Rye field hockey is now one win away from a section title.
In their closest matchup of the year, the Garnets sent John Jay-Cross River packing with a 1-0 double overtime victory in Thursday’s semifinals. Junior forward Olivia Prata was the hero, scoring the game-winner in the final minutes of the second overtime period.
Rye has 10 shutout victories this season, but none were quite like this. After outscoring their previous five opponents by a combined margin of 23-0, the Garnets won by a single goal for the first time since Oct. 4, when they beat the same JJCR team 3-2.
The championship will be played Saturday at Lakeland, home of the 15-time defending section champions. But the Hornets aren’t the ones waiting for Rye in the title game. No. 3 seed Horace Greeley ended No. 2 seed Lakeland’s reign in Thursday’s other semifinal.
The Quakers (15-1-1) are the only team that’s beaten the Garnets (16-2) in their past 13 games.
“In sports, you definitely need to have a short-term memory,” said Rye coach Valerie Perkins. “We’re just trying to stay present and think about what has been currently working for us in order to try and stop (Greeley) and make sure that we get the outcome that we want.”
Prata may have scored the winner Thursday, but it was senior goalie Chloe Holden who kept Rye in the game, making 16 saves on the opposite end of the field.
“John Jay-Cross River also had a lot of great scoring opportunities, and Chloe made so many incredible saves,” Perkins said. “So, it was just knowing that we needed to be precise and deliberate with all of our passes and movements because it truly was a game of inches.”
After a scoreless regulation and nearly two overtime periods, Perkins said she stressed the importance of staying focused and finding space to finally drive home the game’s lone goal.
“They had a lot of people and defense in the middle of the field, so we knew that we were going to have to try something else in order to penetrate their circle and create some opportunities during the 7 (versus) 7,” she said. “We wanted to really focus on maintaining possession of the ball, which we did a really great job of in the overtime. And we had a few opportunities previously, but for us to be able to finish off of a corner was a really good feeling.”
