Seaford girls soccer falls to nationally-ranked Rye in Class A Southeast Regional final
Seaford senior Zoe Qosa contests the ball in the state Class A Southeast Regional final against Rye on Sunday at Farmingdale State College. Credit: Connor Lawless
Seaford girls soccer entered the season with only three returning starters, and its goalkeeper had never played soccer before.
The Vikings responded by winning a Long Island Class A championship and earning a chance to advance to the state semifinals.
Then came their biggest test yet: nationally ranked Rye.
The defending state Class A champion was too powerful. Seaford fell to Rye, 5-1, in the Class A Southeast Regional final at Farmingdale State on Sunday afternoon.
“We came to play. I give credit to my girls,” Seaford coach Ken Botti said. “They played to the very end. I think it’s pretty admirable that they left it all on the field, but ultimately the better team won.”
Zoe Qosa scored for Seaford (12-5-2).
Rye (20-0-2) was led by Notre Dame commit Charlotte Keenan. The senior opened the scoring in the sixth minute with a shot just under the crossbar.
Kelly Harrington, playing her first season of soccer, made five saves before Rye scored again. She delivered a diving stop and denied a chance from close range to keep the deficit at one. She finished with 11 saves.
“Once I heard Coach Botti needed a goalie, I didn’t even think about anything else. Harrington said. “I wanted to help the team right away.”
“I give so much credit to my teammates. It meant so much to win a county championship and to win a Long Island title,” she said.
Harrington had been a volleyball player before making the switch three months ago.
“Today she looked like a soccer player,” Botti said. “I think she really grew into that position, and we’re grateful for her.”
Rye extended its lead to 2-0, Cameron Dawson scored a goal in the 25th minute.
The Vikings then responded on a corner kick. Kendall Tricoli delivered the ball through traffic and found Qosa’s right foot for a goal in the 34th minute to cut the deficit to one.
“I’m glad I got one more in the last game of my Seaford career,” Qosa said. “I got to play with my best friends. It means so much to me.”
Seaford became the first team to score against Rye in the postseason since 2024.
The Vikings’ defense, led by Riley Stovall and Tricoli, helped slow Rye, but the Garnets broke through again. Hannah Jachman, Jillian DeSanto and Keenan all added goals down the stretch.
Seaford’s postseason run then came to an end. It was a deep run after graduating 12 seniors.
“There was a lot of trial and error, so I’m extremely proud of these girls,” Botti said. “County champs, Long Island champs, winning the Long Island championship in that dramatic fashion. There’s a lot of great stuff that happened this season.”
