Girls soccer: Somers blitzes Rye, 3-0, in long-awaited matchup
SOMERS - It was a big game between two Class A contenders that had the anticipation building for an additional two and a half weeks, after Rye and Somers' first meeting was postponed due to a shortage of referees and inclement weather.
When the Tuskers and Garnets finally met on Thursday night, there was a 45-minute delay and fears for a potential case of deja vu, but those fears subsided once they kicked off, and it became clear that Somers just couldn't wait to get started.
After an initial stalemate, the Tuskers blitzed the Garnets and built a three-goal halftime lead that persisted through the final whistle. Somers emerged victorious with a 3-0 win.
"It's tough to be prepared twice and only play once, but the girls came in with a good attitude," Somers coach Kelci Hegg said. "We knew that they were going to be a tough team to play, which proved to be so since they have a lot of talented players. (My team) was very focused, especially coming off of a loss to Yorktown, they felt like they have something to prove."
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An early penalty kick goal helped give the Tuskers the lead, and they continuously fed off the momentum from each scoring play to build a 3-0 edge at the half.
Rye made some changes at the break and was assertive to begin the second half, but ultimately, the Garnets were unable to get on the board.
"We adjusted to their play," Rye coach Rich Savage said. "Defensively, our shape was a bit off, leaving midfield players open and that opened the outside players for their scoring opportunities. We did a good job covering that in the second half, while still attacking them. Unfortunately, we didn't get one in the back of the net, but we were definitely pressing them more and it became a more balanced game."
It's been a near-perfect season for the Tuskers, who had their undefeated record spoiled by a 2-1 result against rival Yorktown.
Over the last couple of years, Somers had found a rhythm midway through the season and elevated its game to be more of a second-half team. However, this fall, it was able to establish consistency and rack up winning results from opening kick.
They're excited for the rematch the Huskers, which is in exactly one week.
"Really hungry," Somers senior Ava Giudice said. "I think it was really good for us. That loss woke us all up, it kind of made us realize that we have a target on our back and we have to play like we have one on our back."
There are a couple of other big games until then, including a matchup with last season's Class A state semifinalist Clarkstown North and league opponent John Jay-Cross River, who played the Tuskers tough in their first meeting, but the Tuskers hope to continue to do what's brought them success so far.
"Everyone's all in this year, and everyone wants to do the best we can to take this team to the next level," Somers sophomore Julia Arbelaez said. "I think we're getting there, for sure. ... What's important for us is our game day doesn't start when the game starts, it's the day before even. We're all focused on the game then, so when we get to the game, we know what we're going to do and what we have to do."
What it means
Somers picks up another win over a quality opponent in Class A, but it still has four more regular season games left in John Jay-Cross River, Clarkstown North, Yorktown and Lakeland. It further solidifies itself as one of the top teams in Class A.
As for the Garnets, this result puts an end to their six-game winning streak. They've only suffered two losses this season, both 3-0 results, against Albertus Magnus and Somers.
Player of the game
Julia Arbelaez, Somers: She wreaked havoc in the wings. She drew the foul that led to the opening penalty kick goal after getting taken down in the box from behind, then followed up with two more goals for the Tuskers.
By the numbers
Somers (11-1) — Ava Giudice converted on a penalty kick for the first scoring play of the game and dished out one assist. Annie Maguire also had an assist. Julia Schmidberger made seven saves.
Rye (10-2) — Freshman goalkeeper Tessa Labowitz made six saves for the Garnets.
They said it
"We set our own expectations," Giudice said. "(Coach) Kelci (Hegg) has her expectations and we have our own personal expectations. As a team, we try to push them every day and live up to them, but the noise from other teams and what's going on? I don't think we pay much attention to it, and we just focus on ourselves."
"They really push each other and understand the meaning of competition," Hegg said of her team. "There's desire, especially coming from the returners, to know what we've missed the past two years. The first year I started coaching, that was the (championship) tie with Mahopac during COVID and we didn't go further because of that. Then last year, the overtime loss at Pearl River really lit a fire under the returners, because they knew we probably should've handled that better. They have expectations as to what they want to do and it's all a credit to them, not to me."
Follow Eugene Rapay on Twitter at @erapay5 and on Instagram at @byeugenerapay.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Section 1 girls soccer: Somers blitzes Rye in huge match-up
