Everyone, from the sidelines to the bleachers in Nugent Stadium, was on their feet for Rye field hockey’s nail-biter Thursday against Lakeland. After the final seconds ticked down on a 2-1 win, all of the Garnets on the field and bench ran straight to senior goalie Chloe Holden in a huddle of celebration.
The victory was the Garnets’ first in a decade against the Hornets, who have won 15 straight Section 1 championships and ended Rye’s season in the section semifinals a year ago. It was especially sweet for first-year Rye coach Valerie Perkins, who was facing her alma mater and former high school coach for the first time.
“Lakeland is such a great, strong team,” Perkins said. “Especially me coming from Lakeland, playing my old coach – her teaching me everything that I know. Such a full circle moment. The dedication and efficiency that the girls came in with to practice on Monday just really set the tone and they had a great attitude all day coming into the game, so I’m really proud of them.”
The win was the fourth straight, and the biggest of the season thus far, for Rye (6-1). Even when the Garnets trailed 1-0 after the first half, their mentality and will to win didn’t waver. Rye scored twice in the third quarter to claim a one-goal lead, and held on until the final buzzer.
At halftime, Perkins said she told her team to take it quarter by quarter and not overthink it against last year’s state championship runner-up.
“We knew that we were getting close to scoring,” she said. “So just trusting the process – as cliché as that is – and just knowing that our hard work was going to pay off.”
Senior captains Beau Whaling and Sienna Myers scored Rye’s goals, with Whaling also adding an assist.
Perkins attributed much of the team’s success to Holden, who made 13 saves against Lakeland’s talented top lines.
“She is such a hard worker, and is helping teach our younger goalies as well – our goalies on JV,” Perkins said. “She’s always in every play, diving, giving her best effort, and we owe our success today to her and holding it down in the last moments of the game.”
Rye’s next game is 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Yorktown.
