The Housatonic girls varsity soccer team went undefeated in both “under the lights” games against longtime rival Lakeview.
Currently, the team holds first place in the Berkshire League with a season record of 14-2, guaranteeing a spot in state championships this year.
Housatonic senior and team captain Carmela Egan was excited by the team’s performance despite losing two players to an FFA trip, with one being a starting team captain.
For the third year in a row, Housatonic continues to keep its annual “Rivalry Night” tradition going with Lakeview High School, where the boys and girls play double header games under the lights. Currently, two Rivalry Nights take place each sports season, with each one held at Lakeview and Housatonic on separate nights.
“Rivalry night was so awesome,” Egan said, referring to the game at Lakeview. “We kept playing hard and after the first two goals we were just on fire and so hyped up. We play really well with big crowds and under pressure, I think it’s when we perform best.”
The first Rivalry Night game took place at Lakeview’s soccer field on Oct. 3. Housy won with a final score of 3-0.
Sophomore varsity starter Lainey Diorio said the rivalry night games were some of her favorites every season. “I think they’re so fun,” Diorio said. “All the people are there, from Housy and from Lakeview and everyone is cheering you on, and it’s just a good environment.”
After the big win at Lakeview, Housatonic hosted the longtime rival on Oct. 23. Despite the cold temperatures — with lows around 30 degrees — the girls kept their record and ended the game with a final score of 3-1.
While the girls were up 3-0, Lakeview had scored a goal toward the end of the game.“You could tell that we were tired when they scored on us,” Egan said.
Housy girls soccer players huddle before a game.Provided
The victories come at a time when the team is rebuilding following the departure of some key players last year.
The team’s current roster has made a special effort to maintain consistency after star players Madeline Mechare and Ava Segalla graduated last spring, Diorio said.
“I think we’ve come to adapt to it,” Diorio said. “I think, in the beginning of the year, we started off a little rough which is obviously what we expected because we were losing two really good players from last year. But I think we adapted toward the end of the season and found who works well together.”
Looking into the last few weeks of the season ending in the middle of November, the Housatonic girls soccer team will leave the 2026 season with both wins from Rivalry Night, as well as a strong placement in the Berkshire League.
Diorio is optimistic about the end of the season.
“Hopefully, we will win BL, win our game on Friday, which would put us in finals for the BL tournament,” she said. “I expect us to be able to beat Thomaston again.”
Egan praised her teammates’ abilities, despite the loss of strong players.
“Losing the two seniors last year definitely hurt us,” Egan said. “But we’ve had so many floaters and JV members stepping up and I think we are just as strong, if not stronger than last year.”
This Veterans Day, say more than “thank you”
Tim Morris
I grew up next door to a great American, the late Captain Thomas E. Zibrofski of Melrose, Massachusetts. Although Tom was a proud U.S. Marine who piloted a UH-34D helicopter in over 200 Vietnam War combat missions, I knew him primarily for his other roles: generous backyard pool owner, family friend, car-lover.
It was because of this relationship that when I reached adolescence and became curious about Tom’s military service, I did not hesitate to ask him. My thirteen-year-old self spent one memorable afternoon with Tom looking at old slide-projector photographs and listening to his stories. As the projector fan whirred in the background, I remember laughing as Tom shared stories that I could picture. He explained how one of his peers brought a bowling ball to basic training (assuming incorrectly they would have time to go bowling) and was made to carry it around everywhere by the drill instructors. He told me about the competitiveness between Marine Corps and Air Force pilots at Da Nang Air Base, and about the South Vietnamese soldiers who would ride in his helicopter carrying “three-times” their body weight in equipment.
To be sure, Tom spared me from the worst of what he experienced. He did not tell me about the day he was wounded extracting a reconnaissance patrol from a hot landing zone (the same wound that left his voice in a hoarse whisper for the rest of his life).Still, I will never forget the generosity Tom showed me that day. By answering my questions Tom made me feel valued –– like he truly wanted me to understand his military service.
Each Veterans Day, you can find articles published about the growing distance in American society between those who served in the Armed Forces and those who did not. It is commonly referred to as the “civil-military divide.” The oft-quoted statistic is that today less than 1% of the U.S. population serves in the Armed Forces, and less than 7% of the adult population are veterans. Whether or not the numbers are the cause of this so-called divide, one symptom is clear: many adults are hesitant to ask the veterans in their lives about their military service.
The reasons for this hesitation are many. We tell ourselves that we “could never understand what they went through,” so we don’t bother asking. We worry that there may be trauma that we could “trigger” by asking a question, so we decide that we better not. We think that we don’t “have the right” to ask any questions because we didn’t serve ourselves. Better just to say “Thank you for your service” and call it a Veterans Day.
While these thoughts are understandable, they are fictional reasons for a curious person to remain silent. Instead of self-censoring, consider instead striking up a conversation with a veteran in your life. Trust that your genuine curiosity about their service will shine through in your questions. Trust that a veteran is completely capable of choosing what they will and will not share with you. You should not ask to hear about a veteran’s worst day in the military, and certainly avoid “did you kill anyone,” but you may be surprised at how well you can relate to many of their experiences.
Questions like, Who was your best friend when you served? What was the hardest part of boot camp? Do you have any funny stories from training? (Prediction: they do.) Who was your most memorable instructor? What are you most proud of from your military service? What was the weather or food like at your duty station or when you deployed? Why did you join the military? can all help you better understand someone’s service.
Contrary to what you see in movies, there are many long, often boring hours associated with military service; there are countless jokes told, deep relationships formed, and positive experiences to go along with the difficult ones. Growing up, I was fortunate to have a friend and a role model who helped me understand that military service is rarely one-dimensional, even for a Purple Heart recipient. In the years since I joined the Marine Corps, I have tried to help others understand the same.
Here in the northwest corner and Dutchess County, we are fortunate to have great Americans like Tom living all around us. And as Veterans Day approaches, it is worth remembering that expressions of gratitude need not be limited to a single-sentence exchange. On November 11th, try honoring a veteran in your life by saying more than “Thank you.” Ask them about their service. You both may be thankful that you did.
Tim Morris resides in Lakeville.