The girls fought hard—but it was a tough day, and a tough first game of the season. With temperatures in the mid-80s and a rotating bench of only two subs, the girls were exhausted by the end of 50 minutes of play. Despite the circumstances, and a loss, we came away from the game understanding what we need to work on and proud of how hard we played. Our game MVP and Athlete of the Week nominee, Niyafa Boucher ’18, was solid in goal. She kept her cool (no pun intended!) against the Hotchkiss attack, and despite the occasional breakdown of our D, made several spectacular and very timely saves. Thank you, Niyafa!
In the backfield, we were missing the strength, leadership and athleticism of two of our senior JV veterans, Sabrina Sotirhos ’18 and Anna Scott ’18. But Lynnette Jiang ’18 did a great job stepping in at center back; her positive and sustained energy helped keep the whole team going. She was fearless in the circle and gave every ounce of her determination to do her best to maintain pressure on the Hotchkiss players, whether defending our goal or transitioning to offense.
Emmeline Flagg ’18 and Lily Faucet ’20 shared sweep and backfield, worked well together, and helped keep us in the game. Ellie Shilling ’21, the only 9th grader on the team, brought relentless energy and a strong stick, while Emma Jaskolski ’20 at midfield created some great transition moments. With her speed and stick skills, Sydney Gregg ’20, also at mid, moved the ball really well on transition. And our forward line created some lovely plays.
Mira Binzen ’21 and Renee Ballou ‘20 both executed some key passes on the front line. Right wing Jada Howard ’19 did a great job receiving on the run and carrying the ball, while left wing Dom Whitney ’19, with her speed and smart play, did a nice job dropping back from the forward line to also play mid and support the defense in the circle. All in all, a good game, and a hard one. Next time, to the goal!