Girls soccer: Tappan Zee's Bill Lynch earns 257th win, moves to No. 2 all-time in Rockland

To Tappan Zee coach Bill Lynch, it was just another game day. However, Monday marked an important milestone.

The longtime Dutchmen coach earned his 257th career victory, which moved him up to No. 2 all-time in Rockland County for varsity girls soccer coaching wins.

He surpassed North Rockland's John Westbrook, who was inducted into the New York State Girls Soccer Hall of Fame last year.

The achievement was a surprise to Lynch, who had not been tracking his career tallies, and while it wasn't on his radar, he knew where he wanted to quickly defer the credit to.

"I've had a lot of good players come through the program, so it's a lot on them, it's their accomplishment also," Lynch said. "They did a lot of the legwork."

The Dutchmen went on the road and defeated Byram Hills, 5-3, to continue their undefeated start to the 2023 season.

"I'm happy for him, it's amazing to be part of a program with such an amazing coach, where he's constantly motivating us to be better and is always pushing us to win, which drives you to be a better player," Tappan Zee captain Megan O'Prey said. "The environment he instills with our team, it's very positive. He's a very positive guy, and I think that's one of the reasons why he has all those wins under his belt."

Tappan Zee took an early 2-0 lead in the game, and fended off a couple of close opportunities by the Bobcats. After halftime, the Dutchmen had built a 5-0 lead, but the Bobcats didn't go away quietly.

They strung together three goals in the final 10 minutes of play, but the Dutchmen were able to hang on in a battle of unbeatens.

Charlotte March had two goals and two assists in the win. Eve Girardi had one goal and one assist. Madison Harris and Katie Heffernan also scored, while Megan O'Prey and Anna Palitti dished out one assist apiece. Ella Sabatini made eight saves in the win. Tappan Zee improved to 4-0-1.

"I think it's good teamwork," Tappan Zee senior outside winger Ella McKeon said of her team's start to the season. "We work really well together, and we just have good chemistry with each other. We always talk and we're all good friends, so I think that definitely helps."

Lynch now sits in between two New York State Girls Soccer Hall of Famers.

Tim Peabody, who coached at Albertus Magnus and Pearl River, leads Rockland County with 393 wins. Lynch surpassed Westbrook, who had 256 wins throughout the several decades he coached at North Rockland.

"Oh my goodness, it's unbelievable," said Lynch, when learning of his new all-time standing among Rockland soccer coaches. "I coached against John when I first came in on the girls soccer side, and I coached against Tim for a very long time. Tim and John are both very good friends, so to be even mentioned in the same breath as them is mindblowing in itself."

In addition to Lynch's 257 wins, Tappan Zee has also captured three section titles under his guidance over the years. The Dutchmen have used a defensive-minded approach, with a positive team environment, which has brought them plenty of success over the years.

"He's always there for us, and just really gives us good pointers," McKeon said. "He doesn't let us get sulky and keeps high hopes for us. He never lets us think that we're not going to win, he gives us good confidence and he's just a really good coach overall."

Lynch first came to Tappan Zee as a physical education teacher in 1987. He took over as the girls varsity coach in 1997.

Although he's retired as a teacher, he remains active in the Tappan Zee community. Outside of soccer season, Lynch is the bookkeeper for the Tappan Zee boys basketball team and a volunteer assistant for the baseball team. He's also a volunteer fireman.

"Bill Lynch is one of the nicest human beings I've met in my 30 years of education, he's just a good human being," Tappan Zee athletic director Bill Pilla said. "He does such great things for the community, and he's really a generational coach at Tappan Zee. He's just special.

"He's putting so many kids into the collegiate ranks as well as being a supportive coach and educator in our school district for so many years. He doesn't care about the wins and losses as much as he cares about making a positive impact on kids. I've never heard him complain or raise his voice. I'm proud to know him as a person."

What has made Tappan Zee a special place for Lynch that keeps him coming back every day, even after retiring as a teacher?

"I actually started out doing JV at Pearl River on the boys side, and came over to TZ on the boys side for a few years," Lynch said. "The girls job opened up, and I jumped over and enjoyed it. I still like what I'm doing, that's what's kept me coming back."

Will we see 300 wins?

"I take it year by year," Lynch said, laughing. "I'm not sure, I did retire from teaching a couple years back, so I just go year by year and I reassess at the end of the season."

Follow Eugene Rapay on Twitter at @erapay5 and on Instagram at @byeugenerapay.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Tappan Zee's Bill Lynch gets 257th win, now No. 2 all-time in Rockland