On paper, this one was supposed to be close.
On turf, it was not.
The Rye boys soccer team effortlessly defeated Section XI champion John Glenn by the familiar score of 5-0 on Saturday morning. This was Rye’s third consecutive postseason victory by the exact same margin. Pleasantville, New Paltz, and now John Glenn.
The Rye boys are indeed playing the beautiful game of late. And it’s beautiful to watch.
Five is a big number in soccer. But even with all those precious scores, the difference in this game was Rye’s defensive effort. The law firm of Zimmer, Hoffman, & Furber (Rye’s back row of sophomores) never allowed John Glenn to get into any kind of offensive rhythm. The Knights looked frustrated for the entire 80 minutes.
“This afternoon, we got big-time performances from every Rye player on the field,” said coach Jared Small. “Peter (Wilmot) and Shun (Nagata) set the tone early on by matching John Glenn’s physical play. They didn’t give up an inch and made great decisions with nearly every possession.”
Junior Kasen Scarperi carded a hat trick, each of his three goals more emphatic than the one before. Junior Felix Wismer netted a goal as did senior captain Lex Cox. With 15 minutes left to play, the score was 5-0 Rye and John Glenn was out of options.
“Lex was outstanding for us today,” Small said. “His decision-making was first-rate, his attacking output (one goal and one assist), and defensive prowess were all exceptional.”
The Garnets move on to the state semifinals next Saturday, Nov. 15 at Middletown, where they’ll face the Section 2 champion Glens Falls.
