The names may change, but the results remain the same for the Bethlehem girls soccer team.
The Lady Eagles began the season with four consecutive Suburban Council victories, outscoring their opponents 17-1 in that stretch. All the while, they’ve been trying to overcome the graduation of several starters from last year’s Section II Class AA championship squad.
This is a big transition year for us with a number of players taking on new roles, said Bethlehem coach Tom Rogan.
The bulk of Bethlehem’s offense has come from senior Kristina Maksuti and sophomore Tara Teal. Maksuti leads the Lady Eagles with six goals and three assists, while Teal has contributed five goals and an assist.
Sophomore goaltender Katie Nickles has also been a key contributor for Bethlehem ` that is, when any shots have gotten to her. Nickles has saved 10 of the 11 shots she’s faced, with half of those saves coming in last Thursday’s 2-1 overtime victory over Shaker.
`I believe she’s one of the best goalies in the area,` said Rogan of Nickles, who started for Bethlehem as a freshman last year. `She’s very good at coming out and stopping one-on-ones, and she does a great job catching the ball.`
The Shaker game was the first time Bethlehem had been tested all season. The Lady Eagles had won their previous three games by identical 5-0 scores ` all against South Division opponents (Averill Park, Mohonasen and Colonie).
Rogan said the tests will continue this week as Bethlehem faces Saratoga Springs Tuesday, Niskayuna Thursday and defending Section II Class A champion Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake Saturday.
`All three teams ` Niskayuna, Burnt Hills and Saratoga ` are going to be good challenges for us,` said Rogan.
If Bethlehem falters this week, Guilderland is hoping to be there to catch the Lady Eagles in the South Division standings. The Lady Dutch (3-1) won their first three games before losing to Saratoga 1-0 last Thursday.
`[I’m] encouraged, but we’ve had these kinds of starts before,` said Guilderland coach Barb Newton. `We have some tough games coming up.`
The Lady Dutch don’t have the explosive one-two punch Bethlehem possesses in Maksuti and Teal. Instead, Guilderland has used a balanced attack to get off to a good start, led by Audra Kowalczyk’s three goals. Five other Lady Dutch players have registered a goal this season.
Still, Newton said her team has to do a better job of converting the scoring chances it’s getting.
`The kids are crossing the ball really well and putting the ball in dangerous situations [for opposing defenses]. We just have to do a better job of finishing those chances,` said Newton.
Guilderland’s defense has been strong through the first two weeks, allowing only two goals in four games.
`We’ve made some mistakes on defense, but [goaltender] Jenna Cubello has done a great job as a sophomore,` said Newtown. `She’s made some really nice saves for us.`
Like Bethlehem, Guilderland has some tough cross-divisional games to get through this week, starting with Tuesday’s game against Shaker. The Lady Dutch then travel to Clifton Park Thursday to face Shenendehowa before hosting Ballston Spa Saturday.
`The kids are positive right now, but we’ll see how they are after this week,` said Newton.
Another area girls soccer team off to a good start is Voorheesville. The Blackbirds raised their record to 2-0 with last Thursday’s 2-1 Colonial Council victory over Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk.
Caitlin Abelseth and Hannah Brackett scored Voorhessville’s goals, and Mackenzie Blake made five saves in the victory. Kendra Leonardo tallied for R-C-S (1-2), and Teagan Waddingham made 12 saves in goal.“