After a cold start, the Guilderland girls soccer team is turning up the heat in the Suburban Council.
The Lady Dutch (6-2-0) edged Averill Park 2-1 Saturday, Sept. 20, to run their winning streak to six games – the longest such streak in the league this season.
Coach Curtis Snyder said the streak is a product of the players settling into their roles.
“It took me some time to get to know them, and they took some time to get to know me,” said Snyder. “But at least, things are coming together.”
The Lady Dutch needed to reload after graduating several starters from last year’s Suburban Council South Division championship team. But led by Emma Oliver and Rebecca Golderman, Guilderland has bounced back from its 0-2 start to move within a half-game of first-place Columbia (6-1-1).
“We’re really inexperienced, as opposed to being young,” said Snyder. “We’ve got a good number of juniors who have played a lot of soccer, but not at the varsity level.”
Oliver and Golderman are two of the four holdovers from last year’s 16-2-0 Guilderland team. Oliver leads the Lady Dutch with five goals and five assists, while Golderman is second on the team with a goal and three helpers.
“Emma has a nice way of scoring goals, which is a good thing for us,” Snyder said of Oliver, who tallied twice in the victory over Averill Park.
Keeping the winning streak going will be a challenge for Guilderland. After visiting Mohonasen Tuesday, Sept. 23, the Lady Dutch face the top two teams from the Suburban Council North Division – Saratoga Springs Saturday, Sept. 27, and Shenendehowa Tuesday, Sept. 30.
Though it might have seemed like Mohonasen (1-5-2) was going to be an easy game for Guilderland, Snyder cautioned that even the bottom portion of the Suburban Council could cause trouble for any opponent.
“This year more than ever, I think any team in this league can beat anybody,” said Snyder. “Look at Averill Park. They’re 1-7-0, and they nearly beat us.”