Previews
Centaurs aim for anothernationalchampionship
There are a lot of white shirts being sported on the Woodstock Academy campus this new school year with the phrase, “Back to Back National Champions” on the back of them and the Centaurs boys’ prep soccer team and school logo on front.
It’s a legacy that coach Owen Finberg and his program have quickly established in their brief time at the school.
Now, the pressure is on for a three-peat this fall.
“Pressure is a privilege,” Finberg said. “It’s something we talk about with the guys and how they have to expect it coming here. It’s something that means people expect a lot out of you. Everybody is geared up and the new guys are learning what it means and, hopefully, the returning guys are imparting a bit of that urgency in training every day.”
The Centaurs will have 22 of those returning players on the roster this season with 16 new faces joining them.
Unlike the Woodstock high school teams, however, this program is a year-long opportunity as it takes part in fall, winter and spring competitions and, with that, year-long training.
“It helps a lot,” Finberg said. “We get to really develop guys here, training six days a week, all year long and playing 40 matches with each of our groups last year. You get a real sense of what their strengths and weaknesses are, who you can trust and rely on both on and off the field, so it’s a major benefit.”
But there are some hurdles. How do you keep teenagers engaged and focused all year long?
“We have a really great group of student-athletes but it’s not without its challenges. I think that many of them want to have the chance to play at the highest level but have not necessarily gone through or understood everything that entails. Whether it’s dealing with the weather in the winter or getting to the end of the year in the spring where we don’t have as many elite-level competitions as we do during the fall and the early part of the spring, there are certainly some challenges to it,” Finberg said.
It is why Finberg likes to keep his teams with a balance between the younger and older players.
He likes the ratio of returning to first-time players that he now has although he would have liked a few more returners. A couple did decide, recently, to chase professional opportunities and there were a couple of injuries that kept players home.
But he does have a good group that he welcomes back.
Ozzie Pearman will return for a fourth year and has stepped into a leadership role as has David Cho who is entering his third year as a Centaur. Yeochan Yang is also in his third year with the program, Daion Swan-DeSilva and Nicolae Velicico will also return and Finberg expects them to play a larger role than last season.
The Centaurs did lose their top two goalies, Alvaro Medrano and Kevin Christensen to graduation but the keeper situation remains strength.
“We have two new keepers in Theo Guillaume from France and Francesco Bianchi plus two younger returners so we have a good crop of goalies but they have big shoes to fill,” Finberg said.
Obama Ngarambe and Yang will head up the defense with Alexavier Gooden currently projected as the third starter in the Centaurs’ new 3-5-2 alignment.
The Centaurs played a 4-2-3-1 system last season.
“We began to work on that over the summer once our roster became clear and we identified what system would best fit the strength of our players,” Finberg said. “It allows us some real versatility with two wing backs (Pearman and Jeongbin Lee) in that five that will get up and down and contribute on both sides of the ball. It really suits the talents that we have and allows us to be a little tricky.”
The goal is simple: Win another national title.
“It’s always difficult no matter what it looks like from the outside. Soccer is a game where there are much fewer chances than other sport and is extremely difficult. People can scout, can set up their team, to make it harder for you to play as opposed to coming out to beat you. We will certainly have challenges,” Finberg said.
That includes a “gauntlet” of early September matches against the likes of Berkshire School (ranked No. 2 in the country). The Centaurs will meet them in their season opener this Sunday at 12:15 p.m. at Suffield Academy.
Other early tests include No. 4 Pennington School which handed the Centaurs (14-1-2 last year) their only loss of the season and another top-10 school in Loomis-Chaffee.
In addition to the Prep 1 program, the Centaurs also feature the Prep 2 team which finished with a 12-4-3 record a year ago and were undefeated in the Global Education Sports Partner’s league regular season for a second straight season.
The Centaurs, however, are still seeking their first GESP championship as they lost for a second straight year in the title tilt.
“Prep 2 has continued to improve in terms of their quality of play and level of players and some have moved up to Prep 1 and now play major roles there. We will, hopefully, continue to see that development,” Finberg said.
The Centaurs will quickly see where they stand as Prep 2 opens its season against No. 8 Choate-Rosemary Hall this Sunday at 2 p.m. also at Suffield Academy.
The roster for the Prep 2 program was still in a bit of flux as training will determine who plays at what level.

