For the second time in three years, the Rye girls soccer team is New York’s Class A state champion. For those lucky enough to watch these Garnets play at any point over the past three months, that comes as no surprise.
If you’re good with names, commit the starting 11 to memory, because a team like this may never be seen in Rye again: seniors Tessa Labovitz, Sam Yeh, Parker Calhoun, and Clare Nemsick; juniors Charlotte Keenan, Julia Carballo, and Shira Rand; sophomores Hannah Jachman and Ryann O’Donnell; and freshmen Harkin Brown and Ella Fleckten.
All season long, this team’s spacing, positioning, team speed, offensive firepower, lock-down defense, goalkeeping, bench depth, soccer I.Q., and unbreakable bond made it arguably one of the greatest high school soccer teams in New York history.
How’s this for domination?
- Games Played: 24
- Games Won: 21
- Games Lost: 0
- Games Tied: 3
- Current Win Streak: 17
- Shutouts: 16
- Shutouts in 8 postseason games: 8
- Total goals allowed all season: 6
In Sunday’s snowy championship game at Cortland, Aquinas Institute learned the same lesson Rye taught Schalmont in a rain-soaked semifinal the day before: no team in New York was capable of stopping the 2025 Garnets.
The Little Irish came into the title game with a 20-1 record and a No. 3 ranking in Class A. Even against an excellent team with a tremendous coach, Rye managed to make it look easy, beating Aquinas 4-0.
“It’s hard to describe this feeling right now. We came so close last year,” said Rye coach Rich Savage, whose team lost in the 2024 state semifinals after winning the 2023 state title. “To make it all the way back there this time and get the job done is just so special. I couldn’t be happier for these kids.”
Rye’s first goal in the 18th minute was a joint effort initiated by Carballo, then sent on by Jachman to a speeding Brown, who buried a shot in the far corner. Rye’s 1-0 lead held up through the end of the first half.
Early in the second half, flurries turned into actual accumulating snow, and with it, the temperature began to drop on Aquinas’ season. Just three minutes after halftime, Keenan, Rand, and Jachman connected on passes before finding Yeh, who snuck a ground ball through the snow and into the lower left corner.
With 15 minutes left to play, junior Jillian DeSanto delivered a perfect ball to Jachman, who curved a powerful shot past freshman keeper Briar Hinds for a 3-0 lead. Four minutes later, Rand rescued what looked like a ball about to go out of bounds with a perfect left cross to Keenan, who flicked a header past the slippery wickets of Aquinas’ goalie for Rye’s fourth and final goal.
“We made some good adjustments at halftime,” Savage said. “We exposed a few of their weaknesses, and we played composed. I know there was a lot of snow out there today, but around here, we like to say we can’t control the uncontrollable, things like the weather – rain last night, blizzard today – the referees, the fans. We just focus on our game, and the girls did a great job of that today.”
Along with top-tier goalie Labovitz, one of the biggest reasons for Rye’s 16 shutouts this year was the leadership and athleticism of Nemsick. Like her fellow seniors, Sunday was the center back’s last game with the Garnets after four years on varsity. The significance of going out on top is a memory she will treasure for life.
“I have to say that I am filled with so much joy right now, so much love for my team,” Nemsick said. “The fact that I’ve been able to be a part of this with my favorite group of people of all time is a feeling like no other. We’ve worked so hard for this day all season long. For me, it’s definitely the saddest good-bye – but with the perfect ending.”
