The Rye Girls Soccer team kept their season alive with a 3-0 win on Tuesday, November 4, as they shut out Our Lady of Lourdes 3-0 in the Regional semifinals. The Garnets advance to the Regional finals with the victory, their 14th straight, extending their shutout streak in postseason play to five full games in the process.
“From the opening whistle, Rye controlled the tempo and dictated the pace of play,” Head Coach Rich Savage said of his team. “The Garnets’ steadfast defense shut down every scoring opportunity for Lourdes, while midfielders Hannah Jachman, Charlotte Keenan, and Parker Calhoun anchored the middle of the field with poise and precision.”
Rye and Lourdes, the Section IX champions, played to a nil deadlock after 40 minutes before the dam came crashing in. Garnets forward Harkin Brown scored not once, not twice, but three times before the clock hit zero in a remarkable effort by any player, let alone a freshman rookie.
Brown’s first goal came from 20 yards out just minutes after she was fouled and drew a yellow card. “The hard challenge seemed to ignite her,” Savage said of the hat trick scorer. Her second and third were thanks to accurate assists from Shira Rand and Jill DeSanto, who extended her modest point streak to two games.
Senior captain and goalkeeper Tessa Labovitz recorded four saves to secure the clean sheet, her fifth straight in postseason play. She was backed by another outstanding defensive effort from the Garnets’ back line.
Rye (18-0-3, 5-0 postseason) next play on Saturday, November 8, in the Regional finals. Their opponent will be the winner of the other Regional semifinal, which pinned two Long Island schools against each other. Regardless of opponent, kickoff is scheduled for 11:00am at Arlington High School.
