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The New Hartford girls soccer team had never played competitive soccer in November before. While the program had previously reached the sectional championship, it was the first time the Spartans were in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Class A championship.

Through the first 33 minutes of the championship match, which was against Southside, the Spartans’ high-scoring attack couldn’t get a goal until an opportunity arose on a corner kick. Talia Vitullo lofted a ball from the right corner into a scrum between both sides. But Willa Pratt got her head on the ball, lobbing it over the opposing keeper’s grasp and into the back of the net.

The Spartans scored again, but Pratt’s initial goal gave them a lead they never let up. Goalkeeper Savannah Cole’s 16 saves, which included multiple sliding stops, gave New Hartford its first state championship in school history.

It took weeks for the players to process the victory. New Hartford finished with a 9-6-1 record in 2017, but in 2019, a new freshmen class led by centerback Brigid Clive and central midfielder Vitullo laid the groundwork for future success. Over the next three years, this class culminated a perfect record, winning the Class A championship in their junior year, and beginning this season undefeated.

“They’re so reliable and they’re the best group of girls I could ask for,” New Hartford head coach Frank DuRoss said after the Spartans’ championship win over Southside.

Clive said that while the goal in 2021 was to win the state title, it never felt like a possibility, even as the Spartans continued to win. Clive, who teammates call “Biddie,” was a firm believer in creating continuity with the team. Vitullo said that many of the players on the team had played together since they were four or five years old, which builds a connection off the pitch as well.

During the offseason, Clive, along with seven of her senior teammates, continued their chemistry by playing on the same club soccer team, Coliseum Soccer Club of Utica. Clive and her teammates never saw it as a chore, rather finding the extra training fun. Other players on the team would also get private training sessions at gyms if they weren’t on the Coliseum team.

“The weekend after the state final, we had a club tournament already,” Clive said. “So we had a week of break and went right into it. We practiced all the way up through the summer.”

The class A #NYSPHSAA girls soccer state champs, the New Hartford Spartans. pic.twitter.com/Nw0PRTffSz

— NYSPHSAA (@NYSPHSAA) November 14, 2021

DuRoss, who took over nine years ago, would also prepare his players by scheduling tough matchups, such as Fayetteville-Manlius, Baldwinsville and West Genesee, to truly challenge them.

At first, his teams were getting blown out by the powerhouse teams. But eventually, the games started getting closer, and the Spartans would lose by one goal instead of getting blown out. Still, the losses still didn’t sit well with everyone.

“One of the girls said she didn’t want it to be close or a draw,” DuRoss said. “They wanted to be the best in the area.”

Clive said her role as a center back propels the team, especially when it comes to communicating. Playing on the backline, Clive will tell her teammates where to go on the pitch.

In Vitullo, the Spartans have a player who solely focuses on distributing the ball to her teammates. Vitullo constantly communicates with Clive in order to progress the ball up the pitch. While the two players know their roles, Clive said New Hartford’s attack is unpredictable.

This successful play from the captains has led New Hartford to a 10-0-1 record. That one blemish from a draw against Massapequa showed that New Hartford isn’t perfect, DuRoss said. Vitullo said that after winning the state championship, every team will give them their best.

“It’s a new season,” DuRoss explained. “Every single game you have, every single opponent wants to be state champions.”

Still, the Spartans have maintained their dominance in September and October. In September, New Hartford defeated Rome Free Academy 8-1, led by senior Anna Rayhill’s five goals and Cole’s five saves.

“It has really been natural for us,” Rayhill said. “A bunch of the starting lineup has been playing together since we were 12. I think the consistency has brought us together.”

Published on October 3, 2022 at 11:50 pm