The Rye Boys Soccer team picked up their third straight one-goal victory on Tuesday, November 3, as they ousted Section 9’s Our Lady of Lourdes 1-0 to reach the regional finals. The Garnets proved why they are ranked #1 in New York State in the contest, as they controlled possession against the state’s second-ranked team and beat them to advance in the state postseason tournament.
“The lads showed incredible heart and grit in tonight’s performance,” associate head coach Jon Tuttle told MyRye.com. “We had a very emotional win just two days ago, and with a quick turnaround, the coaching staff put in a lot of work game planning for a talented Lourdes team.”
Starting keeper Will Alexander went down with injury in just the 13th minute and did not return. Fortunately for the Garnets, a ready Trent Roseberry deputized Alexander and stood tall in goal for a season-high 67 minutes. Although the two keepers will ultimately split the shutout, Roseberry did the heavy lifting under significant pressure due to the circumstances.
“I want to shout out Trent Roseberry, who went in for our starting goalkeeper and was thrown into the biggest game of the season and handled it with class and confidence,” Tuttle continued. “We don’t win this game without his performance.”
The icebreaker finally arrived in the second half after Rye threatened all throughout the first. Felix Wismer put together a brilliant individual effort as he received a clearance along the right side of the attacking third, reversed course towards the middle, and blasted a missile to the top corner with his left foot. Tuttle described the goal as “world class”, while head coach Jared Small called it “magical”.
After the go-ahead goal, Rye generated several more chances but failed to convert. The Garnets also defended aggressively yet with discipline to preserve the clean sheet in front of Roseberry against the second-best team in the entire Empire State.
“We knew the hype around this game, with Lourdes being undefeated and ranked right behind us, but we stayed focused on our own product,” Tuttle told MyRye.com. “We knew if we stuck to our identity, which has gotten us to 20-0-1, then we would be in a position to be successful.”
Rye will take that sterling record into the regional championship game on Saturday, November 7. The Garnets clash with Locust Valley at Jericho HS in Long Island at 5:30pm.
“Our focus has always been on us and not worrying about who’s on the other side of the pitch, and that won’t change for Saturday,” Tuttle concluded. “Whoever our next opponent is, we’ll put in the work and be ready.”
