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Edged in finale, Huskies eye Class B bracket

In a final regular season tune up before the start of the Section I playoffs, the Rye girls lacrosse team found itself on the road against rival Harrison, taking on the explosive Huskies in the rain. But neither Harrison’s talented attackers, nor the inclement weather were enough to slow down the Garnets, who came away with a 13-10 win.

Rye’s Leah Kenny rushes past a Harrison defender on May 12. Harrison will play No. 6 seed Suffern in the first round of the Class B playoffs.

Jordan Basso had five goals for Rye and teammate Leah Kenny had three to help Rye finish the regular season with a 10-6 record, which gives the Garnets a No. 3 seed in the Class C playoffs. Harrison (7-8) will be seeded No. 11 in the Class B bracket.

Garnet coach Dennis Hurlie was pleased with his team’s play against the Huskies, as Rye had to contend with a tremendous performance in net by Harrison goalie Kathleen Lino who made 32 saves.

“We struggled shooting a little bit, and I think we took the first 10 or 12 shots of the game before we made it 1-0,” Hurlie said. “And I think we tested [Lino] on her strong side way too much, but the nice part is we did get that many looks because we were able to control possession.”

In the end, the coach added, earning a victory was far more important than earning style points.

“Any time you have a game like that, on the road against a rival like Harrison who has a lot of offensive weapons, you know they’re going to be tough to guard,” Hurlie said. “So regardless of the score, we came away with a victory, and that’s all that matters.”

As the No. 11 seed in the postseason, Harrison will be on the road in their first round game, as they head up to Suffern to take on the No. 6-seeded Mounties on Thursday, May 17. At 6-10, the Mounties’ record might not be impressive, but their strength of schedule was; Suffern lost to Class A No. 2 seed Mamaroneck, Class D No. 1 seed Bronxville, and Class B No. 1 seed Yorktown by a total of four goals.

Rye, on the other hand will take on No. 6 Sleepy Hollow on May 19. Both teams have identical 10-6 records, but the Garnets have a superb strength of schedule having faced off against top teams in the area including Bronxville, Mamaroneck and Class A favorite North Rockland.

The winner of Saturday’s game will likely play No. 2 seed Brewster in the semifinals on May 21.

“We’ve played such a tough schedule and so many close games, I think we’re ready,” Hurlie said. “Even the out-of-section teams we’ve played like North Shore and Greenwich, the games are going to be on that level; tight and close.”