The girls hit a rough patch in their season after going an even 4-4 in their first eight games. The team played five games in the last two weeks, where they were 1-4 despite tough efforts.
On Sept. 30, the team faced off against rival Churchill in what was anticipated to be an intense match (like most against the Bulldogs). The first half went as expected with both teams playing impressively tough defense, going into halftime tied 0-0. Out of the gates in the second half, the Bulldogs suddenly went on a scoring frenzy, rattling the Patriots defense with four quick goals. The game then went back to how the preceding half went, the final score being 4-0, Churchill.
The next game the Patriots played was on Oct. 5 in what proved to be a thrilling game against Bethesda Chevy Chase. The first two halves went scoreless for both squads and the game was forced into overtime. After a scoreless overtime and another scoreless double overtime, the game went into strokes. Despite a hard-fought battle, the girls came up short to BCC and lost in strokes 2-0. “It was a tough fight,” senior Madeline Clark said.
After two tenacious battles, the girls bounced back on Oct. 8 when they traveled to face Blair. After going two straight games without a goal, the girls were hungering to find the back of the net, and were able to do so often. The scoring was led by sophomore star Chloe Perel. Other goals were tagged in the game by senior Ali Silver and junior Jordyn Taylor. The defense, which was anchored by senior Jenny Scholz, pitched a shutout as the girls defeated Blair 5-0.
Hoping to keep the momentum going after the win, the team traveled to Springbrook on Oct. 11 in hopes of winning two in a row. The Patriots let up a goal in the first half and went down 1-0, but were quickly able to bounce back with a goal of their own to make it 1-1. After a hard fought game for much of the second half, Springbrook was able to find the back of the net for the second time of the game, which led to a final score of 2-1. The lone goal for the Patriots was scored by Clark.
On Oct. 14, the girls finished their three-game road trip when they traveled to Spalding.
The team gave their best effort but the other squad was clearly the better team. After two goals in the first half, Spalding piled on one more in the second half and beat the Patriots 3-0.
The Patriots hope to end the season on a high note on Oct. 18 when they take on Quince Orchard for their senior night and regular season finale. “We hope we can finish the regular season with a win and ride that momentum into the playoffs,” Scholz said.
The game against QO on Oct. 18 was too late to be included in this issue.

Geoff Pisarra

News Editor