Rye High School’s girls soccer squad clinched the area’s Section 1 Class A championship title last weekend for the second year in a row — coming out on top in a 4-2 victory over Somers High School on Nov. 2.
Head Coach Rich Savage said the Garnet girls came off the bench ready to beat the north Westchester County school, but that doing so was no small feat. The Tuskers, he said, “were well-coached, they had a lot of talent, so we definitely knew we were in for a battle.”
Sophomore Shira Rand started the scoring just eight minutes into the first half, burying a ball into the back of Somers’ net off a corner kick. The Garnets solidified their lead later in the half, with sophomore Charlotte Keenan and senior Mary Sack both scoring off assists from freshman Hannah Jachman.
Somers came back in the second half with two goals, but it wasn’t enough to propel them past Rye. Also, Keenan in the second half buried the Tuskers’ hope for a section title with what coach Savage called a “world-class goal” off a pass from sophomore Iciar Garate.
In addition to the strong offense, the coach also credited the Garnets’ back line in the win, especially junior Clare Nemsick, senior Ava Cross, senior Reese Lejuez and junior Parker Calhoun.
The Garnets’ section triumph followed a few late-season setbacks, including multiple injuries and the team’s first loss of 2024, by a score of 2-1, to John Jay East Fishkill on Oct. 19. It was during that game that senior Lyla Keenan tore her anterior cruciate ligament, forcing her to the sideline for the rest of the season. Other top contributors were fighting through strained muscles as the regular season drew to a close, Savage said, but “everybody else stepped up really strong.”
Rye bounced back from the John Jay East Fishkill loss by beating Byram Hills High 4-0 on Oct. 21, at home on senior night. The Garnets then went on to extend their win streak with a déjà vu 4-0 win against Byram on Oct. 25 to start sectionals, a 1-0 win against Pelham Memorial on Oct. 28, and a 2-1 semifinal win against Pearl River on Oct. 30.
Savage said the team is now looking deeper into the postseason – the Class A regional and statewide championships – with a 0-0-0 record state of mind.
“We just want to see if we can continue to work hard and really execute the plan,” he said. “We’re hoping to be able to return to the [New York state] Final Four. We’re just taking it one day at a time.”