Soccer is one of the lowest-scoring sports in high school, so when an opportunity to connect for a goal arises, a missed chance leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. While the Rye Country Day girls’ team was unable dent the net October 3 at home against Fieldston, at least the Wildcats knew their 7-2 opponent felt no better after a 0-0 draw.
Senior goalkeeper Kayti Faustini finished with eights saves on the wet turf as a driving rain made the battle for a goal that much more dramatic. At one point, she dove from one side of the goal to the other to stop a surefire shot from three yards out. It was Faustini’s enthusiasm and determination that kept the heart beating for the Wildcats.
“We played well against Fieldston and had our chances,” said assistant coach Stephanie May. “Defensively, we played well stopping the attack. Faustini had a solid performance in goal, making key saves. Offensively, we created many scoring chances from both our midfield and forwards.”
Rye Country Day had myriad chances to score, but were unable to exploit them. Although Fieldston goalie Kalijah Terilli played a spectacular game – she made 14 saves – the Wildcats couldn’t catch a break. Senior Delaine Powerful missed on a couple of fast breaks and eighth grade sensation Stephanie Sabatini nearly had a goal late in the second half, but it banged off the crossbar.
Though led by senior captains Nicki Rosenbach and Alex Sabatini, the Wildcats (2-3-1) are still a very young team, with three freshmen and an eighth grader. The future is only looking brighter though, and with upcoming games against King and Millbrook, Rye Country Day hopes to take it to the next level.
“We are improving as a team with each game,” said May. “We need to take advantage of our opponents’ mistakes and capitalize on them.”
– Andrew Farber
Rye on the Ball 
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