Rye’s boys soccer team is enjoying a three-week stretch without a loss, winning five straight before a tie against Keio Academy on the last day of September.
In a 4-1 win against Port Chester on Saturday, the Garnets led 1-0 at halftime before exploding for three second-half goals. Freshman Connor Dehmer scored twice, with junior Kasen Scarperi and sophomore Felix Wismer adding goals.
Against Keio Academy on Tuesday, Rye again had a 1-0 halftime lead, but the Unicorns answered with a second-half equalizer, ending the game in a 1-1 draw.
“We played with toughness against a good team,” said Rye coach Jared Small. “Keio has tremendous team speed, and I was proud of our players for staying with them all game. During pre-game while we were handing out our annual pink jerseys, we talked about uplifting each other this afternoon. I think it was evident we did that today. We didn’t get the full result that we wanted, but the boys played well against an excellent Keio side.”
Rye’s lone goal was a beauty. Junior striker Alex Dodge Terra received a pass on the move from Scarperi. Dodge Terra then delivered a dreamy ball to senior Lex Cox, who beat his defender – and then the Keio goalie – with a far-post scoring strike.
Sophomore goalie Will Alexander made four saves, but Keio striker Aio Yoshimoto got free only momentarily behind Rye’s defense to score the tying goal with just under 18 minutes left to play.
“We’ve progressed every game we’ve played this year,” Small said. “Had we been able to find a second goal in those final 20 minutes today, it might have been a different outcome.”
With the unbeaten streak, Rye (7-1-2) has risen to No. 12 in the New York Class A state rankings. Next up is one of the toughest tests of the season, a 3 p.m. Saturday game at Pleasantville, which is undefeated and ranked No. 6 in the state.
