With many of their classmates scattered about the globe, the Rye boys lacrosse team had a different idea of fun for spring break: play some shut-down defense.
“We got humbled a bit with that loss to Garden City,” senior goalie Ty Ramachandran said of the team’s only setback this season. “A bunch of our friends are on the beach right now, and I’m happy for them. But we’ve had some really tough practices this week and that’s our kind of lacrosse. Our defense is getting stronger.”
Just ask any attack player from Rye’s two latest opponents how they feel about that defense. In an 8-3 victory April 16 on Long Island, Rye (3-1) held Cold Spring Harbor to just one goal over the final two-and-a-half quarters. If the Ospreys were lucky enough to get a shot off, Ramachandran was there to greet them with a “makes-it-look-easy” save.
In a comfortable 14-3 win the next day against San Diego’s Santa Fe Christian Academy, the Rye defense – led by seniors Chris Iuliano and Matt Giannetti – served up more of the same menu. What limited possessions the Eagles had usually resulted in obstructed and altered shots either sailing wide of the cage or resting safely in the basket of Ramachandran’s stick.
“We try to do something every day, every practice, to get a little better as a team,” coach Steve Lennon said following the Santa Fe Christian game. “I really liked the way our guys have banded together this week. We won a ton of ground balls today. Our coaches love stuff like that.”
They also love the slick hands and lacrosse IQ of Rye freshman attack Will Niejadlik. The left-hander, who leads the team in goals scored, seems always to be lurking just off the pipes of the goal, like a pickpocket in a dark alley waiting for his unassuming prey. Niejadlik’s crisp, smart passes are as effective as his impressive shot-to-goal ratio. Somehow, that left-handed shot just looks cooler.
The Garnets get another test against top-tier competition Saturday against Ridgefield (Conn.), a team that, like Rye, was ranked among the nation’s best by Inside Lacrosse to start the season.
