The Rye Girls Rugby team ended the 2025 season on a sour note and 6-6 record, fueling the fire for the 2026 campaign. With such a small league to compete in, the Garnets will get several chances at redemption right away, and play a handful of teams at least twice apiece.
“We are very excited to get this season underway,” Head Coach Geri Jones told MyRye.com before the season. “We have some returning players eager to get out on the field and compete.”
Two of those returning players are set to captain the Garnets this spring, seniors Elisa Grani and Natalie Rosenbluth. Both were key contributors in 2025 and should once again be focal points of the offense and the locker room. “They are both positive role models for our team,” Jones said. “They love the game, work hard, play tough, and are fun to coach. They want to learn and help the new players learn the sport.”
The Garnets lost last year’s captain Molly Kennedy to graduation, meaning they will have to replace their MVP from within. They have 19 on the roster – so plenty of options, and plenty of depth. Jones and her staff want to use their new, youthful speed to create offense, especially out wide.
“We have some new players with a lot of speed,” the 3rd-year head coach told MyRye.com. “We will be looking to get the ball to the wings and see what they have.”
The forwards are much more experienced, and should be able to use their physicality to create space wide for the wings to score breakaway tries. Overall, the Garnets have a solid combination of leadership and skill, giving them a chance in every match.
The season begins on Thursday, April 9. Each match day, Rye plays two 14-minute, 7-on-7 games, sometimes against one opponent twice, sometimes against two different teams. Their opponents from last year were Horace Mann, New Rochelle, Hudson Catholic, and Harvey, all of whom have strong teams in their own right.
“We are looking forward to all the matches,” Jones told MyRye.com. “We are excited to get going. The teams we play against are all competitive.”
