Just as soccer thought their season couldn’t get any better, flying high at a 7-1 record, they hit a bump in the road the last couple of games, slowing their momentum down a bit, dropping their record to 7-3.
After suffering a discouraging loss to Churchill a while back in early September, the girls have responded with five consecutive wins, which all happened to be conference games. Two of their last games included prominent wins against division contestants, Seneca Valley and Quince Orchard.
On Sept. 27 the team traveled up to Seneca Valley where they dominated the length of the game, making the long trip worth it with a 13-0 win. Only two days after their hefty win against Seneca Valley, the girls hosted QO’s Cougars on Sept. 29 for a late night game.
The Patriots proved to be the better team as they had dangerous chances on goal right from the beginning. Shortly afterward, senior Jenna Cohen managed to head the ball into the back in the net from a corner from junior Jillian Gonzales. The second goal came soon after by junior Caroline Wang; following was the same combination of a corner from Gonzales right to Cohen for another header goal.
The last goal to seal the 4-0 win was of a perfect free kick from Gonzales, who had been involved the entire game. “It’s a great feeling to score a goal and help the team best that I can,” Gonzales said. “I hope to do the same for the rest of the season.”
This hot streak elevated the girls’ record to 7-1 overall and 5-0 within their conference. After a lengthy break the girls hosted rivals Northwest on Oct. 6. Every year the games against the Jaguars is one of the toughest and most intense of the season. The Patriots’ one goal wasn’t enough as the Jags got the best of them, taking the game with a 2-1 win.
It wasn’t going to get any easier as the girls had to take on a serious Damascus squad only four days after the loss to Northwest. On Oct. 10 the team traveled all the way to Damascus to look to get back on track with a win. The Patriots put in two goals to put up a fight against the Swarmin’ Hornets ‘til the very end. However, it wasn’t enough in the end as Damascus put up three to win the game.
The girls’ next game will be on Oct. 14, too late to be covered in this issue. The Patriots will hope to end their losing streak as they take on the Einstein Titans at their home field.
Alex Bellot
Sports Editor