Fall Sports in Progress
Last year was a massive success for fall sports at Grace, filled with playoff matches, first place league finishes and plenty of hard fought games. However, this year promises to be even more exciting. After a strong start to the season for all seven teams, hopes are high for one of the best seasons we’ve ever had.
For fall sports, the season begins long before the first day of school. For the second year in a row, we sent our soccer teams, and for the first time, volleyball and cross country, to the Berkshire Soccer Academy in Otis, MA. For one week, our fall athletes had full access to the camp’s terrific facilities, which includes three soccer fields, a lake, a campfire, and even bubble soccer. I asked Will Simotas ‘19 what he thought of this new tradition, and he had nothing but great things to say about the trip, “I think it’s great. It’s a great way for incoming freshman to meet people in the school, and more importantly it helps the teams improve a lot!”
Here’s a review of all 7 teams’ seasons so far:
Varsity Girls Volleyball
The Varsity Volleyball season has started on a high note. After losing their first game, they bounced back in a big way. They made school history by playing the first game in our brand new gym, and got a big win in 3 games over Staten Island Academy. Julia Kramberg ‘20 says that it “feels really nice to finally have a space of our own, and it was great to finally cut the ribbon with a nice win.” She also was appreciative of the turnout for the opening game, saying “it was nice to see all the people who came in support of the team.” Varsity Volleyball will play all of their home games in the new gym, including Senior Night on October 22nd at 4:15pm.
JV Girls Volleyball
The JV Volleyball team has gotten off to a fast start, winning three of their first four games, and remain undefeated in the new gym. Freshmen Olivia Berger and Emily Lopez said “it’s been great so far, and it’s been a ton of fun. We’re really trying to come together as team, and we’re looking forward to the rest of the season.”
Varsity Boys Soccer
Last year was one of the best years for Varsity Boys Soccer in team history. It was highlighted by a big league semi-final win and championship game appearance. This year they’re ready to go all the way. After a rocky start in their first game, they’ve rebounded with back to back clean sheet victories, for a combined score of 6-0. “It’s been great! We had a rough start, but since then we’ve been totally dominating,” said Will Simotas ‘19. When asked if the team could go all the way this year, he was quick to say “I think we definitely can win it all.”
JV Boys Soccer
The JV Boys Soccer team also has a promising season ahead of them. Captain Michael Prieto ‘20 said, “I think we’ve been improving a lot year by year, and this year we’ve got a lot of great players. Our main goal this year is to come together as a team and play well, and if we do that I think we’ll easily be able to finish with a winning record.” Most home games for the soccer teams will be split between Randall’s Island and the East River Fields (located around Houston St. & FDR Drive).
Girls Varsity Soccer
The Girls Varsity Soccer team has played 4 games so far and according to Ava Pingree ‘19, there is “a lot of stuff we need to improve on, but we have steadily gotten better after each game.” For the rest of the season, Ava says she would like “to win more frequently and to see the team become more cohesive and interdependent upon each others skills.” With new freshmen on the team, the soccer team is becoming more united and working better together every game. They have many more games coming up, including one against Friends Seminary at Homecoming on Saturday, October 20th at 11am.
Girls Varsity Tennis
So far, the Girls Varsity Tennis team has had a great start to the season, still undefeated after three matches. They are a very strong and united team, but still have many things to work on going into the season. According to captain Avery Rahr ‘21, the tennis team is working on “communication between doubles partners, singles improving, working on shots, form, and getting to the ball. If they continue with these improvements and their current form, they hope to not only continue to play their best, win and have fun, but also “to make it to the PSAA finals and win the whole tournament.”
Cross Country
With a new coach and the incoming freshmen, Cross Country has gotten off to a good start. As a team, everyone works hard and wants to cut their times down. For the rest of the season, the team is looking to improve on their “unity as a team, especially with the new freshmen, in addition to their times and not overworking or underworking themselves,” says Talli Weiss ‘21. She hopes that “we become unified and everyone wants to be there and enjoys being there, in addition for everyone to feel that they have improved by the end of the season.”
