The fall season has arrived, and with it is the return of Hen Hud sports. In our 2025-26 sports roundups, Peekskill Herald readers can look forward to full coverage of boys soccer, girls soccer, football, field hockey, girls tennis, girls volleyball, girls swimming, cheerleading, and cross country. 

Starting this year, fans watching from home will no longer turn to Local Live for streaming. Instead, NBC’s SportsEngine will carry games throughout the season at partner schools. The new platform is expected to deliver upgraded technology and an enhanced viewing experience for fans. 

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Boys Soccer

Hen Hud Boys Soccer opened its 2025 fall campaign with a 0-0 draw at home against Haldane on Tuesday, Sep. 2. The match was a defensive battle from start to finish, with both sides showing solid organization but lacking a finishing touch. 

“Very good game and at any moment any team could’ve won,” said Hen Hud head coach Anton Sterlini, now in his second season at the helm.

The Sailors’ best chance came 16 minutes into the second half when forward Perry Quaye beat a defender and tucked home a goal from close-range. However, the play was whistled dead before the shot, and the goal was disallowed to the visible frustration of Sterlini and his players.

Haldane nearly snatched a winner themselves seven minutes later on a free kick from just outside the box. Their shot rocketed toward goal but clanged off the crossbar – a moment that summed up the afternoon for both teams: close but not close enough. With the tie, Hen Hud senior goalkeeper Nick Defrenza earned his first clean sheet of the season.

Hen Hud looks to improve on last season’s 8-8 record and rebound from a first-round sectional loss to Westlake. The team will need new scoring threats after graduating star forwards Helmer Herrera (17 goals; now at John Jay College) and James McManus (12 goals; now at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy for lacrosse). 

Key returners include junior midfielder Bruno Leite, back with the squad after a year of travel soccer, and Quaye, who netted seven goals last season. Senior captain Juan Espinoza anchors the defense in front of Defrenza. 

“This year it’s not about individualism – it’s about family,” said Sterlini. “The guys that I’ll be looking for are the whole starting eleven and the whole bench.” 

While success on the field is crucial, Sterlini says his goals extend beyond the field. “I just want to create the best student-athletes possible.”

A 2015 Hen Hud graduate and former All-Section player, Sterlini is joined by assistant coach Khaneil Morgan (Class of 2020).

Up next, Hen Hud visits Riverside at William Boyce Thompson School in Yonkers on Friday, Sept. 5 at 4:30 p.m., then hosts Somers on Thursday, Sept. 11 at 5 p.m.

Girls Soccer

On Thursday, Sep. 4, Hen Hud kicked off its season with a narrow 1-0 home loss to Westlake. The game’s only goal came midway through the second half when a Westlake corner deflected off a Hen Hud player and into the net. Westlake’s Cara Lynch was credited with the score. 

Despite their best efforts, the Sailors could not convert when it mattered most. Eighth-grader Julianna Povella was especially lively for Hen Hud, narrowly missing a volley in the first half and striking the crossbar in the second half. She was also brought down in the box late in the match, but no penalty was awarded.

Head coach William Pagel (10th season) and assistant Nicole Rasulo (9th) return after leading Hen Hud to a 9-5-3 record and second-place league finish last year. The team graduated seven seniors but brings back several players looking to make an impact, including Shayla Cachy, Haley Morris, Mallory Parks, Jonna Rivera, Fotini Schattman and Yorgia Schattman, Skyler Selkin, and Bridget Couch. 

“We are optimistic about our season,” Pagel said. “We have a good balance of seasoned players with great leadership skills and a talented group of young players.”

Hen Hud hosts Irvington on Tuesday, Sept. 9, at 5 p.m., then travels to Pleasantville on Wednesday, Sept. 10, for a 4:30 p.m. game.

Girls Volleyball 

The biggest sports story at Hendrick Hudson last school year was the retirement of legendary volleyball coach Diane Swertfager. After 36 years, Swertfager stepped down in May with an unmatched resume: 695 wins (most in Section 1), four state titles, 11 regional titles, 17 Section 1 championships, and 28 league titles.

