In its final test before the playoffs kick off next week, the Mamaroneck field hockey team notched a convincing win over a solid Rye side, topping the Garnets at home. But for the Tigers, the win wasn’t simply just one final test before the postseason, it also cemented Mamaroneck’s position as a No. 2 seed in the Class A playoffs.
After the two teams battled for a scoreless first half, Mamaroneck was eventually able to break through just under eight minutes into the third quarter, when Hannah Rogoff got her stick on a long blast by Natalie Mahland, redirecting the drive into the goal. That score would be the only tally in the game, as the Tigers held on to beat Rye 1-0. Mamaroneck head coach John Savage said that, coming into Monday’s game, the Tigers were well aware that the first goal might be an important one against Rye.
“I told the girls coming in that Rye was a good team and that it would come down to scoring one or two goals,” he said. “And when it really counted, we came through.”
On the defensive end, the Tigers were able to limit Rye to just two shots on goal, both of which were stopped by Jane McNally, who notched the shutout.
“I thought that if we played well defensively, we could win and we’re good defensively,” said Savage. “And Jane McNally is probably the best goalkeeper in the section.”
Monday’s victory helped the Tigers claim a share of the league title alongside top-seeded Scarsdale, but had an even bigger impact on the team as they look towards next week’s sectional tournament. With the win, the Tigers edged RC Ketcham for the No. 2 seed, meaning that—should Mamaroneck advance to the Class A finals—it will have home-field advantage until the title game which will be played at Lakeland High School.
“For 27 years, we’ve had the one or the two seed, which is important,” Savage said. “It wouldn’t have been a happy bus ride going up to Ketcham if we had lost.”
With the playoffs approaching, Savage is confident that his girls are ready for the challenge, but warns that the team can’t suffer mental lapses on the road to the sectional finals.
“Sometimes, that level goes to the team we’re playing, and then when we play a team like Rye, Lakeland or Scarsdale, our game has to jump to that level,” he said. “But in sectionals, you don’t have tomorrow; these kids don’t want to go home, they really don’t.”
