A historic season for the Rye Neck girls lacrosse team came to an end on May 17, as the Panthers fell to Dobbs Ferry 13-11 in the first round of the Class D playoffs. Despite the bitter conclusion to a hard-fought game, however, Rye Neck co-coaches Amanda D’Addona and Kathleen Regan are confident that the team’s determination and skill—both on display against the Eagles—prove that the future of the program is bright.
No. 8-seeded Rye Neck got off to a slow start on Tuesday finding themselves trailing 7-2 with under five minutes remaining in the first half. But the Panthers managed to overcome those early-game jitters, beginning to win more face-offs towards the end of the half, which allowed them to score three unanswered goals in the final four minutes to head into halftime trailing by two.
D’Addona noted after the game that it was the ability to posses the ball that helped the Panthers turn the tide before half.
“We started winning on the draws,” explained the head coach. “I think that helped us settle in and build some momentum.”
That momentum was carried over into the second half, as senior Kaitlyn Rodriguez scored off the opening draw. Less than five minutes later, a goal by Sophia Muller gave the Panthers their first lead of the game, setting off a wild second half that saw four lead changes. Regan believes that the dwindling clock led to some increased urgency on the part of the Panthers.
“I think as the time started running down, you could see the girls begin to realize that this could be it for their season,” said Regan. “And I think they started to play with more energy.”
The comeback would eventually fall short, however, as the No. 9-seeded Eagles would score three unanswered goals in the final eight minutes of the game to advance to the quarterfinals where they will face top seed Bronxville on May 19, after press time.
Sophia Muller led Rye Neck with four goals on the afternoon, while Sofia Capparelli chipped in three goals and an assist in her final varsity game. Fellow senior Kaitlyn Rodriguez scored twice, and Riley Donat made 11 saves for the Panthers.
The Panthers finish with an overall record of 9-8 on the year, but managed to capture the first-ever league title in the program’s history, something that D’Addona believes may translate to increased participation moving forward, which could pay dividends given the already young Rye Neck roster.
“I think the success this year will hopefully generate some more interest,” said the coach.
“Plus, when you look at our team, we were very young, we only had the two seniors,” added Regan. “We had a lot of younger players playing in a playoff game and getting that experience.”
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