In a league-clinching victory against Byram Hills, Rye field hockey put up its highest scoring total all season.
For a team that’s won nine of its past 10 games – and had little problem putting points on the board – that’s saying something.
The Garnets (12-2) beat the Bobcats 9-0 on Wednesday in Nugent Stadium to claim their third league title in five years.
Senior Beau Whaling recorded a hat trick, senior Issy Mann scored twice, and four other players added goals: seniors Thea Fairhurst, Maggie Swanson, and Jules Karmilowicz, and sophomore Kaitlyn Coyne. After Rye took a 4-0 lead into halftime, the second half was even more one-sided.
“No matter what the score is, I think we can always learn something and improve on something,” said Rye coach Valerie Perkins. “Going into the second half, we wanted to continue moving the ball quickly. I really like to emphasize two-touch hockey and just finding a pass.”
While the offense has racked up 68 goals scored this season, the defense has also done its part to maintain leads. The Garnets have allowed just 16 total goals, and half of the team’s 12 wins have been shutouts.
RYE 6, MAHOPAC 2 – After unbeaten Horace Greeley snapped the Garnets’ six-game win streak, Rye bounced back in commanding fashion on Tuesday.
Junior forward Olivia Prata scored four of Rye’s six goals, including the first less than three minutes into the game. Whaling and senior Kendall Bahl also scored, and Bahl added two assists.
Comfortable leads against Byram Hills and Mahopac allowed junior goaltender Tessa Zicari to see the crease in both games, and she made two saves against Mahopac.
“We trust her. She does a great job in practice,” Perkins said of Zicari. “She did a great job getting a little bit of action down there and stepping up on a few breakaways they had toward the second half, so she did well in goal today.”
The Garnets host Arlington in their final home game Saturday before wrapping up the regular season Oct. 21 at Scarsdale. As the team turns its attention to the playoffs, Perkins said the Garnets will continue working on game and clock management.
“When we’re toward the end of a quarter, we want to work to draw a corner and look to get another scoring opportunity with potentially no time remaining,” Perkins said. “And when we are up, how can we maintain possession and control the game a little bit more?”
