By Emily Winslow
EAGLE TIMES SPORTS
WINDSOR, Vt. – Wendy Moody and Jen Rupp, have been named Windsor girls soccer Co-coaches for the Yellow Jackets.
The 2023 fall season will mark the first year that the duo takes on the head co-coaching role, however Moody and Rupp have been working with the team for just over six years. The women actually became involved in the Windsor community as their children grew up. Rupp joined the soccer program as an assistant coach and Moody served as a JV coach when numbers allowed it.
“I have played soccer my whole life,” said Moody. “I am a Lebanon High School graduate and my sophomore year I was lucky enough to be selected as the New Hampshire representative on a national team. Now that I work in the Windsor school system, I can connect with kids as both students and athletes.”
Rupp attended Springfield High school and played soccer throughout college at Utica University. She moved back to Vermont when her first child was born and became involved with Windsor athletics. Given that Moody and Rupp both have a passion for soccer and a connection to the program, the two are excited to use each other’s strengths to lead the team.
“We are really like-minded so it’s an easy transition,” said Moody. “Oftentimes we look at each other and we know what we’re thinking, and we haven’t even said it yet.”
Moody and Rupp will have a strong foundation to build upon in the upcoming season given Windsor girl’s recent success. In 2021 and 2022 the team competed in the playoffs in the semifinal and quarterfinal rounds respectively.
“We know all the players except some of the freshman coming in,” recalled Rupp. “We hope to push them to the next level and instill a lot of positivity. We expect to be very competitive this year. We were 11-5 last year and we hope to get beyond that. They’re a great competitive group with a lot of good athletes. I’m really excited to see what we can do.”
Among the returners will be goalie and three-year-starter, Sophia Rockwood and two offensive strikers Olivia MacLeay and Audrey Rupp, Jen’s daughter.
“Windsor soccer has so much potential,” said Rupp. “There’s always a lot of talent despite low participant numbers. It’s always been a really good sport but the past several years we’ve been much more successful, and we hope to get to that next level. We have a lot of athletes on the soccer team that have been on championship basketball teams, for example, so they know what it takes. We have a great group to get there.”
This will be a big year for Windsor as the team looks to bring home its first state championship title. Moody and Rupp are gearing up to give the team the coaching that they will need to be successful and bring home some hardware.
“We had a good showing last year and we are looking to continue that, if not do better,” said Moody. “We want to go deep into the playoffs this season. We wouldn’t be heartbroken if Jen and I were able to contribute to the first state championship for Windsor girls soccer. We’re retuning a lot of players and I’m excited to see some kids grow into their own and take on a larger role.”
The Windsor girls will begin training together with the start of preseason on August 17. The team will look to build strength and momentum as they prepare to face local rivals such as White River Valley, Woodstock and Green Mountain during the official season.
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