First-game jitters were on full display Wednesday evening at Nugent Field as the defending Section 1 Class A champion Rye girls opened the season with a 4-1 victory over Pelham.
“Pelham was dictating the style of play in the first half, and we were a little nervous in the early going,” said Rye coach Rich Savage. “A number of players stepped up for us against a good Pelham team in that second half and we started to play more of our game. There was a lot to like out there, but it’s a long season ahead.”
Rye took the field without the services of standout junior forward Charlotte Keenan, who was resting a slight bone bruise, but still controlled possession for much of the first half. But as is often the case in soccer, one tiny lapse in concentration can be excruciatingly costly. So it was as the Garnets found themselves trailing 1-0 after a Pelham goal midway through the first half.
Rye sophomore Hannah Jachman netted the equalizer with a penalty kick just over a minute later and the game was tied 1-1 after a competitive first half.
In the second half, Rye shed most of those first-game nerves and began to find its stride. A powerful header from senior captain Sam Yeh off a great cross from Jachman put Rye ahead at 2-1. Fifteen minutes later, another senior captain, Clare Nemsick, scored from congested quarters in front of the Pelham goal to make it 3-1 Rye. Just 45 seconds later, Rye’s final goal was a doozy – with a shimmy – off the left foot of electric freshman Harkin Brown.
You might want to write the name “Harkin Brown” down on a sticky pad and put it somewhere you won’t forget. This young player is the real deal.
Next up for the Garnets is the Hall of Fame Tournament in Albany, where they’ll play Nardin on Saturday and Niskayuna on Sunday.
