The Rye girls soccer team is moving on to the Class A state quarterfinals.
After a scoreless first half Tuesday against Our Lady of Lourdes, freshman Harkin Brown scored three times in the second half for a 3-0 Rye win. With a 14th consecutive victory, the Garnets remain unbeaten at 18-0-3.
Lourdes slowed Rye’s offense in the first half by playing 10 defensive players in the box. The Garnets simply could not land that first punch. But then, just as they have done all year, the team quietly and emphatically pulled away in the second half.
With 33 minutes left on the clock, Brown relieved the tension with a cut-back and a strong finish past the Lourdes keeper. Eight minutes later, Brown struck again after Lourdes could not clear the ball from just inside its own 18. The freshman’s hat trick was complete with 20 minutes left to play, thanks to assists from senior Parker Calhoun and juniors Jillian DeSanto and Charlotte Keenan.
Knocking out the Section 9 champion Warriors means Rye’s next matchup will be Saturday against either Seaford (Section 8) or Sayville (Section 11), two teams from Long Island.
It’s the third-straight appearance in the round of eight for the Garnets, who won the state championship in 2023 and lost in the semifinals in 2024.
