On Wednesday, Jan. 17. the girls’ varsity soccer team handedly defeated the Marin Catholic (MC) Wildcats 5-0 to improve their MCAL record to 7-2 overall. After a tough 2-0 loss to Branson this last weekend, the girls’ team beat down on the Wildcat’s, keeping their hopes of a championship victory alive.
From the get-go, the Giants dominated both offensively and defensively by maintaining long possessions and constantly maneuvering their way through Marin Catholic’s defense.
The girls’ varsity soccer coach, Mattias Kodzoman, was especially proud of the team’s ability to execute at such a high level.
“We were very good at keeping possession and finding combination plays which led to several chances to score,” Kodzoman said.
Although the first 20 minutes were scoreless, once senior co-captain Hannah Halford struck the ball to the top-left corner past the outreached arms of the MC goalie, the goals came pouring in. By the end of the first half, Redwood was up 3-0 with additional goals from sophomore Grace Bouton and junior Maddie Pero.
According to Pero, the tough loss to Branson this weekend inspired the team to come out determined to dominate. Once the game began, she believed that they were successful at dictating the pace of the game.
“We moved the ball quickly and made sure it didn’t turn into a physical game because that is something MC [Marin Catholic] is known for,” Pero said, “So the more we moved the ball around, the easier it became to score.”
In the second half, Redwood maintained a comfortable lead with two goals from freshman Shannon Watridge to bring the score up to 5-0. Yet even with a five-goal lead, the Giants held the shut out all the way until the final buzzer.
According to senior defender and co-captain Audrey Peck, as the season progressed their defense became better because they have learned to play with one another.
“We have gotten into a pattern where everyone, including the substitutes, communicates really well. This is what helped us play so effortlessly out of the backfield,” Peck said.
This Saturday the girls’ team plays Tam, who beat them 4-0 earlier in the season. Pero believes that Redwood will need to come into the game well-prepared to have success.
“We played Tam the opening game of the season, which is always hard because you are not super bonded as a team nor used to playing with each other. However, coming in with the mindset of being very focused and ready to play will be a key to [our success],” Pero said.
The girls’ varsity soccer team hopes to avenge their early-season loss on Saturday, Jan. 20, at home against Tam at 11 a.m.
