As the fog rolled in and settled upon the field, the Redwood varsity girls’ soccer team suited up to host Drake. This past Saturday, Jan. 25, the girls’ varsity soccer team (8-1-2) defeated Drake (5-7-2) by a score of 2-1 to continue their fight for the illustrious first place spot in the Marin County Athletic League (MCAL). After an early goal from senior captain and University of California, Santa Barbara commit Grace Bouton, Redwood was able to dominate in possession time and maintain their lead throughout the game.

Bouton’s goal was a perfectly placed finesse shot off the post and into the back of the net. Shortly after, senior Hana Lefferts kicked in a goal of her own just as the second half began.

According to Lefferts, the team strongly supported each other and stepped up on the offensive end despite missing their coach, who the team has been without for three games now.

“We’re doing a really good job building our team back after we lost our coach Lucas, but I think he also did a really good job getting us to where we are. Second place is a really good place to be going into playoffs,” Lefferts said.

Along with their offense, Redwood’s defense was a force to be reckoned with. Because of their stellar defense, Redwood kept possession of the ball for the majority of the game, one of the deciding factors in their win. Rarely was Drake on the attack due to Redwood’s stringent defense aided by their right-back, senior Delaney Anderson.

“The defense stopped counter-attacks and worked together to get the shut out. The backline supported the offenders and won individual defensive battles. I’m very proud of how well the team played,” Anderson said.

The Giants currently sit in second place going into the playoffs and are confident in their ability to succeed. Redwood will have a new coach on Monday, Jan. 27, and will continue to keep their foot on the gas pedal. According to senior Anouk Guilhaume, the absence of a coach has required a closer bond between teammates and more communication on the field.

“Our team chemistry allowed us to not be affected by the absence of our coach. It was obviously a big change but we had the old JV coach step up and coach us and he did a really good job,” Guilhaume said.

The girls’ varsity soccer team’s next home game is Thursday, Jan. 30 at 3:15 p.m.