The Rye Boys Soccer team picked up their seventh consecutive victory on Thursday, September 24, as they edged out league rival Byram Hills 1-0. The Garnets, fresh off a back-and-forth 6-4 win, settled in defensively to make their one second-half goal stand up and remain perfect in the 2026 campaign.
“I think we showed tonight that we can play any style of match, whether it’s going goal to goal with a team like on Tuesday or digging out a 1-0 win against a tough league rival tonight,” well-respect associate head coach Jon Tuttle said after the game. “We only had 2 days to prepare the boys for this match, but they trained well yesterday and it showed tonight.”
The Bobcats are one of the most important opponents on Rye’s schedule every year thanks to their solid defensive structure, sound coaching, and physical style of play. The Garnets matched every challenge their opponent threw at them, breaking through in the 47th minute and holding onto that lead for the rest of the very tight contest.
“I want to give a shout out to our coaching staff, who prepared the guys really comprehensively for two huge matches,” head coach Jared Small told MyRye.com. “Jon Tuttle motivated the group to be at their physical and emotional peak, and he was dialed into every facet of our preparation. Conor McGlynn did a great job interpreting the opponent in our film review and communicating tactics to our players.”
Rye generated more chances than Byram in the first half, but the two clubs went into the break scoreless. Less than seven minutes into the second, the red-hot Kasen Scarperi broke the ice with a one-touch finish off a Felix Wismer pass to break the ice. Scarperi has now scored five goals in his last two games, two of which have stood up as game winners.
“The boys battled tonight,” associate HC Tuttle said. “I am very happy with how they executed the game plan we gave them. We knew coming in that tonight was going to be a physical match. Byram is a great team and well coached.”
After a season-worst performance despite a win just two days ago, junior goalkeeper Will Alexander recorded his fifth clean sheet of the season. His back line and defensive midfielders also played a big role in the shutout.
“While several players stood out, Peter Wilmot was probably man of the match,” HC Small said after the impressive victory. “His fortitude was on display all night, absorbing double digit fouls and yet gaining strength with each minute. He won almost every duel and was an inspiration to teammates and fans alike.”
The bench boss also gave postgame props to Alexander, center backs Andrey Chernov and Filip Glitterstam, and defenders Harrison Zimmer and Gabriel Chared-Sandstrom. Rye needed all eleven on the pitch to do their jobs win this rivalry game, which is what the coaching staff preached, and what came to the forefront in crunch time.
Rye (7-0) will look to extend their winning start to the season in their next match on Monday, September 28, against Pelham. The final contest of their current three-game homestand begins at 5:00pm. Watch it here. Replay the win over Byram here.
