pensabene explained. “I spent three years there and had a good time and had a great relationship with my teammates. Got playing time (in) sophomore year. Junior year, things got a little dicey, so I ended up hitting the transfer portal.
“I texted my friends, who were at contender schools,” he added. “I sent a text out and was looking to see who needed a goalie. Coach (Ryan) Crompton reached out to me after talking to Bryce. Coach made sure no one else got to me. He reached out to me (as soon as possible) and … (I) checked out the (Lenoir-Rhyne) campus and made the impulse decision.
“Best friend and good lacrosse?” Pensabene said. “I couldn’t pass that up.”
The Lenoir-Rhyne men’s lacrosse team won the national championship at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia in May, with Reece and Pensabene leading the way.
At the championship, the team’s defense suffocated Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania, and allowed just five goals, the third fewest in Division 2 history. That wrapped up a standout season for Crompton’s defense that saw the unit finish fourth in the nation in goals allowed per game – at 8.10 – and allow opponents to score just 33 goals in four NCAA Tournament games.
In total, the 2023 Lenoir-Rhyne Bears allowed just seven teams to reach double digits in the scoring column in 23 matches, according to a college website.
“To play with Rob again was a great feeling that was just a combination of perfect timing, and seizing the moment at an opportunity,” Reece noted of his friend. “I knew Rob had the skill to be the goalie we wanted him to be, so watching him perform the way we needed him to was inspiring to see and made me want to perform well as well.
“Winning is one thing, but winning with your best friend is even better.”
