8th Grade
Hannah Esslie
10th Grade
Alyssa Calcagno, Katrina Catellier, Samantha Gorelik, Ava Keller, Liana Lekocevic, Lia Rosenthal, and Hailey Slade
11th Grade
Emilie Austin, Elizabeth Cole, Kimmy Johnson, Maya Lautenberg, Leilah Mariposa, Ehden Medina, Olivia Shi, Grace Sun, and Jackie Zhou
12th Grade
Antonia DiPreta, Claire Bender, Milly Fang, Erin Hanna, Jenna Keute (statkeeper), Christine Liu, Anna Murdock, and Hannah Nye
***
How do you follow up the most successful season in DS girls soccer history? This is what faced the 2017 girls soccer team as they looked to match the excitement of last season, which saw the girls team win its first opening-round sectional match, ever.
The 2017 season started with Coach Jim Wheaton replacing Coach Pat Light, who retired as Coach and Athletic Director after 29 years at Doane Stuart. The team also had to replace Louise Metz ‘17 (Oberlin College) who had been named to the Class D All-Section Team, named 2nd Team All-State, and also received the Class D Goalie of the Year Award.
Still, there was a lot of talented girls on the roster and strong leadership. Antonia DiPreta ‘18 of Clifton Park returned following her junior year season in which she earned Class D All-Section Team, as well as recognition as a CHVL (Central Hudson Valley League) 1st Team All-Star. Hannah Esslie ‘22 of Cairo also was back after starting varsity as a seventh grader.
The girls finished the season with an overall record of 6-6-1 (including playoffs). The highlight came with winning a quarterfinal sectional match for the second consecutive year – matching the successes of 2016. The opening round game saw #9 DS matched against #8 Heatly, a familiar foe. DS plays Heatly during the regular season and beat Heatly last year to win the first sectional victory in DS girls soccer history. In a back-and-forth contest, Heatly scored first (from nearly 40 yards out) followed a few minutes later by a penalty kick goal from Alyssa Calcagno ‘20 of Kinderhook. The first half ended 1-1.
The 2nd half scoring opened with Antonia DiPreta scoring from beyond midfield with 18 to go. Heatley then scored the tying goal in the waning seconds of regulation. While giving up a last minute goal can crush a team’s energy, DS never quit and kept fighting – for three overtimes. Finally, in sudden death, Hannah Esslie got the ball, beat one defender, split two more to 10 yards out, and beat the goalie for the winner. Final score: 3-2 (3 OT) and a quarterfinal matchup at #1 Northville (who ultimately beat DS en route to the Section II title game).
The game was also exciting because it featured a matchup of the CHVL Co-Players of the Year (Antonia DiPreta and Morgan Razzano). Congratulations to Antonia for her recognition as Co-Player of the Year! Also receiving awards for this season were: Hailey Slade ‘20 of Valatie (1st Team CHVL), Hannah Esslie ‘22 (1st Team CHVL), Maya Lautenberg ‘19 of Stillwater (2nd Team CHVL), Leilah Mariposa ‘19 of Albany (2nd Team CHVL Goalkeeper), and Alyssa Calcagno ‘20 (2nd Team CHVL).
First-year Coach Jim Wheaton was enthusiastic about his team’s growth:
“In a great season, the team really came together mid-way into the season. After dropping the first 4 games by a total of 5 goals (including an OT game to start the season) the team finished on 5-1-1 run, the only loss to eventual league champ New Lebanon. We had 6 total all-stars on a team of 24. While we will lose 7 seniors, the girls have really built a great program going forward.”
Congratulations to all of our student-athletes and Coach Wheaton on their successful season and exciting sectional win. We also bid a special goodbye to our senior girls, who finished their DS soccer careers: Anna Murdock of Stephentown, Claire Bender of Albany, Yichen Liu of China, Yue Fang of China, Antonia DiPreta of Clifton Park, Hannah Nye of Rotterdam, Erin Hanna of Averill Park, and stat keeper Jenna Keute of West Coxsackie (not pictured).
Following the win, Hannah Esslie was also featured in Hudson Valley 360 and the Times Union for a second time this season. Hannah was selected for the Eastern NY Olympic Development Team and has been invited to participate in the Regional Olympic Development Tournament in June and a week-long Olympic ID Camp in July.
>>https://www.hudsonvalley360.com/article/cairo-native-leads-thunderchickens
Articles from earlier in the season
Oct. 18 – Girls Soccer Opens Sectionals at Heatley
Oct. 3 – Hannah Esslie ’22 Featured in TU High School Sports