In a mid-season showdown between two of the top boys lacrosse teams in Westchester County, Rye escaped Chappaqua with a thrilling 14-13 victory Thursday over Horace Greeley.
Greeley, the No. 3-ranked team in Section 1 Class B, entered the game with no defeats in its first eight games. Rye, ranked No. 2 in Section 1 Class C, came in riding a three-game winning streak of its own. This one was a see-saw battle marked by scoring runs, untimely turnovers, and some late-game heroics from a budding star.
With four seconds left and the game tied at 13-13, freshman Will Niejadlik shook his defender from behind the goal and scored the game-winner for Rye (5-1).
At the end of the first period, Rye had a marginal lead 3-2, as junior Henry Shoemaker, sophomore Charlie Brady, and senior Tucker Hess got the offense started for the Garnets. By halftime, with Rye barely clinging to a 7-6 lead, it was clear this game would be decided by whichever team had the ball last.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Rye began to pull away. Hess (three goals), Shoemaker (three goals), and junior Carson Miller (two goals) provided some breathing room to give Rye a 13-9 lead with just over eight minutes to play. But then Greeley got hot, and for some reason, Rye couldn’t hang on to the ball. After four unanswered Greeley goals, the game was tied and the crowd was on their feet.
With only 52 seconds remaining in the game, Greeley was called for a tripping penalty, giving Rye a man-up advantage until the end of regulation. After a skip pass from Shoemaker, Niejadlik buried the game-winner top side in a tiny window just past the stick of the Greeley goalie.
Ballgame. Exhale. Wow.
Next up for Rye is a 7 p.m. game April 26 against Ridgefield (Conn.).
