Pearl River Sports: Girls Soccer Faces Rye, Cross Country Teams Run for Section

The , but the Pirates expect to have a much tougher time with the Garnets the second time around.

No. 11 seed Rye will play at No. 2 Pearl River (15-1-2) 2:30 p.m. today at Pearl River. 

"I think it's going to be tough," Pearl River senior forward Casey Walsh said. "We have to realize they are a good team. They can beat us. We played very well that game. We have to play as good as we did the last time. We have to get one in the back of the net quick like we did the last time. I think we can do it."

Just like that previous meeting, Pearl River has played stifling defense in the playoffs. The Pirates shut out Harrison in the first round, then . Walsh handled the scoring with two goals on long-range shots just a minute apart in the second half.

Freshman goalie Lauren Gallagher and Pirates' defense took care of the rest. Gallagher made six saves. Pearl River got strong games from senior Kelly Guerci at stopper and senior Megan Gallagher at sweeper, but freshman Lauren Zimnoch and eighth grader Grace Moynihan also played key roles. 

"People said we were young adn not sure how we would do, but I felt having a young defense was an advantage, not a disadvantage, because we'll be able to play together longer," Lauren Gallagher said.

She said that she has grown more comfortable as the season has gone on.

"I definitely got more used to playing," Gallagher said. "From the first game, we definitely improved a lot."

Pearl River Head Coach Tim Peabody said Gallagher is playing with a lot of confidence, but the entire defensive group has come together after battling injuries early on. 

"We've played great defense in the playoffs," Pearl River Head Coach Tim Peabody said.

Section 1 Cross Country Championships

Pearl River will compete for the Section 1 Class B cross country championship today at Bowdoin Park. The girls race is at noon, followed by the boys at 1 p.m. Pearl River is the defending champion in both.

Pearl River's streak of league championships that went back over 30 years ended when Nanuet won the 4B title Oct. 16, but the Pirates still have one of Section 1's top runners in Kelly Hayes and the depth to compete for another championship. 

The Pearl River boys won the League 4B title, then finished second to Tappan Zee in the county championships. 

Section 1 Swimming

Pearl River will compete in the Section 1 girls swimming championships which begin with the preliminaries starting 5:15 p.m. today at Felix Festa Middle School. The finals are set to begin 5:15 p.m. Friday at Festa. 

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