Ryle girls' soccer coach Edmundo Echeverria did something Wednesday that three coaches before him could not do - he guided the team to a win over Newport Central Catholic.
The Raiders beat the Thoroughbreds 3-1 for their first win of the season and dropped their nemesis from the ranks of the unbeaten. "I know we haven't beaten them in a long time," Echeverria said. "So it's a good win for us."
Junior Elise Duggins became the first player to score against NewCath this season when she connected from 15 yards with 30:47 to play in the second half. Lauren Zembrodt made it 2-0 with 7:43 to play with a goal in the box off a pass from Meredith Murphy. Duggins scored again for Ryle (1-3-1) with no time remaining after NewCath (3-1) closed to 2-1 in the final five minutes.
Senior goalkeeper Lindsay Otis collected seven saves for the Raiders. She received help from Olivia Coleman, who has stepped in as a replacement for all-region stopper Ellie Schmalzl. Center midfielder Jaclyn Zembrodt also made things difficult for the NewCath offense.
Schmalzl is out for the season with a knee injury. Zembrodt suffered a concussion during a July practice, her second in two years. "We've had to change things around on defense and at stopper, but I think the girls have really stepped up with Ellie out," Otis said. Both teams recorded seven shots on goal.
"Scoring keeps me going," said Duggins, who took four shots. "It shows I can do it and help my team win." The Thoroughbreds had outscored their opponents 15-0 this season. They were coming off a 2-0 win against Holy Cross, which followed a 9-0 rout of Russell.
"I think we won because we've been trying to play basic soccer," Echeverria said. "We want the girls to attack the way they're facing. Before tonight, we had a lot of empty crosses. But we were more successful with them tonight."
Duggins' first score, off a crossing pass, was just the fourth Ryle goal against NewCath in 10 years. Duggins has three goals on the season. "I thought we played hard, played a really good game," Duggins said. "We were looking for scores." Duggins, who plays for the Kings Soccer Academy club team, led Ryle with 11 goals last season, accounting for a third of the team's scoring.
NewCath and Ryle played to a 1-all score last season, their second tie in four years. They played to a scoreless tie in 2007. Even when the Raiders won back-to-back district titles in 2005-06, NewCath was able to come up with victories over them by a combined score of 5-1.
From 2001-06, NewCath won six consecutive matches, including four shutouts. "We haven't had a lot of success against (NewCath)," Echeverria said. "I'm not even sure when the last time we beat them, but I know it's been a long time."
Ryle hands NewCath first loss in girls' soccer
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