The Bermuda Hockey Academy Islanders started out strong in their third match of the North East Field Hockey Association (NEFHA) season with several opportunities in the opening ten minutes. The best opportunity during this span came in the 7th minute from a 2 on 1 counter attack with Zahari Minors leading the break and beating the keeper with a fantastic move, slipping the ball to teammate Darien Isa whose shot hit the post.
Rye worked their way back into the game and took advantage of some sloppy defending in the 17th minute winning a penalty corner which they converted by a drag flick into the top right hand corner to take the lead. Rye doubled the lead 5 minutes later again off of a penalty corner routine to the bottom left hand corner.
The Islanders raised their game after this goal and fought their way back into the game before halftime. The tireless efforts of midfielders Hemija Bean, Nathan Simons and Richard Minors paid off with a quick counter attack goal in the 31st minutes with Minors releasing a quick pass from the defensive area up field to Nathan Simons who beat his defender and released to the ball to Isa at the top of the circle who made no mistake and slammed the ball into the back of the net. The islanders drew level just before halftime in the 34th minute on a quick counter attack led by midfielder Michail Ming-Woodley who dispossessed the Rye attacker at the halfway line and released a quick pass to Isa who fought through two defenders to get his shot off which was saved by the keeper however rebounded back to him and he slipped it back under the keeper and into the goal.
After entering halftime all tied up it was Rye who would score first in the second half in the 43rd minute. The Rye attacker fired the ball along the baseline just inside the shooting area which took an unlucky bounce off the keeper who was trying to clear the ball and trickled into the goal off the keeper.
The Islanders answered right back a minute later when Bean beat the goalkeeper on a breakaway and earned a Penalty Stroke when the keeper brought him down from behind. Unfortunately Islanders did not convert the Penalty Stroke as the keeper made a great save.
The Islanders pushed forward searching for an equalizer with Bean and Simons both getting off reverse stick shots within minutes of each other which went just wide of the goal.
Rye would put the game out of reach in the 66th minute with another penalty corner goal to make the final score 4 - 2.
