Clarkstown North Girls Varsity Soccer's Historical Season

Bright lights shine off the new turf field at Nyack High School. North fans scream in a sea of purple and gold. A hopeful team of 20 girls dressed in white. Section 1 Class A Championship- it all comes down to this. North is up 4-2 in the penalty kicks, Rye shoots, and the ball is saved by the North goalie! Clarkstown North Girls Varsity Soccer Team wins Section Championship for the first time in program history!

The Rams finished the regular season with a 10-4-2 record, making them the 5th seed going into the Section 1 Class A playoffs. Victories in their first two matches against Saunders and Harrison advanced them to the Section Semi-finals. On October 28th they took on top seeded Albertus Magnus to fight their way to the finals, and after 80 minutes of scoreless soccer and four over time periods, the game had to be settled with penalty kicks. Sophomore Laura Bialek sank the game-winning penalty kick for the Rams, clinching them a spot in the finals.

“My favorite memory from this season was beating Albertus on their home field,” said Senior Captain Maddie Hind, “No one predicted us to win and seeing everyone storm the field with our team when we won in penalty kicks was a feeling like no other.” The shocked Rams supporters stormed the field after the winning penalty kick hit the back of the net. The underdogs had officially created a historical upset and won the first ever trip for girls soccer to the Section Final.

“Many people underestimated us and we used that as fuel to fire us up each game,'' said Junior defender/midfielder Ivy Levitas. After their win against Albertus, the Rams needed to refocus and take care of business against the 2nd seed Rye. So on October 31, 2021, instead of trick-or-treating, the girls were warming up for the biggest game of the year.

The game was a thriller! It was a back and forth contest between two evenly matched teams. Both teams worked hard, as they both knew what was on the line. Similar to their previous game, the Rams played through 80 minutes of scoreless soccer and 4 overtime periods, and it all came down to penalty kicks again.

Sydney Ferst, Ivy Levitas, Alexa Buxbaum and Anna Kavountzis buried their penalty kicks, leaving the Rams up 4-2 in the penalty kick shootout. Rams Junior goalkeeper Sydney Ferst just needed to make a single save. Diving to her right, her hand makes contact with the ball, and it’s a save! For the first time ever, the Rams are the Section 1 Class A Champions! The Clarkstown North fans storm the field once again, showing their support for the team that made history.

The Rams were excited about the win, because their hard work this season had finally paid off. “The team’s success was definitely due to the fact that we all had so much heart,” said Sophomore midfielder, Laura Bialek. “Every single player wanted to win and gave everything they had.”