| Monday, Sept. 5, 2016, 11:30 a.m., TRIB-LIVE
The 2015 Fox Chapel girls soccer team compiled a 14-0 record in the section and finished at 18-4 overall. The Foxes made it to the WPIAL semifinals before falling to Upper St. Clair.
Gone from that team are five seniors who had very productive careers.
“All five of them are playing in college this fall,” coach Peter Torres said. “Four of them had all-section honors on their resume and two of them,Taylor Cohen and Maggie Coulson, were all-WPIAL players. They will be tough to replace.”
The Foxes boast a bevy of returning starters, led by senior forwards Dixon Veltri and Deena DeBaldo, senior defenders Annamarie Alfery and Bryanna Urso, junior defenders Greta Lazzara and Katie Livingston and sophomore goalies Kate Feczko and Julie Scheffler, both of whom started games last year.
Returning letterwinners include seniors Maddie Lucey, Mikayla D’Cunha and Elizabeth Heidenreich; junior Fallon Curry and sophomore Sarah Sinnot.
“We have lots of newcomers trying to find opportunities to contribute,” Torres said.
“Our strength will be our senior class,” he added. “With a returning all-state player in DeBaldo and a returning all-section player in Veltri playing together up top, we have an experienced duo who can stretch a defense. We can also defend on the outside with Alfery and Lazzara. Goakeeping has been an area that has seen the greatest competition, with both players having great preseasons.”
Alfery, who recently made a verbal commitment to Akron, is excited about the upcoming season.
“I think we have a lot of potential this year,” she said. “Our senior class is good and talented, and we’ve meshed well with the younger players. We’re a team with great chemistry, and I think our friendship off the field has helped us be better on the field. We should make a strong run. I think we can excel in our section.”
Torres is hoping to find combinations that will spell success on the field.
“Right now, we are just finding the right mix to fill the spots vacated by those graduated seniors,” he said. “Playing 18 games in a month and a half requires a quick learning curve. Hopefully, we can have success during the season and the playoffs.
“We should be able to build off of our success, and we are aiming for making a run in the playoffs. Our nonsection schedule is extremely difficult with games against Penn Trafford, Canon-Mac, Peters Township, Pine-Richland, Mt. Lebanon, Seneca Valley and USC. We know that if you want to have success in the playoffs, you need be challenged throughout the season.”
The Foxes will also have to contend with unfamiliar opponents in Section 3-AAAA.
“The new section created after the realignment saw us lose some rivalries that had been created over the past few years,” Torres said. “Plum will continue to defend well and be a tough opponent, no matter if it is home or away. Penn Hills is emerging and Woodland Hills has a great group of girls that are trying to improve their program.
“We do not know much about Brashear and Allderdice, but we will not take anything for granted. We play each team twice so we know they will make adjustments.”