More Players Mean More Wins Hope Whitcomb Lady Hornets
By Laurie-Jean B. Gauthier

Second year Whitcomb Hornet varsity girls soccer coach Gary Zisselsberger is very happy with the freshman contingency that has turned out for high school athletics. "The only thing that I now have that I didn’t have a lot of last year is speed. That plus more players (17 this year and 13 last year) enables me to give my starters a breather and my new girls both playing time and experience." Gone are Kristine Avila, Amanda Candelier, Kelsey Hill, Mindy McKenna, Whitney Olado and Polish foreign exchange student Kasia Ustupska-Kubeczek.

New recruits and fresh faces are freshmen and first year players, halfbacks Virginia Wortman, June Claughton, fullbacks Allison Richards, Mikayla Dieffenback, Emily Durfee and forward Meredith Kill. Also joining the team is junior transfer student and former Chelsea Red Devil goalie Laurel Adams, and senior German exchange student Kerstin Kraeutlein who plays halfback. Sophomore and second year player Killian White plays at halfback.

Juniors and third year players are fullback/back-up goalie Emily Wright, forward Molly Taylor, fullback Tia McKenna and halfback Demi Aldrighetti. Returning for their fourth and final season are senior forward Tracy Zisselsberger, goalie Maggie Eddy and fullback/halfback Chelsie Brown. Rejoining the team after a year abroad as an exhange student in India is senior halfback Maya Robinson. (With seven goals Robinson was the third leading scorer at the end of her sophomore season behind current teammate Molly Taylor who was tied for second leading scorer with Sashalyn Kraus with 11 goals after her freshman season). Robinsons’ return will give Whitcomb an added boost in the scoring arena where Taylor dominated last season.

The Hornets open the season on the road against the Rochester Rockettes on Wednesday, Sept. 6.

Scrimmages

Whitcomb hosted the Black River Presidents on Tuesday, Aug. 22 in preseason action. Neither team went home unhappy or disappointed as they played to a 1-1 tie. Tracy Zisselsberger scored off a Molly Taylor feed.

The Hornets next hosted their annual three-school soccer scrimmage jamboree where they welcomed the West Rutland Golden Horde and the Williamstown Blue Devils on Saturday. The Hornets won one and tied two as they gear up for the regular season. Whitcomb defeated West Rutland 1-zip in the second game. Once again the Zisselsberger/Taylor combo did the damage, when Taylor sent Zisselsberger’s corner kick feed into the cage.

The Hornets and the Blue Devils played to a 1-1 tie in the third game. A kick by freshman Emily Durfee hit the post and bounced off back into play to Demi Aldrighetti who sent the ball to Molly Taylor who scored her second goal of the day.

The Hornets have high hopes for a winning season as they prepare for their first game of the season against the Rockettes. Whitcomb finished last year with a 6-10 record losing in the quarter-finals to eventual D-IV State Champions the Danville Indians.

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