The day was cold and the breeze was brisk, but the sun shone and our spirits were high for our home opener against PVCICS. We knew, ahead of time, that the opponent’s team was big, but it was still surprising to see more than two dozen red-shirted players pour out of the bus and hop out of cars to meet our 11 intrepid green-shirts. We had agreed to treat the game as a season warm-up and learning session, so both teams used a variety of lineups and gave players of all skill levels a chance to take the field. Our noble opponent’s team had depth and plenty of fresh legs, so the score was not in our favor, but the game as a whole was informative and fun. We learned a lot about our positive team dynamic; our defense improved dramatically over the course of the game, and we were reminded that we thoroughly enjoy sharing the field with PVCICS.
Shoutouts go to captains Josh Freedman ’26 and Hazel Secker ’26 for excellent handling and movement, along with a crowd-pleasing hammer from Josh to Hazel in the second half. The captains also worked together to maintain high team morale and lead by example. Turning to other players, Rich Zhou ’26 had a rich slap-down D for a turnover. Maeve Donovan ’27 not only impressed us with her handling but also made a great centerfield catch just after halftime. Cam Bloch ’28 showed off his throwing skills, and he additionally had a beautiful catch on a long throw from Josh.
Josh assisted 4 of our 6 goals, with Cam assisting the other two. A variety of players made the goal-scoring catches: Zohan Subhash ’26 made two goals, with Rich, Hazel, Adriana Enriques ’28, and Julia Horobets ’26 each scoring one. Congratulations to the team as a whole for a strong start to the season!