Soccer

Back on top! Ryle claims 9th Region boys soccer title

by Evan Dennison October 24, 2026October 24, 2026

Ryle hoists the 9th Region championship trophy after their 3-0 victory over Newport Central Catholic. Photo provided | Charles Bolton

A group of 19 seniors on the Ryle boys soccer team didn’t get to experience the region tournament last season.

They used that disappointment as motivation, leaving no doubt Saturday in the 9th Region championship with a 3-0 victory over Newport Central Catholic.

As they have all season, the Raiders controlled possession, spread the ball around and got contributions from three different goal scorers to secure the championship.

“We told the guys at the beginning of the year that if you want to be a dangerous team, make it hard to defend us,” Ryle coach Stephen Collins said. “How is it hard to defend us? Have multiple guys that can put in goals, do assists, and so we’ve kind of followed that all year long.”

PHOTOS: Slideshow provided by Charles Bolton

Ryle finished with 18 shots, seven of which were on target. The Raiders took a 1-0 lead into halftime after Diego Lakis collected a deflection in the box and finished into the bottom-left corner in the 26th minute.

NewCath weathered a couple of dangerous chances early in the second half, but Ryle’s relentless pressure eventually paid off. Preston Scott doubled the lead in the 54th minute off an assist from Sean Williams, and Parker Wilson added an insurance goal in the 75th minute on an assist from Ishan Senthil.

“I’m not sure they were used to our speed, and I think that helped to wear them down,” Collins said. “We’ve had a tough schedule, so we’ve had a lot of 60-, 70-, 80-minute games throughout the season where we’ve kind of prepped ourselves for this particular style of game. We knew coming in it was going to be a dogfight, and that’s what we set out to do — just be the last man standing, per se.”

Ryle’s possession advantage translated into an 18-4 edge in shots. The Thoroughbreds managed just two shots on target, both handled by Raiders goalkeeper Drew Stropko.

The loss ends NewCath’s season at 17-6-1 and marks its second 9th Region runner-up finish in the past four years. The Thoroughbreds also fell to Ryle in the 2023 championship game.

NewCath goalkeeper Logan Purcell, who made four saves Saturday, earned an All-Tournament team selection alongside Andrew Verst and Jason Fritz.

Ryle’s Chase McCarthy was named tournament MVP, but the individual honor meant less to him than the championship trophy.

“It means a lot, but it means way more to win a trophy with my team,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy’s words reflected the Raiders’ collective goal entering the season: return to the top of the region and accomplish it together.

“We’ve played phenomenal this year together,” McCarthy said. “I love how every single game I feel like we’ve stepped it up a notch. Today it was obvious and more physical. And NCC put up a wonderful match against us, and it’s a team thing to get together and win a game like that. I love how we’ve come together and played, especially from our disappointment from last year. I feel like we’ve come full circle and played together.”

Williams, Scott and Cooper Neace also earned All-Tournament team honors for Ryle.

The Raiders now turn their attention to the state tournament, with little time to celebrate. Ryle will host Bishop Brossart on Tuesday, the 10th Region winner. The winner of that one also hosts a state quarterfinal matchup Oct. 31 against the winner of the 15th and 16th Region pairing.

All-Tournament Team