With no losses and just one tie more than halfway through the regular season, the Rye High School girls soccer team appears primed for another run at a state title.
Head coach Rich Savage says the 11-0-1 Garnets, last year’s state champions, must build on their winning momentum leading up to playoff season.
“Obviously, we’re happy that we’re playing well and the results are coming our way, which is really good, but it’s no time to rest,” Savage told The Record in an interview. “It’s time to get better.”
The team has trounced recent opponents, with seven straight wins since Sept. 16. During a two-week stretch leading up to a break during the first week of October, the Garnets beat John Jay Cross River (3-0), Byram Hills (5-0), Eastchester (7-0), Pelham (3-0), and Harrison (4-0) in shutout games. The girls added two more wins, against Eastchester and Pelham, to their record last week.
Only a 1-1 Sept. 12 tie against Pearl River has kept the team from a perfect record.
In the last two weeks of September, Charlotte Keenan once again was the leading player on the stat sheet. The sophomore scored a hat trick against Byram Hills on Sept. 20, two goals against Eastchester on Sept. 21, and two goals against Pelham on Sept. 24. Other top scorers included freshman Hannah Jachman and junior Claire Curran, with senior Lyla Keenan leading the team in assists during the last two weeks of September.
The early October break has given the Garnets time to refine their technical play before facing their rivals a second time.
“We’re taking this time to really try to tweak and improve the things that we need to do better, which is playing a little bit more composed, playing quickly, and moving the ball quickly,” he said.
He again attributed the team’s success to the depth of its bench, noting that younger players are gaining the confidence to contribute just as much as their more seasoned teammates.
When one girl is subbed out, “the next person coming on is equally as strong, so they’re just as dangerous,” he said.
The Garnets finish the regular season with games against Harrison on Oct. 16, Arlington on Sept. 18 and Byram Hills on Oct. 21 — which is Senior Night. The playoffs start Oct. 24, with schedule and opponents released earlier that week.
