Boys Varsity Soccer Takes the Shine Off Pearl River, Advances to Semis

Rye Boys Varsity Soccer took the shine off Pearl River on Tuesday, winning 3 oysters to one at Nugent Stadium to advance to the section 1 semifinals.

“We came out strong in the first twenty minutes and the only thing missing was the finishing,” said Rye Boys Varsity Soccer Jared Small. “We showed great resolve to quickly find the equalizer after conceding the first goal of the match. And then our second half was fantastic, and we generated opportunities in a variety of ways until we finally broke through. All in all, a memorable day with another huge home crowd. A heroic shift from Jack Childs in the center of the pitch and a whole bunch of other huge performances. A great way to close out our home slate in 2022.”

Rye enjoyed some extended bouts of possession in the first 10 minutes, riding the strong hold-up play and attacking from Stijn Terlouw. It was Pearl River that jumped to an early 1-0 lead when Eamonn O’Meara converted on the heels of a counterattack. Less than four minutes later, Jonas van Beurden headed home a Jack Childs corner kick to knot the match at 1-1. Both teams exchanged scoring opportunities over the final 20 minutes of the half.

The second half saw the Garnets expand their possession and creativity, with the tandem of Tommy Broderick and Terlouw combining for a number of near misses in front of goal. In the 70th minute, a quick throw in from van Beurden to a streaking Broderick left a Pearl River defender with little to do other than foul Broderick in the box. van Beurden converted the penalty kick with a picture perfect strike, and minutes later Rye goalkeeper Kyan Cox went air born to get his fingertips on a Pearl River strike that appeared destined for the top corner of the goal. In the 80th minute, Terlouw found the back of the net to extend the lead to 3-1. For Terlouw, the goal was a just reward for a dominant match in which he showcased fantastic foot skills, brute strength, and strong tactical understanding.

Also part of the storyline was the strong play of the Rye backline. Charlie O’Rorke put together his most complete performance of the season, showing impeccable timing and interpreting the match brilliantly from the center back position. Patrick Quinn, Jack Gilroy, and Ollie Lincoln also were strong throughout the day.

Watch the replay. Rye (15-3) advances to the Section 1 semifinals on Thursday at 5:15pm at #2 seed Tappan Zee (18-0).