Senior nights are usually focused on honoring the seniors playing for a given team. But the Amsterdam girls varsity soccer team’s senior night game against Gloversville on Tuesday, October 9 at Lynch Literacy Academy paid homage to another group who was not there.
Prior to warm-ups and the roll call of seniors, the players, coaches and fans paused to remember the King sisters, Abby, Allie, Amy and Mary – all former Lady Rams varsity players who were among the 20 people who died in a limousine accident in Schoharie on Saturday, October 6. A memorial was set up along the fence between the home stands and the concession stand featuring jerseys with their names and a simple black sign hung above five candles. A floral arrangement was situated next to the memorial.
The Lady Rams (2-8-4) fought hard for a win, but three quick goals early in the second half helped Gloversville defeat Amsterdam 5-2.
“We were just playing our hearts out,” said sophomore midfielder Lydia Iorio, who scored one of Amsterdam’s two goals. “Win or lose, we were playing for them.”
Neither side had many scoring chances in the first half. Gloversville’s defense broke up several pushes up the field by Amsterdam, while the Lady Rams kept the Huskies pinned to the edges of the field.
Gloversville got on the scoreboard late in the first half when Angel Anderson took a tough-angle shot that skipped off the turf field and into the far, lower right corner of the goal. The momentum from that goal carried over into the first 11 minutes of the second half, as the Huskies struck three more times to increase their advantage. Sydney Loucks tallied twice, and Kendra Lavery added another for a 4-0 lead.
“We made mistakes on defense, and it cost us goals,” said Amsterdam head coach Jessica Verrigni.
Amsterdam gave its fans something to cheer about midway through the second half. Figueroa streaked down the sideline and sent a crossing pass to Iorio, who struck a low liner that eluded the Gloversville goalkeeper for the Lady Rams’ first goal of the night.
“I was running down the sideline, and no one was in front of me. So I said, ‘Why don’t I just cross it?’ I didn’t know if any of my teammates would get there,” said Figueroa. “I was fortunate that Lydia [Iorio] made that run.”
“It was a beautiful cross by Delianna, and I was just there to hit it in,” said Iorio.
Sierra Roy broke free for a Gloversville goal with 2:15 left in the second half to make the score 5-1. With time running out, though, Figueroa launched a corner kick that deflected off the arm of a Gloversville defender and over the goal line to give Amsterdam the last word.
“Honestly, I just sat the ball down [on the corner kick spot], and I saw I had about 20 seconds left,” said Figueroa. “I took a breath and then kicked it thinking it would go in, and it did.”
“It doesn’t matter how far you’re behind. You keep on playing,” said Verrigni.
It has been a rough season overall for Amsterdam, but there have been some positives. The Lady Rams have played in six overtime games this season, tying four of them and losing the other two. And with a healthy Iorio back in the lineup after missing 2017 due to knee surgery, the team is optimistic about its future.
“It feels great [to be back],” said Iorio, who needed to repair a torn ACL and a torn MCL. “Being out for so long, it made me want to work even harder when I came back.”
“She’s a huge playmaker for us, and I have no doubt when she’s in there that she will make the plays,” said Verrigni.
