It’s been a roller coaster season for the Patriots, but an imposing 3-0 win against Gaithersburg on Oct. 16 were on an upward trend going into their regular season finale: an Oct. 18 matchup against Magruder.
Right from the beginning whistle it was obvious that this game would be a hard one to watch… for Magruder fans.
The Patriots dominated in every facet of the game and by the end the scoreboard read 9-0 and they walked away with the W. The win was a team effort, and goal contributions from multiple players lead the team to the convincing victory.
Goals were scored by sophomore Hannah Mirza, juniors Chloe Perel and Carli Mangum, and seniors Gabi Menconi, Julia Stern and Grace Llewelyn. Perel, Mangum and Menconi had two each. Players to register assists were sophomores Kendall Clark and Mia Silver, junior Perel and seniors Jordyn Taylor, Katie Gillick and Sophia Morakis. “This was a great overall team win. This game really showed what we are capable of and hopefully this success continues in the future and into the playoffs,” senior goalkeeper Alyssa Robinson said.
After concluding the regular season with a record of 5-7, the squad entered a playoff, which every team qualifies for, as an extreme underdog. Despite their dismal record, they had won three of their last four regular season games and entered the elimination stage on a hot streak. Better yet, they were gifted a favorable matchup in the semis against a Richard Montgomery team that they demolished 4-0 earlier in the season for their first win. The highly anticipated game took place on Oct. 26, and it was clear early that this rematch would be much tougher than the first meeting.
RM scored first, immediately topping their goal total from the last time the two teams met. Their lead vanished almost as suddenly as it appeared however, as an unrattled Patriots side immediately retaliated with a goal from Clark to even the score. Clark later scored a second time thanks to a great passing sequence that found her open in the circle, and her go-ahead goal proved to be the game winner as the team survived the first round of the playoffs 2-1.
The team that has had more than its share of ups and downs had lived to fight another day.
Their next playoff game was Oct. 30 at Churchill, and while the team hoped to find more of the same in the way of W’s, they came up empty. Churchill had a slight possession advantage throughout the game and used it to sneak in two goals en route to a 2-0 final score that ended the visiting Patriots season. It was a hard way for the Pats to end the season, and it was an especially bittersweet moment after the game when it set in for the team that the seniors had played their final minutes as Patriots. Both the players and the coach were in tears after the loss, both proving the heartbreak of the loss and the closeness of the team. “The last game was really emotional. No one expected our coach to cry, so when she did it was really sad,” Robinson said.
Peter Hechler
Managing Editor
