Mountaineers make program history during pandemic season
Housatonic Valley Regional High School forward Melody Matsudaira, a sophomore, fought for possession during the team’s last game of the season, against Litchfield High School, on Wednesday, Nov. 18.
Photo by Hunter O. Lyle

Mountaineers make program history during pandemic season

FALLS VILLAGE — In a season full of questions and uncertainty, the Housatonic Valley Regional High School (HVRHS) girls soccer team made history when they were crowned as Berkshire League Champions for the second consecutive year.

 To get to this point, HVRHS Athletic Director Anne MacNeil worked closely with other regional athletic directors to plan a season that abided by Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) guidelines.

“I didn’t know what was going to happen in August and was very pleased that we were able to have a season,” MacNeil said. “And we were one of the few leagues that actually crowned champions.”

Some of the guidelines put in place by the CIAC included only two spectators per athlete, a longer preseason for extra conditioning and tournament experience (having teams play only in their own league, and using the outcomes of games when teams first met as a way to determine league champions) replacing actual playoffs.  

Senior right defender and team captain Elaine Dekker said the longer preseason lead, lack of games and limitations in practice lead to a slight drop in team morale early in the season. However, Dekker said the team found ways to enjoy themselves regardless.

“We would try to make games out of running, even though it was still running,” Dekker said, “but it would just push the girls and make it a more fun and enjoyable way of conditioning.”

Throughout the season, which started with the first practice on Saturday, Aug. 29, and concluded with a 2-0 win over Litchfield High School on Wednesday, Nov. 18, the Mountaineers cruised to a 9-0-1 record, scoring a combined 44 goals while only allowing seven to be scored against them. With this record, the Mountaineers became the first team in program history to finish a season undefeated.  

Head coach Steve Dodge attributed this year’s success, especially under such uncertain circumstances, to  how experienced and talented his upperclassmen are, noting that the four-year seniors on the team have gone 31-4 at home during their time as Mountaineers.

“My personal goal [for the season] was to grow the bond of the team more,” said Dekker, who is one of six seniors who will be leaving the team, “We’ve been playing since we were really little, and this is my last season. I just wanted to get as close to the girls as I could before our last game.”

Latest News

Haystack Festival brings literary minds to Norfolk

The Great Room at Norfolk Library filled to capacity for the Haystack Festival.

Jennifer Almquist

Just after noon on Sunday, Oct. 6, attendees of Norfolk Foundation’s Haystack Festival spilled out of the red Shingle Style Norfolk Library into brilliant October sunshine, emerging from the final book talk of the weekend (excepting an event for young readers later in the day). The talk, which was a conversation between horse experts journalist Sarah Maslin Nir and author David Chaffetz, was rife with equine puns and startling facts. The tongue-in-cheek use of the word “cavalier” brought laughs from the engaged audience, while Nir disclosed that horses eat for a full 16 hours a day.

The talk brought levity and humor to the festival’s conclusion, while also diving into the serious history of the relationship between society and horses. Chaffetz explained horses were fundamental in the formation of large empires: “We don’t see empires until horses became fundamental to the political state.” Nir elaborated that the “wild” horses in North America are not native, but feral horses descended from animals brought by Spanish imperialists. “No tea grows in England,” she explained, “it is the result of empire – and so are horses.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Project SAGE's solemn vigil

"The Red Sand Project" is intended to draw attention to often overlooked domestic violence issues in the Northwest Corner.

Natalia Zukerman

To mark the start of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Project SAGE held its annual community vigil on Tuesday, Oct. 1, at Community Field in Lakeville. Project SAGE is a community-focused organization dedicated to supporting, advocating, guiding and educating victims of relationship violence through a range of services and outreach programs.

A large group of people gathered quietly in the center of the field where they were handed packets of red sand. Red Sand Project, created by artist and activist Molly Gochman, is a participatory artwork that uses sidewalk interventions and earthwork installations to encourage people to reflect, connect, and take action against the vulnerabilities that contribute to human trafficking, modern slavery, and exploitation.

Keep ReadingShow less
Northwest Corner artists unite for Clay Way Tour Oct. 19-20

Pottery of all sorts will be on display at the Clay Way Tour, featuring 26 area artists.

Provided

Now in its 8th year, The Clay Way Studio Tour is an annually held event featuring some of Connecticut’s best potters. Twenty six artists will show their work among nine studios.

The Tour takes place in Litchfield County Connecticut and Wingdale, New York Oct.19 and 20 from 10 a.m to 5 p.m. Potter and organizer Jane Herald explained the origin of the tour.

Keep ReadingShow less