The Rye Boys Soccer team suffered their first loss of the 2026 season in the regional final on Saturday, November 7, as they fell to Section 8’s Locust Valley 2-0. The Garnets’ postseason run thus comes to an end just three victories shy of a New York State championship.
“A highly disappointing end to a memorable season. We were agonizingly close to scoring on many occasions, and ultimately were undone by the outstanding play of the opposing goalkeeper and some near misses on our part,” head coach Jared Small said after the game. “Today’s match ultimately hinged on a few key moments, and unfortunately those key moments weren’t in our favor as they have been so many other times this season.”
The Garnets outshot Locust 14-3 and 9 of their 14 attempts made it on goal, but Falcons keeper Oliver Dostilek handled all of them. He stuffed Kasen Scarperi and Dylan Samos in the first half for two of his best of the day.
Locust star Lucas Mejia scored both goals for the Falcons, his 25th and 26th of the season. His first came in the 34th minute just a few seconds after a booming punt from Dostilek. His second was much more aesthetically pleasing, as he buried a well-placed shot in the counterattack phase in the 51st minute.
Rye’s season comes to a close in the regional final, their first loss of the season. The Garnets finish the year 20-1-1 with a sectional and league championship in their back pockets. The Garnets reached the #1 ranking in New York State and got as high as #13 nationally. While this marks a disappointing end, it was a brilliant season for Small and his group, their second consecutive 20+ win campaign.
