GRAHAMSVILLE – Sometimes, the change in a team’s dynamic from year to year is drastic, and within that change, sometimes it is easy to pinpoint some of the changes that work for a team.

For the Tri-Valley girls soccer team, coming off of a 2021 season where the Lady Bears finished with a 2-11 record, the only direction for them to go was up.

Leading the offense on their comeback season was Kendall McGregor, who managed to score 22 goals and add eight assists in the 2022 campaign.

The three sport athlete praised the team’s hard work this season as one of the key factors to their success.

“This year was a gift. It was an amazing experience to see all of our hard work pay off,” McGregor said.

Tri-Valley opened their season without losing a game until the end of October. They tied a few times, including their two league matches with Sullivan West and a non-league matchup against Monticello.

Tri-Valley started the season 9-0-3 before losing their first and only regular season game in a rescheduled league contest against Burke.

Coach Kayla Connolly knew that this team was building something before the season had even started.

“We’re planning our trip to Sectionals for the first time in a while,” Connolly said for the Sullivan County Democrat Fall Sports Guide.

Not only did they make it to Sectionals, the Lady Bears earned the Number One Seed in Class C for Section IX.

Kendall made her presence known throughout the regular season, but it was their first playoff matchup against Burke where Kendall’s hard work paid off.

In the regular season, Tri-Valley and Burke split, with each team winning on the road. For their third matchup, in Tri-Valley, Kendall scored three goals, a hat trick, and assisted on two others before coming out of the game.

The 6-2 win in the first round playoffs was a perfect way to avenge their first and only loss at the time, as well as earn them a date with Millbrook for the Section IX Championship at Faller Field in Middletown.

“Playing at Middletown was crazy, and it was a learning experience for the entire team,” McGregor said.

Unfortunately for Kendall and the Bears, their season ended against Millbrook, but the turnaround from 2021 was complete.

“Our goal for this season was to make it to Sectionals, and we did,” Kendall recalled.  “The team had a lot of natural chemistry, and it worked out well for us.”

One of the Bears’ most successful strategies throughout the season was having Kendall break away on offense and getting into a one-on-one with the goalie.

“Being fast and getting past the defenders was something that worked well for the team,” she explained.

Always a speedster, Kendall spends the winter and spring seasons participating in indoor and outdoor track during their respective seasons.

Outside of varsity athletics, Kendall also works with youth camps in both Wallkill and Tri-Valley, helping the next generation of soccer stars.

Surrounded by the game since she was young, Kendall used to be a participant of youth camps, and still attends soccer camps to hone her skills. She also plays for the Town of Wallkill travel team.

With seven seniors from this year’s team set to graduate in the spring, Kendall will be a leader next year without a doubt.

“We have a good core of juniors to build around for next year, and we’re hoping to build on the success from this year.”