SARATOGA SPRINGS – The Saratoga Springs girls’ soccer team is navigating early-season challenges following significant player turnover from its back-to-back Section 2 Class AAA championship teams. Despite recent close games, players and coaches are focused on learning and development as they build a new team identity.
Saratoga Springs opened its Suburban Council schedule with a 1-1 draw against Averill Park and a 1-0 loss to defending Class AA champion Niskayuna. Coach Adrienne Dannehy described the games as valuable learning experiences, noting they will provide useful film for analysis and future improvement. In the draw against Averill Park, Saratoga took an early lead with a 35-yard goal from senior Parker Clifford, but Averill Park responded quickly, and Saratoga was unable to score again despite hitting the crossbar in the final minute.
Clifford, who plays both right back and striker, emphasized the team’s determination to establish its own identity after losing key players like Ava Goodman and Lucia DeVito, both Times Union all-stars. “We lost a lot of our key players from last year, and I know they were a big help last year,” Clifford said. “But, our team, we know our worth. We may not be the same as them; we may not have the same abilities, but we all have our strengths, and we can.”
The team has 11 players who were part of the 2025 championship team, but many are now in different positions or have expanded roles. Dannehy acknowledged the transition, stating, “We had a great senior class (last year). We graduated some great, great kids – but we’ve got some great kids filling in. We're young, so we're still feeling our way through who's going to play where. Every game is a learning experience for us.” Clifford reflected on lessons learned from previous successes, stating, “We learned that anything can happen,” referencing a winning goal in last year’s sectional final against Shenendehowa that bounced off a player’s face and into the net during double overtime.
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