Add New York State Hall of Famers to the accolades earned on the soccer pitch by former Section 4 standouts Kristin Lee Sotak and Taylor Bennett.
They were among 14 people inducted into the New York State Sports Writers and Coaches Organization for Girls Sports New York State Girls Soccer Hall of Fame during a ceremony Sept. 6 at Niskayuna High School in the Albany area.
Sotak graduated in 2004 from Maine-Endwell, where she was a four-time all-state pick, earning first-team honors in Class A as a senior. She earned All-Atlantic 10 second-team honors at St. Bonaventure, where she was also an all-academic performer. Sotak played professionally in Iceland.
Sotak was presented into the Hall of Fame by Steve Perkins, her coach at M-E.
Sotak scored the lone goal in M-E’s 1-0 overtime victory over Owego Free Academy in the 2003 Section 4 Class B final, then scored again in a 2-1 triumph against Horace Greeley in a state quarterfinal.
She is M-E’s career scoring leader with 121 goals to go with 40 assists. She was a 2015 inductee into the Maine-Endwell Sports Hall of Fame.
Sotak is now associate dean at the SUNY Oswego school of business.
Bennett is a 2016 graduate of Dryden, where she was a four-time all-state selection and named New York Class B Player of the Year as a senior. Bennett was named first-team all-state two additional times.
She ranked No. 2 in Section 4 history when she graduated with 186 goals, including 48 in a season. Bennett was a three-time Most Valuable Player in the Interscholastic Athletic Conference and a six-time league all-star.
Bennett played collegiately at Syracuse University.
Other NYS Girls Soccer Hall of Fame inductees
Section 1: Don Cupertino, Bronxville, coach/contributor; Rich Savage, Rye, coach/contributor; Stephanie Smith, Harrison, player.
Section 2: Zale Benton, Oppenheim-Ephratah-St. Johnsville, coach/contributor.
Section 3: Marcy Micek, Fayetteville-Manlius, player.
Section 5: Jon Beardsley, Fillmore, coach/contributor; Nina Scalzo, Webster Schroeder, player.
Section 6: Carissima Cutrona, Williamsville South, player.
Section 8: Francesca DeCristoforo, Herricks, player; Jessica Widman, East Meadow, player.
Section 11: Christina Bellero, Half Hollow Hills West, player; Shannon Donovan, Half Hollow Hills East, player.
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This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Former Section 4 stars Sotak, Bennett inducted into NYS Girls Soccer Hall of Fame
Reporting by Andrew Legare, Elmira Star-Gazette / Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin
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