By Clare Nemsick and Jessica Mehrara
Rye High School’s varsity field hockey team charged into this year’s Section 1 Class B tournament with sharp play and back-to-back shutouts — before running into the group’s perennial champs in their semifinal match.
After a big, 8-0 win against Hendrick Hudson on Oct. 21 to end the regular season, the Garnets were fired up heading into the playoffs.
The fourth-seed Garnets first battled 13th-seed Somers on Oct. 25. The Rye girls dominated the game with speedy ball movement and clinical finishing, with two goals apiece from a pair of future Duke lacrosse players — senior Caroline Doyle and junior Beau Whaling. Senior Kate Morreale, who has committed to Williams College next year, contributed two assists to the 4-0 victory. On the defensive end of the field, junior goalkeeper Chloe Holden held strong in goal with five saves.
As the playoffs advanced, so did the level of competition. The Garnets squared off against fifth-seed Yorktown on Oct. 28 in the regional tournament’s quarterfinals. Doyle tapped in a beautiful goal off of an assist from junior Sienna Myers against the Huskers, and Morreale followed with a composed penalty stroke, taking advantage of a Yorktown error. Despite fierce attacking from the Huskers, the Garnets’ back line stayed collected, with six saves from Holden and one defensive save from sophomore Cate Puzzuoli in the 2-0 win.
Three days later, the Garnets took the field against an all-too-familiar foe: the tournament’s top-seed, the Lakeland Hornets. Despite a gritty and talented performance from Rye, Lakeland got the better of them and won 4-1. Bright spots for the Garnets included goalkeeper Holden, who made six saves in the losing effort, and junior Issy Mann, who managed a brilliant goal off of an assist from Morreale.
“It was a super sad loss, because we have worked so hard all year,” Mann said, “but it was an exciting moment scoring because I was surrounded by the best teammates.”
The Garnets finished the 2024 season with a record of 12-7, including the sectional tournament.
“We’re such a close team, which makes the [semifinal] loss 10 times harder because we know we’re never going to play with the seniors again,” junior Thea Fairhurst said. “Even though the season is over, we always stay friends, and somehow I’m even looking forward to pre-season so we can be together again.”
The future of Rye field hockey looks bright, as next year’s likely varsity roster is stacked with many returning players, including 10 rising seniors. Perhaps next season will be the year Rye finally gets past Lakeland — winners of the Section 1 Class B title for the past 15 years in a row.