Fall Preview: Scarsdale Varsity Soccer Team

Here's a first look at the Scarsdale High School Varsity Soccer team:
Boys Soccer
Head Coach: Joseph Cipriano
Captains: Jason Henderson (Sr.), Vincent Gandolfo (Sr.)
2011 Record: 11-7

Players to watch: This year’s team has five returning starters, all hoping to have big seasons. Vincent Gandolfo and Zach Cromwell (Jr.) are the returning midfielders. Cromwell is a playmaker and ball controller, while Gandolfo is a hustle player who brings the ball down the lines and creates opportunities for other offensive players. Evan Hendel (Sr.) will be returning for his third year on the Varsity Soccer team. Hendel is the team’s biggest offensive threat and a goal-scoring machine. Jason Henderson and Matt Ellman (Sr.) are the teams returning center defenders. The two have great chemistry and rarely make mistakes.

Expectations: The team is confident in their chances to win the league, despite its high level of competition. Starting center back and captain Jason Henderson said, “I expect for us to compete to win our league and afterwards try to win the section.” Outside midfielder Steven Ferebee (Sr.) also has confidence in this year’s squad, “Our expectations are to make it to the playoffs and hopefully go far.” Ferebee also went on to say that this year’s lower expectations in contrast to last years will help the team despite having a high talent level. Senior Matt Ellman has similar feelings, “We have been expected to do huge things the last 2 years but this year nobody has us on the radar so it will be nice to be the underdog.”

Bottom Line: With 5 returning starters and over 10 returning players, and the addition of Nico Penfold (Sr.), the Raiders are looking very strong. All of the players agree that they are deep in talent. Unfortunately, the squad is in the same league as Mamaroneck, New Rochelle and White Plains. Expect the Raiders to compete for the section title.

(Pictured at top: Team Captain Vincent Gandolfo)

This article was written by Scarsdale High School senior Peter Simon