News Detail
JV Girls Soccer Defeats Flint Hill
It almost feels redundant to be writing this email recap, for by now you’ve undoubtedly heard the news being trumpeted from every mountain top: “They’ve won, they’ve won, the EHS girls’ JV soccer team has won!”
On a sunny fall day with the temperature pushing 80 degrees and spirits running high, the Maroon traveled to Flint Hill and tamed the Huskies 1-0, ending their winless curse and their scoreless drought, and finally taking home a win that validated all of the hard work that they had been putting in throughout the season on the practice field.
First and foremost, Ruby Gonzalez ’25 played a near-flawless game, fielding dozens of shots in the first half alone and stepping up boldly off of the goal line all game to maintain control and ensure a shut-out. Emma Walker '23 continued her renaissance as the team’s sweeper, roaming seemingly across zip codes and county lines in an effort to be everywhere the team needed her to be to prevent the Husky bark from becoming a bite. Caroline Bruns ’25 added to her mythical status as the team’s lone goal-scorer (so far!) with her second of the season, which proved to be one of the many great chances that her speedy legs afforded her in the game. Natanim Bekele ’25 provided the assist on the Maroon goal, and further entrenched herself as a leading attacker with numerous threats deep into canine territory.
After Bruns’s goal with just six minutes remaining in the first half, the Maroon entered halftime for the first time ahead on the scoreboard, and the pep-talking spouted from all angles, with every player committed to holding onto their precious lead in the second half. Even beloved team managers Cher Wang ’22 and Kate Lee ’23 got in on the action, keeping the team together and providing much-needed administrative guidance. Not to mince words, the second half was a dominant performance, perhaps a result of the cohesion developed during the player-led halftime chat, with the team firing on all cylinders to keep near-constant pressure on the Husky defense.
When stalwart defender Sophia Appiah ’25 went down with a lingering hip injury, the Maroon could easily have folded, but instead just the opposite occurred, with the team’s many defenders banding together to provide a brick wall back line. Bella “Bulldog” Duran ’25 displayed nearly unstoppable persistence, building up speed and aggression as the game went on to stop any Husky threats into the EHS half of the field. Aerin Song ’25 held down the right side of the defensive effort, with Meg Gray ’24 making some big swings to clear the ball out of the Maroon half from the left. Sydney Hopkins ’23 brought her famous toe-kicks all over the field to keep the Flint Hill players with their tails between their legs. Covie DeSista ’25 proved pivotal as both a stopper and a midfielder, with some flying clearances that kept the Huskies on their heels. Appiah, rejuvenated from a bout on the sidelines, returned to give the Maroon offense an added push in the second half, offering up several swift cuts through the Flint Hill defensive formation.
At midfield, Louise Tucker ’24 played almost every minute on the team’s right flank, serving as the invaluable glue between the team’s back line and its attackers. Lara Georgia Guimarāes Noronha ’23 was a ball of energy, powering through congestion and ankle pain to keep those Huskies obedient. Bibs Riddell ’23 has established herself as a coverage player so essential to the Maroon’s possession and progress that her clearances transcend the field from defense to attack, providing the link the team had been missing the past few games to advance the ball and keep the Huskies playing fetch. On the front line, Chloe Cha ’25 had her best game of the season, featuring fancy footwork, heads-up ball control, and generous passes to Bekele, Bruns, and Appiah to put the team’s offense in motion. GiGi Abed ’25 and Bianca Duran ’25 supplied essential energy from the bench while they were champing at the bit to get onto the field in spite of head and shin injuries, respectively.
The team received a heroes’ welcome back on campus, with news of the victory having spread fast, resulting in the EHS version of a triumphal parade as the players trickled into the dining hall to the cheers of their friends and faculty.
