By Melanie Cane

If sports were injury-free, who knows how far the Gryphons’ Soccer team would have gone this season? They started off strong and maintained a high level of play until the last week of regular season, when due to multiple injuries, they were unable to sustain the momentum. Lead scorer and co-captain Ryan Delane and Lucy Egler suffered concussions and star defensive back and co-captain Madi Warne sustained injuries in the last game of the regulation play. Still, the team improved upon last year’s record, received the No. 6 seed in the FAA, and made it to the quarterfinals of the League tournament.

Second-year coach Mike Rivera said the team really grasped his style of play and applied it well. The girls played their hearts out and had many season highs.

One of the high points was beating rival Rye Country Day School 1-0 on October 12. Another, despite a 2-1 loss, was their game against top-ranked Sacred Heart-NY October 18. In the first half, Sacred Heart dominated so completely it looked as though the Gryphons were swimming in a sea of red. At halftime, Coach Rivera made adjustments and his girls shut down the Cardinals and scored.

Reflecting on the season, Rivera said, “One of our goals was to improve from the beginning of the season to the end, and everyone on this team knows they accomplished that.”

Holy Child is graduating four seniors who were key to its success: the three captains Delane, Warne, and Jax Pace, “the heart of the midfield,” as well as their most versatile player, Audrey Maglich. “Looking forward, our underclassman will have big shoes to fill,” said the coach. “Our seniors left their mark on this program and each of our players learned a lot from them. I look forward to next season and it can’t come soon enough.”

 

Emma Kryza with all the right moves

Ryan Delane transitioning