RHS Girls' Lacrosse
Garnets Up Against Class A Competition

– By Jim Byrne –

Head coach Maureen O'Shea and her Garnets knew they were in for a tough regular season. For a Class C team playing a Class A schedule, taking a few lumps along the way is part of the process. Rye is currently 0-2 after a 15-7 loss to North Rockland and a 20-6 loss to Yorktown Heights, but they feel the ambitious schedule will pay off for them when they get to the playoffs. The Garnets will return to Class C play when post-season play begins.

The girls have put in a great effort; it's just a major difference in the level of play from the league they have been playing in for several years," said O'Shea. "We have a lot of talent all over the field. The girls play to the final whistle, regardless of the score."

Playing to the whistle is one of the most important things for Rye now. Winning against the competition they are scheduled to play will be a difficult feat, but playing hard could translate into post-season success. Nevertheless, it's been trial-by-fire for some of the Garnets this year, including sophomore goalkeepers Joan Graham and Jasmin Telfer.

"Our goalie from last year graduated, so we're working in two brand-new girls who have never played the position before," said O'Shea. "But, every day they're making progress and heading in the right direction."

Against Yorktown Heights April 13, Rye battled their Class A opponents admirably in the first half, and at points only trailed 4-2 and 6-3. In the end, the Cornhuskers were able to overpower the Garnets for the win in Nugent Stadium. Rye found themselves on the defensive end for most of the game, but when they were able to get down field on offense, they showed that they could score against Section 1's elite.

"And we honestly have not been able to focus on our offense just yet," said O'Shea. "We have certain goals for each week. Last week we concentrated on transition defense and getting our goaltenders comfortable in goal. There are some pretty minor adjustments that we have to make for our next contest with Yorktown May 1. I'm not worried at all that we won't be able to make those adjustments."

O'Shea firmly believes that while the first go-round with some of the Class A teams could end with ugly scores, her Garnets will be able to respond competitively in the second encounters. "By the second time, we believe we'll be right there with them."