Our Wednesday, April 12 game against Westminster was sunny, breezy, sometimes tense, and always athletic. As members of a mixed-gender team, our players were happy to compete against another mixed-gender team that stuck to our agreement to have at least 2 girl-identifying players from each team on the field at all times (we often had more, of course, because we are lucky enough to have a well-balanced team).
Westminster was first to score, taking us somewhat by surprise with their athleticism, but D.A.’s more nuanced skills, both on offense and defense, helped us dominate the field for the majority of the game. Coaches applauded excellent communication deep, and we were pleased at how the team capitalized on its consistency of play. Our cup defense also made several blocks, with Alice Ai as a standout in that position. As several players noted, we won by playing our game rather than reacting too much to the different approach from some of our opponents. Kass Gifford stood for his leadership and composure when things warmed up on the field.
Additional shoutouts go to Elena Tskhvitaria for excellent field awareness, to captain Forrest Gao for hard runs to get open, to captain Jerry Huang for skying his opponents (great snatches, Jerry!), and to Jeanlukas Meza for his first goal!
We look forward to a rematch with Westminster School on April 29. Go Big Green!