LATHAM — When asked to summarize the seven-week girls' soccer season her team experienced, Shaker senior captain KayLee Alix said, "To be able to play, in my eyes, was a blessing. We didn't expect to play (the season) and I never thought we were going to play."
The fallout from the coronavirus pandemic left just two leagues in Section II competing during the fall: the Patroon Conference and the Suburban Council.
The conclusion to the campaign was hardly what the Blue Bison envisioned, yet the immediate aftermath left them feeling a bit better after the planned Suburban Council Tournament final between Shaker and Shenendehowa was canceled minutes before beginning Nov. 21 because of a COVID-19 situation involving Shaker. Instead of taking a forfeit, Shenendehowa athletic director Chris Culnan moved to have the Plainsmen share the tournament title with the Blue Bison with matching 12-0-1 records.
"We were so ready to play," Shaker senior captain Olivia Martuscello said. "When we were told, the seniors knew that it was over. ... When Shen made us co-champs, I just thought that was amazing sportsmanship. It just showed that really every team was in it together because of the circumstances. Everyone was in the same situation. That sportsmanship showed compassion."
"I think a lot of us were upset to have to forfeit the game without getting the chance to try and win," Shaker senior captain Bella Tronco said. "We were thankful to be co-champs. It was the right thing to do and we're thankful (Shen) did that."
Alix, who scored four times and added five assists in 2020, said warming up and then being told her team could not play was surreal.
"It was a complete chaotic emotion. No one knew how to act," Alix said. "There was a good five minutes before the tears started to fall because we literally did not know how to act. It was such a sudden thing and it was just thrown at us. At the same time, the way the situation was handled is one of the best things I've seen for any single team from the Capital Region."
"I couldn't believe how excited they were for this game and then how disappointed they were after about a 30-second conversation and the tears that were shed," Shaker coach Mike Brehm said. "Yes, it was bittersweet, but at least we had a season."
Shaker, like Shenendehowa, reached the 2019 Section II Class AA semifinals. The Blue Bison entered the fall carrying lofty expectations once learning there would actually be a Suburban Council slate to play.
"Our goal is to win a Section II championship every year," Brehm said. "If we don't make a final four, we are disappointed. It was something we tried to stress and we were really excited about this year's nucleus and about this year's seniors. Last year, we thought we had a good team but we just didn't gel. This year, from our sophomores to our seniors, everyone worked well together and took responsibility."
"From the beginning of the season, we had good chemistry," said Tronco, who produced eight goals and nine assists. "Everyone on the team were best friends and we really got along. We all wanted to play for each other."
"We had so many different players of different ages that were just so talented, it gave us the strength we had on the field," Alix said. "Even the people that didn't play were there cheering us on. It was a true team effort."
In only the second game of the season, Shaker gained further affirmation the 2020 season had great potential when it traveled to Clifton Park and earned a 0-0 deadlock against Shen.
"We had underclassmen that came in and played right away," Brehm said. "We had seniors that were leaders."
Shen's Gloria Kokkinides and Shaker's Bella Tronco go after the ball during a game Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020, in Clifton Park(Jenn March, Special to the Times Union)
Jenn MarchThe Blue Bison featured six seniors — Alix, Tronco, Martuscello (four goals, five assists), striker Jewel Tanksley (eight goals, eight assists), midfielder Nicole Resnick (one goal) and goalie Bria LaBella (who will play her college soccer at McGill University).
Martuscello led the defense in front of LaBella. The offense generated 61 goals with 14 different players scoring at least once. Junior standout Mayah Wheeler paced the team with nine goals, followed by Tanksley, Tronco and Abby Dranichak with eight goals each. Vivian Nartey (six goals, nine assists), sophomore Micaela Tahoe (six goals, two assists) and sophomore Lauren Foglia (three goals) helped round out a balanced and formidable attack.
"It was a joy to go to practice," Brehm said. "They did not complain at all. They did not complain about doing wind sprints or running hills. They did everything they were supposed to do.
"Putting the banner in our gym and the photo on the championship wall is something that will stay forever. To take a varsity team and go undefeated in any league is a positive experience and it is one they will never forget."
jallen@timesunion.com
"had" - Google News
December 05, 2020 at 10:32AM
https://ift.tt/33IZuOy
Shaker girls' soccer team had a season to cherish - Times Union
"had" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2KUBsq7
https://ift.tt/3c5pd6c
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Shaker girls' soccer team had a season to cherish - Times Union"
Post a Comment