SHS Girls Varsity A Soccer Team Wins League Championship

The Scarsdale High School Girls Varsity A Soccer team completed its regular season last week with a 2-0 defeat of White Plains High School on Friday, October 16, after besting arch rival Mamaroneck 1-0, playing under the lights at Mamaroneck High School on the preceding Wednesday night before a crowd of over 300 people. For the first time in memory, the Raiders won all eight of their league games, and also took the league championship for the first time since 2012. Even more impressive, the team compiled a 12-2-2 overall record, with eight shutouts. Their only losses came in tight games early in the season against powerhouse teams from North Rockland and Clarkstown South. As reported this past weekend in USA Today High School Sports, the Raiders are now ranked 9th in their Rockland-Westchester County division and 4th among all Class AA teams (determined by school size).

The team's success in 2015 is attributable to a number of factors, beginning with the outstanding efforts of Head Coach Mindy Genovese and Assistant Coach Kiera Fox. Coaches Genovese and Fox assembled a talented group whose play continually improved over the course of the season. They stressed a team-oriented approach with the philosophy that team goals are paramount and supersede individual accomplishments. The team was led by senior co-captains Eryn McDonald, Zoe Epstein and Kara Elcik and junior co-captain Hayley Rozencwaig. The Raiders have a mix of veterans and newcomers, and an unusually large number of freshmen – six - two of whom are full-time starters. There has been significant emphasis on team camaraderie, with frequent team meals and social events. The closeness of the players and their focus have unquestionably contributed to the team's outstanding performance during the regular season.

The Raiders are now the second seed in the sectional playoffs. The team's first playoff game, to be held on Saturday, October 25 at 3:00 p.m. at Scarsdale High School, where they will play the winner of a game this week between White Plains and Carmel. Given the Raider's impressive performance during the 2015 regular season, their goal is to bring home a section championship for the first time since 2000. Scarsdale residents are encouraged to come out and support the Raiders! Scarsdale10583.com will follow the team during the playoffs and report back on what will hopefully be a successful playoff run.