The Rye Boys Varsity Soccer team opens its season on Thursday, September 4, which is the start of a journey towards a Section One title defense. The Garnets have a challenging schedule and will be playing with targets on their backs, but Head Coach Jared Small believes their championship experience will pave the way for another exciting year in 2025.
“We’re looking forward to the season,” Small told MyRye.com on September 2. “We return some very exciting pieces from our 2024 Section One championship team, and we bring in a few new guys who have integrated well into the squad.”
Two of the key returners are seniors Lex Cox and Shun Nagata, both of whom will serve as captains for Small this upcoming fall, as voted upon by last year’s roster. Cox, a left wingback, recently committed to continue his soccer career at the University of Chicago, while Nagata is a rock of a center midfielder who leads by example both on and off the field.
“[Cox] is a very unique player because of his combo of size, speed, technical ability, and strength,” Small said of the 6′ 3″ star. “I don’t know of any other players with his profile in this area.”
In the same breath, Small complimented Nagata’s field vision and tackling ability, two aspects crucial to his game as a pace-setting center middie.
Rye opens the year with Tappan Zee (2024 Class AA champion), Harrison (2025 summer league undefeated champions), and Byram Hills (2024 Class A semifinalist and perennial rival). Their quick start will force them to be ready and prepared right away coming out of Labor Day, and will feed into their season-long attitude of treating every game the same.
“We’ve always had the mentality that each game is as important as any other,” Small told MyRye.com. “Because we want to crescendo as the season unfolds, I think the most accurate statement is that the next match is always our most important one – regardless of opponent.
Beyond Cox and Nagata, the Garnets have several standouts throughout the roster. Peter Wilmot and Kasen Scarperi join Nagata in the middle of the field to give Rye one of the best interior lineups in the area. Alex Rojas scored five goals in 2024 and will be a top contender to lead the team in goals this season, with Eddy Kehoe a second key attacker in the mix as well. The Garnets will have to try to replace the production left behind by the graduation of Kaiden Zion from the 2024 squad.
Zion is not the only crucial departure. Last year’s team MVP goalkeeper Aydan Breen also graduated, leaving two untested candidates for the starting keeper job – senior Owen Karl and sophomore Will Alexander. Whether one of them wins the job or they split time, they will be the next in a long line of impressive names at the position dating back to 2018. That list includes names such as Kai Haesslein (Hamilton), Philip Hovers (Loyola Marymount), and Max Crothall (SUNY Geneseo), among others.
“In the past 7 years, we’ve had incredible goalkeeping,” Small said. “The fact that we have two highly successful goalkeepers currently starting for D3 and D1 teams (Hovers and Crothall) tells you how blessed we’ve been at this position in recent years.”
Other than keepers, other alumni are seeing quality action at the collegiate level. Zion (Washington & Lee), Tommy Broderick (Hobart), and Michael Desmond (Trinity College) are all currently starters or regular rotators at their respective programs. The current roster has similar talent, paving the way for a very successful 2025 season. Outdoing a 15-4-1 record and sectional championship will not be easy, but Small and his group have a legitimate chance to do it.
