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In the history of Bullis' boys lacrosse program, few wins have been more impressive than Friday's 9-7 victory over St. Stephen's & St. Agnes, a win that signifies Bullis is among the Interstate Athletic Conference's elite for the first time in a long time.

"We're changing the culture," said goalie Ryan McMahon. "We have a new coach [Robert Pollicino] and the chips are falling where they may. St. Stephen's is a great program, and you always have the jitters when you come out and play them, so I just got my heart rate down and settled in."

While neither team has won outright the conference title, the Saints (9-2 overall, 0-2 IAC) forced themselves into the upper echelon with back-to-back appearances in the league's title game (2007 and 2008). Filled with Division I prospects on their current model, they are once again a legitimate contender.

But Bullis (10-1, 1-0) finally is, too. Attackman Kylor Bellistri scored the first of four goals on the night to open the game's scoring, and Providence (R.I.) University commit Robert Fleming stole the show with a first-half hat trick. After two quarters, the hosts held a narrow 6-5 lead.

St. Stephen's & St. Agnes gamely fought back, tying the game five minutes into the second half when junior Peter Milley scored his second goal. But Fleming quickly responded with a picturesque goal, dodging two defenders from behind the net and surprising goalie Ben Levy top shelf.

"We've been preparing everyday for wins like this," said Fleming, who complemented his four goals with two assists. "The IAC is a great conference this year. It's really even between all teams."

The difference is the Bulldogs now belong in the conversation because of Fleming, Bellistri and junior Cary Garfinkel, who now each have at least 20 goals on the season. Bellistri's pair of fourth-quarter tallies helped put the game away, despite consecutive scores by Maryland-bound Saints junior David Solomon.

They also are succeeding because of goalie Ryan McMahon, who got the best of his individual matchup with St. Stephen's & St. Agnes senior Ben Levy. The latter is considered one of the top keepers in the nation, and will attend Syracuse next year, but McMahon held his own with 12 saves Friday.

Four of his stops came in the final period, helping the Bulldogs earn their biggest victory in years. But they refuse to get ahead of themselves.

"It's a great win, but we've just got to move on," said McMahon. "We've got some big opponents coming up, and we know they're going to be just as tough as St. Stephen's. We've just got to work hard and whatever people think about us, they think."