The leaves are changing colors, temperatures are quickly dropping, and the Fall sports season is in full swing! MacDuffie has several competitive sports teams during the Fall Season: Girls’ and Boys’ Soccer, Girls’ Volleyball, and Girls’ and Boys’ Cross Country. Halfway through the season, the teams have had time to get into routines, learn more about their team dynamics, and compete against other schools, making it the perfect time to check in on their progress.

The Girls’ Varsity Soccer team has a total of nine wins and one loss so far. Athletic Director and Girls’ Varsity Soccer coach Meirion George is very pleased with the progress his team has made and the results of their hard work.

“We have a great bunch of girls. They’re very passionate, very committed, and very focused on just playing soccer. I couldn’t be happier. They’ve played absolutely phenomenal and we have a couple of big games coming up in the next two weeks, so hopefully we will stay in this good spot and frame of mind,” George said.

George was not expecting their loss as the team has been undefeated in previous seasons, but felt as though it was a good learning tool to fuel further improvement.

“We took a loss which was unusual for us, but we have to accept that we’re playing strong teams with players who are as competitive as our players are,” George said.

George also feels quite happy with the Boys’ Varsity soccer team and their progress thus far. Despite some concerns about losing many players over the past two years, the team was able to recover and gained numerous new players.

“I think the boys’ team is doing very well. Over the last two years we’ve lost over half the team, but they’re still very competitive. I’m grateful to the athletes who may not see soccer as their top sport, but are still coming out to represent the school,” George said.

In addition to the many new players, the Boys’ Varsity Soccer team has a new coach this year, Luke Alvaro.

“He has been fantastic, the boys have really taken to him,” George said.

With Alvaro’s coaching and the boys’ hard work, the team has had a total of five wins, four losses, and one tie.

Similarly to the Boys’ Varsity team, the Girls’ Volleyball team has gained quite a few new players. Andy Deecher, the Girls’ Varsity Volleyball team’s coach, said that one of his main focuses this season is to meld the team together so that the older and newer players can work well together.

“We have some younger players who are inexperienced working with developer players who have been around for four or five years. They’ve been cohesive very well. We still have a lot more room for improvements, but it’s been a good start so far to the season,” said Deecher.

As of now, the Varsity Volleyball team has eight wins and one loss.

Along with the soccer and volleyball teams, there are the Boys’ and Girls’ Cross Country teams. This season has been mainly focused on improving individual times for each runner.

“It’s kind of a rebuilding year since we lost some good seniors last year and some other students, but the racing has been improving and times have been getting better. I think overall we’ve been seeing improvements from the beginning of the year and that’s what’s important,” said Anna Cressotti, one of the coaches of the cross country team.

While the team is not the most competitive in their league this year due to the loss of several runners and the gain of brand new runners, the team has quickly been improving.

“We’re young, we’re still growing, but it’s going to be a good team,” said Kevin Hillman, cross country coach with Cresotti.

Overall there have been many successes for the fall sports season so far and the players are hopeful for more to come. With playoffs for both of the soccer teams coming up in the next month, NEPSAC finals for volleyball beginning on November 14th, and SENE (South East New England) Championships for Cross Country this Friday, November 2nd, MacDuffie Mustangs are working hard and gearing up for an exciting and eventful end to the season.