Varsity girls’ soccer opened up the season with a 6-1 win against Rockville on Sept. 9 and a 3-2 overtime thrilling win against Quince Orchard on Sept. 14. They also beat Watkins Mill 6-1 on Sept. 17. Captains Lizzie Nelson, Natalie Matikyan and Katie Wood will lead their team in this 12-game season with six home games against QO, Watkins Mill, Walter Johnson, Richard Montgomery, Paint Branch and Poolesville. They will play away against Rockville, Northwest, Churchill, Bethesda-Chevy-Chase and Damascus. 

The team beat Quince Orchard in an exciting overtime win, thanks to goals from sophomore Kate Hawley and junior Sophie Xu as they scored in regulation while Matikyan net the game-winner in the first minute of overtime to send the Patriots to 2-0. Matikyan has played a huge role in the team’s success this year not only on the field but off the field as she is one of the captains.  Maitkyan said the game winner against QO was  important to her, “After not beating QO for years, scoring the winning goal was the best feeling I have ever had,” Matikyan said.

Senior Nicole Jezek has played soccer here all four years and said she has enjoyed every moment with her teammates and coaches. Jezek is playing in her second year of varsity and knows she has proven that she can hang. Jezek said she played a good amount against Rockville in the season opener, which is a good sign but her work is not done yet. “I am going to continue to work hard and practice hard for me to continue to get my minutes up and get better,” Jezek said.

Senior Helena Hansen is also in her second year of varsity soccer. Hansen said soccer is important to her because she has family in Denmark, where soccer is the main sport. She said she is looking to increase her playing time and knows that working hard in practice is a great way to get the coach to notice the improvement. “Obviously watching the games is great because you know what your position should be doing, but practice is when you can really focus on yourself and your skills,” Hansen said.

Head coach Christopher Thompson has been coaching soccer for about 17 years total from U10 boys through U18 girls and two varsity girls’ high school teams. He coached varsity girls here for about five years before becoming the athletic director. He then came back to coaching the girls in 2019 when he stepped down as AD. Thompson said he has high expectations for his team. “The team looks great in every aspect.  We have a larger team than usual due to the number of talented players.  They are talented, working hard, and building a tight knit group,” Thompson said.