With time running out and the score knotted at 11-11, Rye needed a goal in the worst way in order to escape a late-season thriller against Bronxville on Saturday afternoon. They would get that goal with just 1:35 left in regulation off the stick of junior attacker Owen Kovacs who notched his sixth—and final—goal of the contest to lift the Garnets to a one-score victory over a Broncos’ program that is among the best in Section I.

For Rye, the win was an important test as the Garnets prepare for the sectional playoffs, which begin on June 8.

“We just stayed with what we’d been doing all game, two man behind, my buddy was going to set a pick,” said Kovacs of the game-winning shot. “I just kinda faked it, took it topside and buried it five-hole.”

That the contest would come down to one final possession was something of a surprise, given Rye’s torrid start to the game. The Garnets jumped all over Bronxville in the first quarter, outscoring their hosts 7-2 in the opening stanza. Bronxville—led by four-goal performances from Chris Patterson and Henry Sheehan—cut the Garnet lead to two by the end of the half and eventually netted the equalizer with just over two minutes left to play. 

According to Kovacs and Rye head coach Steve Lennon, slowing down the Broncos’ prolific offense necessitated plenty of in-game adjustments. 

“We were going back and forth between zone and man, but after halftime we decided to pressure out a little more and it kind of worked out,” Lennon said. “They’re a really good offense and zone didn’t really work against them; we’d seen it work on film, but that could have just been a bad day on their part.”

Kovacs added, “They’ve got one of the best attack lines in the section. We were trying to contain their big guys and let the other guys on their team get the goals.”

The win improved Rye’s record to 10-2 on the year while Bronxville dropped to 8-4. Both the Broncos and Garnets are expected to make deep postseason runs when the Section I playoffs begin on Saturday. Both teams have elected to play tough non-league games to close out the season, as Rye will finish up against a 10-2 Scarsdale team on June 1 and Bronxville will take on Yorktown (8-3) on June 3.  

“I think coach scheduled this on purpose, even though he didn’t admit it,” Kovacs said. “We are facing really good competition in these last two games and I think this is going to help us get ready for the playoffs.”

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