A lengthy layoff didn’t seem to hurt Rye much this week, as the Garnets returned to action after five days off to emphatically claim a league title on Oct. 16, topping rival Harrison 4-0 on the road to build upon an already impressive season.

The Garnets wasted little time getting things going on Wednesday, as Charlotte Keenan struck early in the first half to set the tone for a big Rye day. Keenan would also have an assist on the afternoon, while Hannah Jachman, Parker Calhoun and Alessia McKinnon all found the net as well.

Rye coach Rich Savage said that the five-day break didn’t impact his squad, as the Garnets (12-0-1) used those extra practice days to fine-tune some parts of their game.

“Our last couple of practices, we’ve been really focused because we had some time off, and I think that focus showed on the field,” said Savage. “We controlled the ball nicely, we moved the ball quickly; they knew it was important to play well and they did.” 

Also important to the team’s success was the Garnets’ ability to key on Harrison standout Ingrid Murphy, one of the most explosive scorers in the section. 

“[Murphy] plays with two of our players, Charlotte [Keener] and Clare Nemsick, so we knew she was a danger anytime she was near the ball,” said Savage. “So we were going to put a girl in front and in back of her and try to deny her the ball.”

Harrison, which fell to 6-6-1with the loss, will try to bounce back on Friday when they take on Byram Hills. The Huskies will close out the regular season with a Monday tilt against Eastchester. 

With the league title locked up, Rye still has three more games over the final five games of the season, as they will take on Arlington, John Jay and Byram Hills between Friday and Monday. Over the course of the last three games, said Savage, he is hoping that the Garnets can maintain the edge that has sustained them over the first month-and-a-half o the season. 

“We want to see can we stay healthy, can we continue to improve,” said Savage. “I think there were a few opportunities that we could have put away earlier that would have changed the course of the second half of the game. 

“We need to focus on capitalizing on all of our opportunities and not giving up any,” he added.