Full of energy and excitement from senior day, the girls’ varsity soccer team claimed a momentous win over San Rafael on Saturday, Jan. 21. After commemorating the nine seniors that are currently on the team with heartwarming speeches, posters and flowers, the team went into the game full of spirit. At the start of the first half, the Giants’ teamwork and communication on the field paid off as senior Ruby Churton scored the team’s first goal. 

After a close game on Thursday, where the team played against San Marin and won 1-0, coach Ivan Bandov encouraged his players to reset and focus on their next game. 

“We’re working on playing with more intent in every game. At times we have struggled scoring goals this year, so getting a 5-0 win today was important as we move forward into bigger games this year,” Bandov said. 

When the Giants were up 1-0 in the first half, junior Dakota Ledesma scored through a perfectly placed corner kick, which had the team running down the field with excitement. Shortly after, sophomore Sarah Farese put the ball in the net with a calculated header, which put the Giants ahead 3-0. Major contributions were also made by junior Colette Boyden, sophomore Charlotte Lacy and seniors Lilianna De Leon and Maddie Buck, who played a huge role throughout the game with crucial assists. Maddie Buck, a co-captain of the team, was relieved that the girls were able to work together to claim the win. 

“We’re typically a super defensive team, so the fact that we were able to capitalize on every opportunity today and put away goals is something that I hope we can continue to do moving forward. Our corner kicks and free kicks were areas that we were really successful in, and when we play tighter games later on in the season it will be really important to keep that up,” Buck said. 

The team was able to score one more goal at the end of the first half with a free kick by senior Brady Dowd. The girls were notably excited, and went into halftime on a joyous note. At the start of the second half, they were able to stay on top due to an early goal by senior Maya Greenholz. After this strong win against the Bulldogs, the Giants hold a record of 9-1-4 in the Marin County Athletic League, which keeps them in close competition with Branson for the top seed. The team hopes to carry this momentum into their next game, which is at home against Archie Williams on Monday, Jan. 23.

Gallery • 7 Photos

Senior players gather with posters and flowers as their teammates show their appreciation during senior day.