Bronco Soccer Preview: Boys’ and Girls’ Teams Have a Strong Start to the Fall Season

By S. Quinn DeJoy and J. Murrer
Sep. 12, 2018: It will be soccer madness down at Chambers Field for the next week and a half. The boys' varsity team will play home games against Edgemont and Woodlands, and the girls' team will play against Pelham, Croton, and Irvington. Both teams will also compete in the final round of the Broncofest tournament on Saturday, September 22. The boys have already clinched a spot in the championship final of the Broncofest, and the Bronco girls will play in the first round of the tournament today at home against Pelham.
The Bronxville girls' soccer team is always a threat to go deep into the playoffs, and this year is no exception. The Broncos are ranked No. 8 in the LoHud Section 1 Power Rankings this week, and they are also the top-ranked team in Class B. Bronxville gets the No. 1 spot in Class B with good reason. They have won six out of the last eight Class B Section 1 Championships.
Captains Rachael Peacock and Isabel Sondey lead the girls' team this season. Peacock and senior Catherine Faville should be big contributors to the team's success, as both were named to LoHud's Elite 11, a list that recognizes the top eleven high school soccer players in all of Section 1. Other key players include Lily Jebejian, Ashley Toal, Maeve Sullivan, Victoria Ruffo, Milly Koenig, and Alex Doukas. Also contributing this season are seniors Clio Dakolias, Kunzang Namgyal, and Hayley Berry.
"We are fortunate to have a great group of determined girls who have a great work ethic and great attitude," said longtime coach Don Cupertino.
The Bronco girls are 2-1 on the season so far with two strong wins against Eastchester and Rye Neck and a 2-0 loss to rival Albertus Magnus. The Broncos lost to the Falcons in sectionals last fall, but this year the Falcons will move up to Class A during the playoffs.
"I was very happy with our performance even though it was a loss," noted Cupertino. "Albertus is a very strong opponent and is one of the favorites to win Class A."
The boys' team graduated an incredible 16 seniors last year and begins the season as a very young team with only six seniors: Paul Magaud, Jack Kochansky, Luke Redman, Jay Burstein, and Lucas Rodembusch. Top returning players include Maguad, juniors Luke Doukas, Jimmy Gallo, and Theo Liao, and sophomore Henry Sheehan, and key newcomers include junior defenders Luke Freeman and Theo Sperber and freshman defender Aidan Sulimirski.
The Bronco boys kicked off the season at the end of August by defeating Croton 1-0 in the first round of the Broncofest and continued their success by defeating Ramapo 3-2 in the Westchester/Rockland Challenge on Labor Day. Their record is now 4-0 with additional wins over Solomon Schechter and Hastings last week. Scoring for the Broncos in the first four games were Luke Doukas (2), Jimmy Gallo (2), Austin Boyd, Paul Magaud, and Luke Freeman. Theo Liao has 21 saves so far this season.
The Bronco boys have plenty of home games, but they will also play at Tuckahoe on Friday at 4:30 pm. The Tigers are the No. 1-ranked team in Class C.
Go Broncos.
Pictured here: The girls’ soccer team playing on Hayes Field against Rye Neck last Saturday.
Photo by S. Quinn DeJoy