Now the program enters a new era under Dina Bertoline, a 2003 Hen Hud graduate and former Sailor who played for Swertfager. Bertoline has been with the program since 2008 and served as Swertfager’s assistant for the past several years. She takes over a team coming off a 6-12 season and a first-round sectional exit in 2024.

The Sailors opened the season Tuesday, Sep. 2, with a 3-1 loss to Valhalla (25-23, 18-25, 25-18, 25-21). For the Hen Hud girls, Julia Nelson had four aces and 14 kills, Anabel Delgado tallied 20 assists, Theresa Gyapong had five blocks, and Kate Stratton had five blocks and five kills.

Hen Hud visits Westlake on Friday, Sept. 5, at 4:30 p.m., then hosts an all-day tournament Saturday, Sep. 6.  The Sailors will also face Ossining at home Monday, Sept. 8, at 6:15 p.m., before traveling to Arlington Thursday, Sept. 11, at 4:30 p.m.

Girls Tennis 

Hen Hud swept The Leffell School, 5-1, in their first match of the season on Tuesday, Sept. 2. Victories came from Victoria Szostak, Emma Barbelete and Emma Johannsen, Angelina Carbone and Devyn Walsh, Sarah Duggan and Pearl Mish, and Lillian Tomlinson and Abby Mazzoni. 

The Sailors lost to Rye Neck on Sep.3, 3-2, but bounced back the next day to edge Croton, 3-2. 

Now in his 21st season, head coach Bradley Fredman is aiming to build on last year’s 16-0 campaign. “Hoping to continue the successful run we’ve had for the past four seasons, with the ultimate goal of competing for a league title,” he said in an email to the Herald.

For their next matches, Hen Hud (2-1) will host Walter Panas on Monday, Sept. 8 and Briarcliff on Tuesday, Sept. 9. Both matches are set to start at 4:30 p.m. The girls will end the week traveling to Pleasantville on Thursday, Sept. 11, at 4:30 p.m.

Field Hockey

The 2025 fall season marks a new chapter for Hen Hud’s varsity field hockey team under the leadership of head coach Bridget Sickles. A 2010 Yorktown graduate and Iona College lacrosse player, Sickles brings a deep background in both lacrosse and field hockey. She’s joined on the sidelines by assistant coach Robert Porter, now in his fourth season. 

The Sailors enter this fall blending seasoned upperclassmen with enthusiastic young players. Last year’s squad finished 5-11 and graduated key players, including Gianna Gagliardi, Caitlin Pignatero, Ashley Azzaro, and Kayla McCarthy.

Key players this year are Maddie Little, Eva Facciolo, Carleigh Ortiz, Nicole Facciolo, and Marlee Picarello. 

Hen Hud held a pre-season scrimmage on Wednesday, Sept. 3, and comfortably beat Croton, 6-0. Scorers included Nicole Facciolo (2), Julia Freitas (1), Stella Krebser (1), and Carleigh Ortiz (1). Chloe Haseltine and Maddie Little each added an assist.

The Sailors officially kick off their season on Friday, Sept. 5, at home versus Pleasantville at 4:30 p.m. The girls will also travel to Edgemont on Sept. 9 (4:30 p.m.) and Sleepy Hollow on Sept. 11 (6:30 p.m.)

College Watch

Women’s Soccer – Division I: Former Hen Hud girls soccer standout Lena Johnsen (Class of 2023) continues to shine at Fordham University. The midfielder, who once wowed fans in the stands in Montrose, is now a junior for the Fordham Rams. This season, Johnsen has recorded one goal and four assists in five games. She also earned a TopDrawerSoccer “Team of the Week” selection after her opening-day heroics, when she registered three assists in a 4-0 win against Marist University.

Field Hockey – Division III: On August 28, Rowan Dapson (Class of 2024) was one of four Union College field hockey players named to the 2025 National Field Hockey Coaches Association Preseason Watchlist. According to Union College Athletics, Dapson earned All-Liberty League second-team honors last year and appeared in all 20 games as a key member of the defense.