Maddy Santoro and Fiona Murray are confident in their teammates. The Rhinebeck High School varsity girls soccer program lost 12 players to graduation, but Santoro and Murray believe the Hawks will be back in the Section IX playoffs this season.
The Hawks will begin their season with non-league home matches against Greenville on Sept. 6 and Cornwall on Sept. 9.
“I’m very excited to see where the season takes us,” said Murray.
The Hawks are coming off a season where they earned a home match in the Section IX Class B playoffs and scored three first-half goals in a 4-0 win over Sullivan West, the program’s first sectional victory in five years. Rhinebeck lost in a semifinal to top seed and eventual Section IX champion James I. O’Neill, 5-0.
“We had a great season last year. It was fun,” said Santoro.
Santoro is hopeful the new young players will join the returners in making 2024 another successful season.
“It’s going well,” she said. “We have a lot of new players; it’s definitely a big shift. It is going to be a team effort to come together and make a strong team. I am very confident in all of them because I see them all play and everyone is capable of great things.”
Murray added, “I really want to work on our communication and team chemistry, getting to know each other on and off the field. I think we can get back to sectionals.”
Coach Matt Grande is encouraged by what he has seen so far, and said his young players are good listeners and want to become better players.
“We have a young team and everyone is eager to play and learn,” he said. “We’re going to get better and better and when sectionals come, as long as everybody stays healthy, I think we have a really good shot.”