As the final whistle blew, the New Hartford Lady Spartans heard cheers from the crowd– not from the other teams’ friends and families, but from their own. The scoreboard read 2-1. In 2021, the New Hartford Girls’ Varsity Soccer Team won the state championship. That was just the beginning of their historical run that seems unbeatable.
After finishing the regular season with a record of 13-1-1, and winning the Section title again this year, the girls on the current varsity soccer team are craving that state championship feeling once again.
Head Coach Frank DuRoss’ love for soccer started much earlier than 2021 when his team won a state championship. Coach DuRoss began coaching an AYSO team that his eldest daughter was on at the time 24 years ago. He didn’t originally set out to become an AYSO coach.
“I began coaching her team because they needed coaches, and I thought it would be a great activity for us to do together,” Coach DuRoss said.
Little did he know coaching would become a big part of who he is.
He continued coaching his daughters throughout their soccer careers: Starting in AYSO, then to club soccer, to the school junior varsity team, and eventually to the Varsity team. Even after 24 years, Coach DuRoss has never lost his love for coaching. He says that he continues to coach each year because of all the different interactions he gets to have with his players.
Two of the players he gets to interact with daily are junior Elizabeth Rayhill and freshman Addison Way. Though these two players have had very different experiences with soccer as a whole, they both love the sport here at New Hartford.
Elizabeth Rayhill’s love for soccer began at a very young age. Being the youngest of five, she looked up to her siblings –especially admiring their passion for soccer. Each one of her siblings played soccer, and three out of four of them played for Coach DuRoss. Therefore, her journey with Coach DuRoss started earlier than 9th grade when she was moved up to Varsity. Being the youngest on her Varsity team was nothing short of what she was used to– it just meant she had to prove herself more. Elizabeth was used to being put in stressful situations in soccer. Between school and club, she had a lot of experience from each team.
Elizabeth started playing when she was about four years old. Just like Coach DuRoss, she began playing AYSO, and eventually joining a club team before school soccer was an option.
Though she doesn’t have a preference between school and club soccer, Elizabeth says both teams bring different opportunities for her. Playing school soccer allows her to play with her hometown friends after being with them all day at school. She feels that she gets to know each one of them better than if she just knew them from school. As for club soccer, she gets to branch out and meet new people. With the addition of new teammates, that brought her different techniques and playing styles that she can learn to adapt to. This allows her to become the best soccer player she can be.
As a junior, Elizabeth has to start thinking about her future. Despite the fact that isn’t sure exactly what she wants to do with school and soccer, she knows she wants to continue playing soccer in hopes of going pro one day.
As for freshman Addison Way, she still has a lot of time to think about her future. Addie has three promising years left with the New Hartford girl’s soccer team.
Addie has a long line of history with soccer that started at the age of five. Addie also played club and modified soccer too. Unlike Elizabeth, Addie decided to take a year off from school soccer to focus more on softball. She then came back to school soccer, this time on the Varsity team.
“The jump to Varsity taught me to become a better teammate and learn to mature with the older girls,” Addie said.
Coming into this season she was a bit hesitant to return to soccer, but she described her team as being motivating. Addie enjoys this year’s team because of how well they all get along together on and off the field.
As the girls head into their post season with sectionals already under their belts, they are looking for a regional championship, then ultimately ending their season with a state title. After winning sectionals 5-0 against the Jamesville-Dewitt’s Red Rams, the girls’ energy is high.
