Viking soccer player Grace Cusack wins 2019 Mountain Valley Conference Player of the Year

By: Kyle Spencer

Creative Editor

Four members of the Vikings women’s soccer program were named to the 2019 Mountain Valley All-Conference team: among them was women’s soccer player and dental hygiene major Grace Cusack, who was named 2019 Mountain Valley Conference Player of the Year. 

Cusack has scored 21 goals for the Vikings this season alone and intends to continue dominating the field.

 “I surprised myself,” Cusack said. “The hype of playing at the college level is just a different feeling,” she continued. “Having a team as good as this one just makes me a better player, specifically the midfield behind me– if they didn’t set me up, I wouldn’t have this many goals this season.

Cusack started playing soccer recreationally at the age of 4 and played for the Lansingburgh community at the age of 8.

She then went on to play for The New York Elite and is now currently a part of Hudson Valley Community College’s Women’s Soccer team where she has earned the 2019 Mountain Valley Conference Player of the Year award.

Cusack credits her success to multiple factors: she believes this season has been a breakout season which couldn’t have been possible without the help of her teammates and Women’s Soccer Head Coach Jay Pokines.

“[Coach] Jay takes the time to know how every single person on the team plays [and] he knows what he’s talking about which is something I haven’t gotten to experience before at the lower levels,” Cusack said. “It’s just different here when you talk to someone that really knows what they’re doing, and clearly, it works, because of the outstanding season were having.”

She continued, “Our assistant coaches have a lot of experience too, so that only helps us.”

Cusack also said she enjoys how personal the soccer team community is.

“As a team we work really well together, I’ve never meshed so quickly with a team before,” she said. “We can all play off of each other, it doesn’t matter where were put on the field.”

 Cusack added that the different strategies used throughout the games has added to the success of the season. 

“We’ve had three different formations this season and every time we’ve won using it. We do well under any circumstances, there are no weaknesses on the field,” she said. “Like our coach said before, we have enough players to have two starting lineups: that’s just how good and how deep the team is.”

Cusack explained how positive attitude and reinforcement helps keep the team going.

“Knowing how good we are as a team and knowing what we’re capable of pushes me– specifically when we had the game against North Country and we were down 5-3 at half,” she said. “We can all lift each other up at half time, and we all talked, and it gets everyone going– and me especially because I know what we’re all capable of, so it makes me try harder.

Not only does she enjoy playing soccer, Cusack said she has also enjoyed being a Viking in general.

 “A lot of people have a negative opinion about [Hudson Valley Community College] when they hear [about] it, but I came here and everyone is just so nice, all of the professors are great and the sports program is awesome, we’re having a great season,” she said. “I really haven’t had a negative experience and I like it a lot.”