The #1 Rye Boys Soccer team started strong to advance to the sectional semifinals on Monday, October 26, as they eliminated #8 Byram Hills 3-0. The Garnets scored all three of their goals in the first 12:10 of the contest and rode that burst to the shutout victory.
“Our defense has been rock solid and we played exceptionally well tonight,” defender Cole Furber said after the win. “Christian Hoffmann is excellent with his feet and won a ton of 50/50s, along with Andrey Chernov, who has been brilliant in the air and has a strong ability to get forward.”
The back line limited the Bobcats to just three shots on goal in the game, only one of which came from inside the box. Their efforts helped Rye clinch its third clean sheet of the season against Byram and second on home turf.
Up front, Kasen Scarperi scored two goals, one a flying header off a Peter Wilmot corner kick. His second followed a slick pass from Alex Dodge Terra, who scored an early penalty kick to complete his multi-point night.
“We know how influential our front players are in terms of their goal scoring, but they have been putting the team before themselves and have been relentless in pressing the ball, making life difficult for the opposition,” assistant coach Conor McGlynn told MyRye.com. “This group of forwards have completely bought into our team identity, and deserve so much credit for the success we had tonight against a strong Byram team.”
#1 Rye (17-0-1, 2-0 postseason) has one more opportunity to play at Nugent Stadium in the Class A semifinals on Wednesday, October 28. The Garnets will host #5 Tappan Zee with a trip to the sectional championship game at Mahopac High School on the line.
