NISKAYUNA – Bryce Colby isn’t afraid to let his Niskayuna girls’ soccer team take a few lumps early in the season if that serves it better in the long run.
Right now, Niskayuna’s long-time coach said progress is more important than results.
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“The goal for us is to be better in October than we are now,” Colby said following a recent match against Guilderland, “and we’re on the way there.”
Last year’s Niskayuna team was loaded with experience, and it paid off in a big way. Led by Times Union large-school Athlete of the Year Megan Goyette and fellow all-stars Abby Helmecke and Zoey Manzo, the team finished 16-4 and beat Columbia in the Section 2 Class AA final to claim the program’s first sectional title in a decade.
But, 10 seniors graduated from that squad, and Colby is still trying to find the best fit for the players trying to fill that void in 2026.
“It’s a lot of overcoming these challenges, these setbacks,” said senior defender and co-captain Claire Zonderman. “We’re just like, ‘What can we do better next time? ‘”
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Despite a 2-3-1 overall start to the season and a 1-2 Suburban Council mark, there have been positive signs for Niskayuna.
Colby’s team opened the season with a 1-1 draw against Long Island’s St. Anthony’s, and Suburban Council play started with a 1-0 win over defending Section 2 Class AAA champion Saratoga Springs, another team that experienced plenty of turnover following a title-winning 2025 campaign. After a 4-0 loss to Shenendehowa in Suburban Council play on Thursday, Nisky bounced back Sunday with a 4-0 win over Section 9’s Washingtonville.
There have been a few bumps, too. Niskayuna followed up its draw with St. Anthony’s with a 5-0 loss to Monroe-Woodbury, and the win over Saratoga Springs was followed by back-to-back shutout losses to Guilderland and Shen.
“You’ve got to look at those games as learning opportunities,” Colby said. “That’s what we have to take out of this, is (to figure out) what we need to do better next game.”
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What’s paramount for Niskayuna early in the season is figuring out which players will be able to deliver scoring punch. In 2025, the team relied heavily on Goyette and Helmecke, who combined for 29 goals and 16 assists. This year, through its first six games, Niskayuna has only scored six goals.
As a captain, Zonderman is committed to taking the early struggles in stride.
“No matter what happens, we’ll still have a good mentality and be able to come back,” said Zonderman, whose team plays Tuesday against Averill Park. “But, it would be nice to get some early (success). Whatever it is, it’s just going to fuel us in the long run.”
For now, Niskayuna is navigating a front-loaded schedule. Colby scheduled three tough nonleague games early in the season – against St. Anthony’s, Monroe-Woodbury and Washingtonville – with the aim of getting his team ready to hit a groove by the time the second half of the Suburban Council schedule and the Class AA playoffs arrive in October.
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“I don’t dodge anybody early in the season,” Colby said. “I don’t think it’s worth loading your schedule toward the end, because the goal is not to win this game, but to be better in October. We’ll take anybody. We’ll play the schedule, as is. That’s why I asked to play St. Anthony’s. That’s why I asked to play Monroe-Woodbury.”
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This article originally published at Young Niskayuna girls’ soccer team treating early games as growing experience.
