Girls soccer: Rye wins 10th game in a row with Walsh's late goal over Pearl River
PEARL RIVER - Even though a bus never came to pick up Rye for its big regular season finale with Pearl River, that wasn't going to be enough to slow down the Garnets.
In some ways, it was fitting. In a season filled with weather-related obstacles, on top of the on-field challenges from their opponents in each game, the Garnets have always found a way to get through the opposition.
With the help of friends and parents, they carpooled to Pearl River and made it just in time for kickoff.
They remained upbeat for a game where the Pirates wouldn't take a second to let them catch their breath, and Air Force commit Maddy Walsh got the decisive goal with 2:10 remaining in an intense 1-0 thriller.
"I didn't really think much, just got the ball and looked at the goal and tried to shoot," Walsh said. "Thankfully, it went in, but there was just two minutes left and we wanted to get a goal before the game ended. Obviously, we hadn't had many shots on goal, so just wanted to test the keeper and it was a good win."
Monday's victory marked the Garnets' fifth game in seven days. During that stretch, they logged shutout wins over the likes of Tappan Zee, Ardsley, Pelham, Arlington and now, Pearl River, in a loaded slate to end the regular season.
"It gives us confidence and we love every win, but with that, we realize we can always be better and we can always learn from the mistakes we've made in these games to become even greater as a team in the future," Rye junior Bowyn Brown said. "We're excited for the playoffs."
The Pirates and Garnets have had great battles in recent years, especially in the playoffs. In 2021, Rye beat Pearl River in a thrilling 1-0 battle. Last year, Pearl River returned the favor and eliminated Rye in the playoffs.
Monday was a potential playoff preview, and there's a chance that these two teams meet again.
"Just always a tough, definitely physical game," Rye junior Lyla Keenan said. "Pearl River is a great team. It's just always very physical."
For a game with limited shots on goal, there was no shortage of intensity. There were hard tackles, all-out hustle, some threatening build-ups and non-stop action.
Pearl River had a few shots on goal off set pieces. Rye didn't have many quality shots on target, but in the closing minutes of the game, Sage Ruttenberg sent a long pass to Walsh. She took one touch and tucked it into the left side of the net for the lone scoring play of the game.
The Pirates quickly came back and nearly had the equalizer, but the Garnets dispelled the threat and hung on for the win in the dramatic finish.
"The girls knew that this was going to be a competitive game, and we play so much better against competition," Pearl River coach Diana Gillule said. "This is the kind of game where Rye wins, then Pearl River wins, and it can flip back and forth. We spoke to them about breaking down in the last two minutes. You can't play for 78 minutes, and not the whole 80. We were okay with a loss today, because it wasn't going to change seeding anyway, so that wasn't going to matter. This was just go out, play good soccer, it's going to be a great, competitive game and either way, going forward, we know we'll see them again."
What it means
Rye has now won its last 10 games, a stretch that includes nine shutout victories. The official playoff brackets are slated to drop on Tuesday. Both teams are projected top four seeds in Class A.
Game balls
Maddy Walsh, Rye: She had the game-winning heroics and delivered the goal to break the stalemate with just 2:10 left to play. Before that, she was an unrelenting player in the field and key in building up quality possessions from the midfield.
Rye's back line and goalkeeper Tessa Labowitz: The Garnets have now put together clean sheets in each of their last five games. Pearl River had a few threatening opportunities, but the Garnets' back line, along with Labowitz, stayed composed and kept the Pirates off the board. The back line features starters Claire Nemsick, Alli Koford, Bowyn Brown, and Sage Ruttenberg, who also assisted Walsh on the decisive goal.
By the numbers
Rye (14-2): Maddy Walsh had the game-winning goal, off an assist by Sage Ruttenberg. Tessa Labowitz made three saves.
Pearl River (12-3-1): Kelsey Miedreich was active in coming off her line and made great plays defensively to stop any threatening through balls. The Garnets didn't have many shots on goal, and Miedreich had one save.
They said it
"This was a huge win going into the playoffs," Rye sophomore Claire Nemsick said. "We might see them again, and they're always a good challenge. ... Everyone is just giving so much energy everywhere from the field to the bench, it all just comes in to make us a really successful team."
"From day one, we kind of weren't sure," Gillule said of her team's growth through the year. "Day one was about girls playing many different positions until we could put the puzzle together, and I think the puzzle is now complete and now it's just a matter of working and giving 110% until the end. There's no turning back here, it's one and done and they know that going forward. They're excited to take that challenge and run with it."
Follow Eugene Rapay on Twitter at @erapay5 and on Instagram at @byeugenerapay.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Girls soccer: Maddy Walsh's late goal lifts Rye over Pearl River
