The girls’ soccer team faced Wells in the team’s third league game of the season, where the Guardians got the better of the Mountain Lions in a 2-1 loss. Although the team couldn’t edge out a win against Wells, the team had several chances throughout the game.
In the early minutes of the first half, the team scored the first goal of the game, with sophomore Sidney Epstein putting the team ahead early. Following the goal, the team and Wells exchanged chances, going back and forth from each other’s halves.
Eventually, Wells started to dominate possession and started to get some chances at goal, but almost every time goalkeeper Tenley Skyles would put a stop to the Wells offense by claiming the ball and clearing it. Unfortunately, the efforts from the team’s backline weren’t enough, as they scored two goals in quick succession.
During the last few minutes of the first half, the team put a lot of pressure on Wells by pressing high up the field and attacking through the wing. Most of those chances came from junior Addy Skyles, who was getting through on goal and had two shots on goal. As the second half ended, the team had switched the momentum to their side and was looking hopeful for the second half.
In the second half, the team started right where they left off, still getting chances on goal and shutting down the Wells offense, with Addy Skyles creating most of those chances. Senior Quinnan Schaefer spoke on how well the team created chances.
“In this game specifically, I thought we put a lot of pressure on Wells, and I also thought the midfielders and forward did really well with passing the ball and creating chances to get in on goal,” Schaefer said.
About halfway through the second half, the team was awarded a corner, and senior Camila Perez whipped the ball into the box, which connected with Skyles, where she barely missed the goal with the ball just going over the crossbar. As the game went on, the team still played with high energy up until the final whistle.
As the team is well into the season, they have their sights set on the playoffs. At the moment, the team is fourth in the PIL and is looking to take over the third spot from Wells. Head coach JD Penliton talked about some of the things the team will need to do so they can punch their ticket to the playoffs.
“Something that can really help us make that push to the playoffs is building more of a competitive spirit and having more willingness to do the things other teams aren’t willing to do, like fighting for the ball and being more physical on a consistent basis,” Penilton said.
Although the season has come to an end, show up next season to see the team compete and watch them play.
