RHS Girls’ Lacrosse
Sudden Death Double Overtime Spells the End for Garnets Sectional Run

– By Jim Byrne –

If the rulebook did not call for a “sudden death” period after the first overtime, the Class C Sectional Final between Rye and Nanuet could have gone on forever.

Unfortunately, to have a winner, you also need a loser. It just so happened that the Garnets drew the short end of the stick, losing 13-12 to the Golden Knights in sudden death double overtime at Lakeland High School Wednesday, May 23. For Rye head coach Maureen O’Shea, the grueling contest harkened back to the beginnings of lacrosse.

“Without the sudden death rule we would have gone back to the true origins of lacrosse,” said O’Shea. “Where there was a warrior mentality and you played until there was only one player left standing. The game just kept on going. It was phenomenal. The girls played until the final whistle. They gave all they had to give.”

The Garnets showed incredible guts all night, fighting back into a game that they only led for 20 seconds, at 1-0 in the first half. Trailing 8-5 with just under 13 minutes remaining in the game, it appeared as if Rye had run out of gas. But they battled back to tie the game with a 4-1 run over an 11:16 span, capped off by a Norah Kennedy goal on a penalty shot with 1:37 remaining in regulation. Hannah Frey quickly answered for Nanuet on a penalty shot of her own though, giving the Knights a 10-9 lead as the clock showed 54.8 seconds left.

Little did anyone in attendance know just how much drama could be packed into those final, frantic 54.8 seconds. On the ensuing draw, Frey took an inadvertent – albeit crushing – blow to the face that meant a fourth yellow card for the Garnets. One man down with little time left, things looked desperate for Rye. But that desperation lead to greatness, as senior Ali O’Brien fought, muscled and pushed her way into shooting range for a game-tying goal with 9.1 seconds to go.

“It was amazing,” said O’Shea. “The wonderful thing – and sometimes horrible thing – about women’s lacrosse is that it is truly not over until it is over. You can never give up because one goal can come very quickly in this game.”

In the first half of the first overtime, K.C. Jentzen scored 15 seconds into the session, erasing any momentum Rye had just built. Senior Claire Byrne responded for the Garnets though, scoring on a penalty shot with 1:22 remaining in the first half of the six-minute overtime. Rye went down a goal again though, when Kelly Fanshawe scored on a penalty shot with only 18.5 seconds left.

The Garnets were used to playing from behind at this point, and managed to net the only goal in the second half of the first OT when O’Brien again tied the game 33 seconds in. With the score tied, the contest headed to a sudden death overtime. Despite an early opportunity to win the Section, Rye turned the ball over and Jentzen scored the game-winner 1:17 into the sudden death period.

It was a sad moment for everyone involved with the Rye lacrosse program, but one that allowed the Garnets to show off their true colors.

“This game really drove home for us how we define success,” said O’Shea. “Does success have to do with what it says on the scoreboard, or does it have to do with the growth we achieved as a team throughout the season? I think this game answered that. With all the adversity we faced in not having a home field or a practice field and the major step up to Class A, the girls really grew up during the season and became leaders. I’m incredibly proud of their performance against Nanuet and during the course of the season.”

O’Brien was astounding on offense for the Garnets against Nanuet, leading the team with five goals. Kennedy netted three, while senior Casey Dianni put in two. Senior Carly Miller only scored one, but was vital to the team in all aspects of the game. In a contest that was as physical as it was exciting, Miller was a great presence for the Garnets on the field and during her brief, yellow card-induced stay on the sideline. On one occasion, Miller was roughly knocked to the ground, but immediately bounced back up and kept moving, a la something out of “The Terminator.”

Nanuet’s speed on offense proved to be the deciding factor in the game, but it was Rye’s incredible work ethic that allowed them the chance at victory. Every goal they scored they earned by playing tough defense and fighting their way into scoring range. It might not have been pretty at times, but it was most certainly inspiring.

All six seniors for Rye were honored for their play during the season. Miller and Dianni were named All League and All Section, Kennedy received All Section honors, O’Brien and Byrne were named All Section Honorable Mentions and Lily Colahan was bestowed with All Section Scholar Athlete accolades.

“Carly and Casey both did a great job, as did the other four seniors,” said O’Shea. “They all loved this team and were always able to keep each other going.”