Team looks strong heading into final leg of season; excited for playoffs

Kirby Child
commons editor

The girls were confident when they arrived at Poolesville High School on Oct. 2 to face the Falcons. The entire first half was tight, and neither team was able to hold onto the ball long enough to get a shot off, until sophomore Darcey Touchette hit the ball from the left side of the field across the goal to junior Alexa Kantor, who pushed the ball past the Falcon goalie.

The Patriots were unable to get the ball in the net during the second half, but the neither were the Falcons because the Patriot defense did not let anything past them. The game ended 1-0. “Our defense did a good job of clearing the ball up the field,” senior Grace Henschel said.

The team’s next game was on Oct. 8 at home against the Churchill Bulldogs. The girls were hoping to beat their rival, and they started the game with intensity. The first goal of the game was scored by the Bulldogs on a breakaway, but the Patriots did not let this bring them down. They continued to fight hard for every ball, and junior Jordan Rubin passed to senior Caity Greenspun who tied up the game. The first half ended with another goal by the Bulldogs and halftime score of 2-1.

The girls came out firing in the second half and did not give Churchill any more scoring opportunities. Near the end of the game, the Patriots pushed the ball into their offensive circle and kept it there until they received a corner. Immediately after the foul was called, the time ran out. All the pressure was on the Patriots because this corner was their last opportunity to tie up the game. Senior captain Kayla Hill received the corner and hit a straight shot to the corner of the goal, tying up the game. “The corner was so stressful,” junior Mia Silver said.

Two sudden death overtimes went by without any goals, and the game was sent into shootouts. Three players from each team were chosen to take the penalty shots, and Greenspun and junior Kendall Clark expertly placed their shots in the net. The Patriots scored two of their five penalty shots, and the Bulldogs were two for four. With one opportunity left, a player from Churchill stepped up for her shot, and she scored. The Patriots lost with a final score of 3-2. “I really wanted to beat Churchill, but it was a good game,” Kantor said.

The Patriots had an away game against the Northwood Gladiators on Oct. 10. The girls maintained possession throughout the entire game, and with goals by senior Avery Breen, sophomore Quinn Lugenbeel (2), Hill, Kantor and Clark, the Patriots won 6-0. “I hope we play that well in our game against QO,” Silver said.

On Oct. 12, the Patriots took on the Quince Orchard Cougars at home. The game was tight, and the Patriots were almost able to put the ball in the net when they received a corner, but the Cougar goalie deflected the ball. At the beginning of the second half, the Cougars scored the only goal of the game, ending with a final score of 1-0.

The Patriots played against the Gaithersburg Trojans at home on Oct. 15 for their senior night game. This was the first varsity game for the nine players who were pulled up from junior varsity. The Patriots’ starting lineup consisted of all the seniors, and within the first half the Patriots were up by four goals, scored by Hill, Perel, Lugenbeel and Greenspun. In the second half two more goals were scored by Perel and Rubin. The Patriots had the ball on their offensive half the entire game, and did not give the Trojans any scoring opportunities. “[This game] was so different from our JV games,” sophomore Kelly Baldwin said.

The Patriots beat Magruder 5-0 on Oct. 17