High hopes for Centaurs girls’ soccer after successful 2024 season
The girls’ soccer team is coming off an appearance in the ECC Div. I championship match. The team followed that up with their first appearance in a Class L state semifinal match since 1996.
That all happened in the first year under head coach Andrea Danforth.
It will be a little different this season as the Centaurs did lose five key players to graduation. But so did their opponents.
“I keep reminding myself that every team is rebuilding; it happens every year” Danforth said. “You can’t focus on what (their opponents) may or may not have. I’m trying to focus on what we have, quality players, quality people who are here to compete.”
And they have a coach who is now a bit more comfortable in her role.
“I got my first-year jitters out and I have more confidence myself, more confidence in my decision-making and what I’m doing,” Danforth said.
Confidence goes a long way. So does chemistry.
“We have a lot of new girls which is really helpful. We have really good chemistry and I think we’re ready for this year,” said senior Campbell Favreau.
The Centaurs have to fill some holes created by the graduation of Leah Costa, Isabella Selmecki, Juliet Allard, Freya Robbie and Macy Rawson.
“Freya held our defense together in the back and that was something we pride ourselves on. Leah, Isabella and Juliet are definitely losses but we’re ready. We have new girls and returning girls ready to step up. Everybody is willing to play any position,” fellow senior Kaylee Saucier said.
Anyone who glances at last year’s stats from the Centaurs will ask the same question.
Where does the offense come from this season?
Costa finished with 21of the team’s goals with Selmecki (six), Robbie (three) and both Rawson and Allard getting one each to account for 32 of the team’s 40 goals last year.
“We’re figuring that out and putting it on the girls,” Danforth said. “Someone has to step up and be that person. I think that person or people will emerge in the first few games. I think Leah was such a strong scorer and presence that it was intimidating for even our team. No one thought they could do what she did. Now, that she is gone, there is that gap and someone has to fill it.”
Elise Coyle is the top returning scorer as the junior put three balls in the back of the net last season.
Sophomores Harper Simoneau, Kaitlyn Teal and Gia Baldyga will comprise the front line for the Centaurs.
“All three are hungry; it’s just about fine tuning and getting them on the same page attacking-wise. Elise wants to score goals and Avery Danis in the middle can rip it,” Danforth said.
Jaelyn Knox and Favreau will play on the wings.
Saucier and Lily Mioduszewski will have to become the defensive stalwarts to make up for the losses of Robbie and Rawson and Payton Leite who is injured. The two of them will play in the middle with two new outside backers.
Fortunately, the Centaurs are solid in the net with senior Ellary Sampson and junior Reagan Scheck who are two keepers with different styles.
“Reagan is more of a go-getter who is not afraid to come out and really attack the ball. Ellary is more of a sit, wait and see style that is always in the right place at the right time,” Danforth said.
In addition to the changes in the teams, there are also changes in the ECC.
Div. I this season has expanded to six teams with Stonington and Bacon Academy joining the Centaurs, Norwich Free Academy, East Lyme and Fitch as the league drops to three divisions instead of four.
“I think it will present its difficulties but I think you learn from playing a team once, like we did last year with Waterford and East Lyme, where we lost the first game but won the second. I think that gives us opportunities to learn about how we play against each team and capitalize the next time around,” Danforth said.
The Centaurs open their season against one of those league opponents, Stonington, on Wednesday at 4:15 p.m. at the Bentley Athletic Complex.
Marc Allard
Director of Sports Information
The Woodstock Academy

IMG 9157:  The Woodstock Academy boys prep soccer team will be looking for its third consecutive prep national championship this season which begins Sunday. Woodstock Academy photo. 

IMG 2417: Woodstock Academy second-year head coach Andrea Danforth addresses her team prior to a recent practice. Photo by Marc Allard.

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