By Rob Potter
MONTICELLO — December 2, 2003 – Although the Monticello girls’ varsity soccer team recorded more losses than wins this past season, the Lady Panthers played hard and fair in every match.
And that performance did not go unnoticed.
The Monticello Athletic Department recently received a letter and certificate from the Goshen High School Soccer Parents Association. The letter, addressed to Coach Kristi Dean, congratulated her, the team members and fans for earning the association’s Goshen High School Soccer Opponent Sportsmanship Team honor in the girls’ varsity soccer category.
According to the letter, this is the fifth season that the association has presented sportsmanship awards to Goshen opponents. The opposing teams were evaluated and then voted on by Goshen coaches and players on the varsity and junior varsity levels. Each Goshen team rated its opponents on a scale of 5 (for exceptional display of sportsmanship) to 1 (disregard for sportsmanship).
In addition to the Lady Panthers, James I. O’Neill was honored with the award on the varsity boys’ level and the S.S. Seward Spartans and Lady Spartans were recognized, respectively, on the boys’ and girls’ junior varsity levels.
“Our organization, Goshen High School Soccer Parents Association, to foster good sportsmanship, would like to recognize your team, Monticello Girls’ Varsity Soccer Team, for displaying the highest level of sportsmanship of any opponent that our team competed against this past season,” stated a portion of the certificate, which was signed by Peter Vrydaghs, President of the Goshen High School Soccer Parents Association. “We compliment your team on playing hard but fair. Our players appreciated that your team respected us as competitors and were courteous to the officials. This was certainly a reflection of you as a coach and the professional way you interacted with your players, the officials and our team. Your fans, while showing support for your team, did not do so by degrading the officials, our players or our fans.”
The members of the 2003 Monticello girls’ soccer team, which was guided by Dean and Assistant Coach Paul David were: Anastasia Ballard, Christa Billias, Vicki Carter, Sara Colacurcio, Nichole DeFazio, Laura Ferranti, Erin Goodman, Rachel Huffman, Erica Kalber, Katie Mahan, Lisa Manz, Ashley Morse, Brittany Morse, Taqiyya Robinson, Allyson Strong, Sara Thornton, Jessica Vandermuelen, Kristen VanHage, Jenna Widmann and Emily Zier.