SARATOGA SPRINGS — Although Saratoga Springs came up short, 2-0, to Niskayuna in Wednesday’s Section II Class AA finals, head coach Adrienne Dannehy is excited about the season’s success and what it means for the future.
“We’ve set the tone now for Saratoga Springs soccer and I think we’re going to be a force to be reckoned with in the next couple years here,” said Dannehy, who coached the team to the program’s first finals berth since 1989.
After being the No. 1 seed in the tournament two years in a row and being knocked out in the semifinals and quarterfinals, the Blue Streaks came into this season after losing nine seniors. It took the team four games to get their first win before finishing 9-6-1 in the Suburban.
“Bringing them together, it took us the first couple games to kind of come together,” Dannehy said. “Every game they just improved. I’m just so proud of them—it was a big season. I just wish it had gone the other way for us (in the finals).”
The Streaks rode a five-game winning streak into the finals, taking two one-goal games over Shaker and Guilderland in the playoffs.
“To not make it with them (the 2012 and ’11 teams) and to make it with a young team, that just moved me beyond words,” Dannehy said. “I just can’t say anything more about how much heart and effort these kids put into this season, and it showed.”
The No. 5 Blue Streaks’ (11-7-1) loss to No. 2 Niskayuna (16-3-0) was the last game for Cassidy Driscoll, who was second on the team this season in goals (10). Driscoll played the entire postseason while nursing two sprained ankles and displayed a comeback season after recovering from a torn ACL, which forced her to miss all of her junior year. As a sophomore, Driscoll was a Section II all-star and the leading scorer on the team.
“To come back, between her and Ellery (Bianco) our leading goal scorers, and be a leader on the field, let me tell you that kid doesn’t quit,” Dannehy said. “We’re certainly going to miss her next year, but I think she’s leaving behind a legacy that I will always be able to say, ‘Remember Cassidy Driscoll?’ I’ll always be able to look back and the girls will know her and how hard she worked and what she accomplished.”
The Streaks will also be losing keeper Melissa Mascari, who showed off a number of big saves, specifically in the postseason against Shaker with under a minute left in the game, midfielder Emily Wickert and defender Madison Maloney.
This year’s relatively young Saratoga Springs squad started two freshmen in every game at the outside back positions—Hannah Murphy and Elizabeth Maguire.
“Hannah Murphy is kind of a diamond in the rough in that she’s only been playing for a couple years, but what she lacks in experience she makes up for in tenacity,” Dannehy said. “She was often on the other teams’ top goal scorers all season long. What was exciting about her was that she didn’t really realize who we were marking her up with. I still don’t think she realizes what she accomplished this year, but she was able to shut down some of the top girls in the Suburban Council.”
The Blue Streaks will also bring back Bianco, the team leader in goals (12) and assists (eight), as well as sophomore Delaney Dyer and juniors Taylor Camoin and Kennedy Cocozzo.
“We have a huge foundation,” said Dannehy, who is also encouraged by all the younger levels in the program posting records well above .500. “I think it’s going to continue and it’s just going to get better. It’s a culture of Saratoga, you work hard and you have success, and this team proved it. For the younger kids, it’s just going to fire them up more.”
