Sue Sahlstrom was considered a pioneer in girl’s soccer.  She participated in the Orangetown youth program as a child and quickly moved to a competitive U18 team (one of the few teams that existed in the area) as a 13 year old. Sue recalls Coach “Bobby” West approaching her and trying to convince her to leave St. Anthony’s Grammar School to come to the Nanuet Middle School, so that he could play her up on the High School team.  Coach West would have to wait until Sue entered 9^th grade.  His patience would pay off.  Sue started as a freshman on the Varsity team in 1981 and helped lead the team to its first championship ever, the RCPSAL Championship.  This launched the first of many winning seasons for Nanuet Girls Soccer in the years to come. Sue’s 4-year run starting on the varsity team was a very successful and exciting time for Nanuet High School girl’s soccer.  The team won Conference B Championships each year, Section Championships in ’83 and ’84, and New York State Semi-Finalists in ’83.  The teams record over Sue’s 4-year career was 79-11-3.

Sue was Captain of the team her senior year but was a leader on and off the field throughout her career.  Coach West called Sue the “Field General”.  In addition to her speed and ball control, she had a very good understanding of the game and helped coach her teammates on the field.  Sue says her 4 years of soccer at NHS is a great memory. “ I was fortunate to play with so many other great athletes, Kristi Kelly, Maria Geras, Beth Valentine, Chris Carbone, and Diane Hornung just to name a few.  The class of ’85 brought in enough girls to create the first JV team for Nanuet and that entire group became an integral part of the soccer program.  Sue recalls working extremely hard, starting at Captain’s practices in August, Camp Colang, and running many “hills”, but also says playing on the NHS soccer team was an incredible amount of fun. That fun was a result of a strong team camaraderie created by great friends and a wonderful, dedicated coach, Coach “Bobby” West.

Sue left her mark on Nanuet Girls Soccer, holding the county record for most goals scored at 74 for 7 years until her younger sister Margie tied the record in 1991, most points in a season, 48 in 1983, most assists in a season, 30 in 1983, most assists in a game, 5 in 1983, and most goals in a game, 4 in 1984.  Sue holds the school record for most career points (goals and assists combined) at 124.  Sue also topped off her career with 6 hat tricks (3 goals in a game) and All-County honors for 4 years.

In addition to soccer, Sue also excelled on the basketball court, starting on the Varsity team for all 4 years and leading the team as captain her senior year.  She was the team’s leading scorer in the ’82-’83 season as well as the ’84-’85 season.  Sue was named All-Conference B in the ’84-’85 season and was the first girl from Nanuet ever to be named to the All-Section 1 Girls Basketball Team.  Sue stands as 5^th all-time in scoring at Nanuet with 853 points.

In the spring season, Sue was the starting center fielder for the Girls Varsity Softball team and maintained a 500+ batting average.  Sue even tried her hand at a season of track in 1984.  She says she always enjoyed running and thought it would be a great opportunity to stay in shape for the summer Empire State Games, which she competed in soccer for the Hudson Valley Scholastic team in ’82, ’83, and ’84.

Sue accumulated quite a number of accolades while at Nanuet High School, including:

• Journal News Scholar Athlete Recipient
• Premier Magazine Athlete of the Season
• WRKL Athlete of the Season
• Black & Gold Scholarship Recipient

Sue attributes her competitiveness and skills to growing up in a neighborhood full of boys and having 3 brothers (her sister Margie is 7 years younger).  “ If I wanted to participate, I had to keep up with them, so I did, and I certainly benefited in the long run. Sue credits her parents, Marge and Joe for a great deal of her success.  “They provided constant support and encouragement and I don’t think they missed a game.  That is quite an accomplishment when you have not 1 but 5 children competing!”

Today, Sue continues to stay active in many areas.  She coaches her daughter’s travel soccer team and son’s basketball team, serves on the Fairfield Soccer Club’s coaching selection committee, serves on the PTA Executive Board of her children’s school, and works as a Sales Consultant for a family owned business.  She lives in Fairfield, CT with her husband Kris and 2 children, Nicole 11 and Joey 8.