North Country’s Nidia DeArmaYero, left, is congratulated by goalkeeper Rosie Bamber after becoming the school’s all-time leading scorer on Saturday, Sept. 28 in Saranac Lake. (Provided photo — Frank Pastiso)

SARANAC LAKE — For the second time in as many years, the North Country Community College women’s soccer all-time scoring record has been broken.

Nidia DeArmaYero, a sophomore from Akwesasne, scored both goals for the Saints in a 2-1 victory over Columbia-Greene on Saturday, Sept. 28 to become the school’s all-time leading scorer. Her 47 career goals surpassed the record of 45 set last year by Alicia Cook. The two were teammates last season and pushed each other to always be the best. 

“Playing with Alicia last year and watching her break the record was inspiring,” DeArmaYero said. “It really pushed me to work harder to try and break it this season.”

“Having the record broken two years in a row is an incredible thing,” Saints coach Kent Egglefield said. “It speaks to the talent and dedication of the athletes we’ve been able to attract to North Country now. Nidia is the most elite talent I’ve ever had.”

DeArmaYero, a sophomore striker from Akwesasne, is one of the Saints captains this season.

“I’m so proud of Nidia and what she has achieved here,” fellow captain Ella Smalley said. “It’s been a privilege to play alongside her these past two seasons.”

North Country’s starting goalkeeper Rosie Bamber added, “It’s been a pleasure to play with somebody as inspiring, hard-working and determined as Nidia is. Seeing her break the record will always be a highlight of my career here. It’s well-deserved, and I know she will go on to do even greater things.”

For her efforts, DeArmaYero still did what she always does: put the team first.

“I’m super-excited and happy to break the record, but I’m even more excited to get the win and put us in position for a top seed in the regionals,” DeArmaYero said. “We’ve worked hard this year and I hope to keep it going.”

DeArmaYero is also the leading scorer in the entire nation so far this year.

“My biggest hope is to get the recognition this college deserves,” she said. “A scoring record is great, and if it brings us some national recognition, then it’s even better.”

DeArmaYero also credited her coaches, teammates, parents and entire family for helping her get the record.

“The love, support, and encouragement they’ve all given me has been amazing. I’m truly thankful for them all,” she said.

North Country is riding a three-game winning streak going into the weekend, which will include road games against Onondaga on Saturday and Hudson Valley on Sunday. The Saints are 8-3-1 overall and 6-0 on their home field in Saranac Lake.

“Her hard work and leadership is unmatched,” Egglefield said. “She is always the hardest working player on the field. Ninety-nine percent of the time, she is double or triple-teamed and still fights through it. She’s inspiring to watch.

“In my 11 seasons here, I have seen the record broken four times. First by Chelsea LaFountain, then Morgan Fountain. Last year by Alicia, and now by Nidia. The best part about Nidia breaking the record is the tradition she continued … all of these girls have been captains, all of them scholars with above 3.5 GPAs, and all of them are even better people. I’ve been blessed to say the least.”

The Saints still have five games to go before the playoffs giving their striker plenty of opportunity to put the record out of reach. North Country’s final regular season home game is set for Tuesday, Oct. 15 against Clinton.