The Rye Girls’ Field Hockey team went down swinging in a dramatic shoot-out after a full-team effort against John Jay Cross River on October 24.
The Wolves scored first, only three minutes in. Rye’s defense, led by Sienna Myers, Cara Bartlett, Rachel Kelly-Walsh, and Sophie Bourne, regrouped and held. Kate Morreale then moved the ball up the field to attack and Caroline Doyle used her speed to keep the ball on Rye’s offensive side. The Garnets scored with eight minutes left in the second quarter. Sophomore Beau Whaling saved the ball with a sliding dive and reverse hit in front of the cage to Issy Mann to tie the score.
The game remained 1-1 until the end of regulation. Neither team scored in the first 10-minute overtime, or the second. In the shoot-out, senior Lilly Whaling slammed in a shot to make the score 2-1. The Wolves were up next and Garnet goalie Chloe Holden made a great save. Rye missed next, followed by another diving save by Holden. Rye missed the following shot, allowing JJCR’s next shot to tie the game, 2-2. After the Garnets missed their remaining chance, the Wolves were able to capitalize, coming out on top 3-2.
It was the last game for seniors Jillian Brensilver, Bourne, and Whaling.
“We wanted to win for so many reasons,” said Whaling. “We wanted to win our last home game, to keep our season going, and to have momentum into the next round of the playoffs. But I am proud of our team and how everyone on both sides of the ball came together and showed up today.”
The Rye team is young, with only three seniors, so they lacked deep playoff experience, yet they thrived under the pressure of playoffs. Rye’s defense locked down Nyack 7-0 the week before the JJCR loss. In that game, Morreale, Myers, Bourne, Bartlett, Cate Pozzoulli, Kelly-Walsh, and Bridgette Middleton all contributed. The team’s offense saw goals from Mann, Beau Whaling, Doyle, Lilly Whaling (2), and Morreale (2).
“It was a great game to learn the last few tweaks we needed to make for playoffs,” said Myers. Morreale added, “Everyone played with high intensity. It was a solid team win.”
