Fall Sports – It’s a Wrap

Congratulations to the Boys Varsity Soccer Team for winning the ACIS League in regular season competition and for making it to the quarterfinal round of the NYSAIS Tournament, where they lost to Riverdale. They finished with an impressive record of 11 wins and 3 losses. Coach Warren Salandy comments, “The way they came together in support of teammates who would have suffered season-ending injuries and the sacrifices they made to play various positions showed the true character of this squad. They were resilient and courageous.” The Junior Varsity Boys Soccer Team focused on players' development at the varsity level. They experimented with positions, formations, and tactics. Although the Friends team did not score many goals, their defense was among the best in the league, with opponents scoring only seven goals in eight games.

The Girls Varsity Soccer team achieved an outstanding season with an overall record of five wins, eight losses and three ties. The team achieved a place in the play-offs in the AAIS division as well as landing a third place spot in the ACIS division. The team was made up of girls in Grade 9 through Grade 12. The individual growth of each player was significant and will prepare them physically and technically for future seasons.

The Cross Country team competed in six ACIS meets at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. The team focused on training techniques to improve their individual times on the course. Many of the Friends runners improved their times as the season progressed.

The goal for the Varsity Girls Volleyball Team was to improve skills and build a community of players who enjoy the sport and play it with integrity. On the court, they developed into setters, middle hitters and right-side hitters. They have evolved into confident and passionate players. Junior Varsity Girls Volleyball started off this year fresh, as first-time players. With only one returner, the team focused on learning skills and rotations in practice. There was much to learn and players came in with a great attitude and competitive spirit. Every game was played with the intention of winning and improving.

The Girls Varsity Tennis Team was in a very strong and competitive AAIS 2022 conference. Seniors (Alex, Carly, Hattie and Hilary) took a collective leadership role as Co-Captains to solidify the team. They helped to shape the lineup using the depth of dedicated returning players. Kudos to the Grade 9 girls who played exhibition matches to help gain experience. Those matches along with the many team practices gave insight that will form the future of the team in the Fall of 2023. The regular season matches were hard fought and as a result earned the team a postseason berth for the second consecutive year.