On Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023 the girls’ varsity soccer team competed in a non-league game against University High School (University). With only one loss prior to the game, the Giants had high energy as they prepared to play. Senior Miranda Wabl explains how the team’s mindset going into the game impacted their vigorous level of play.
“We knew we were going to have to battle for the game. We try to approach every game with the same mentality. But when we have opponents that we know will be tough, there is a different sense where we know we need to lock in,” Wabl said. “As the game went on, it went well and we continued to fight for it.”
Fifteen minutes into the first half, freshman Teagan McCormick scored a goal with a corner kick assist by senior Ellie Kemos, leading the game 1-0.
“Getting a goal early on was something we haven’t done recently, that was really exciting and got us pumped for the game,” Kemos said.
Soon after, University bounced back with another goal scored by Isabella Ong, a University of California Santa Barbara soccer commit. Not letting University’s goal break their momentum, the Giants kept fighting, yet were not successful in scoring another goal. By the end of the first quarter, the score was tied 1-1. At halftime, the energy from both teams was high as they strove to break the tie.
“Everyone was really excited for this game and this excitement, especially in the first half, gave us good effort,” Kemos said during halftime.
Soon after the game resumed, University scored again, raising their score to 2-1. While University took the lead, the Giants did not give up their fight, continuing to play hard and attempt to score additional goals, yet remaining unable to do so.
“These kinds of games are tough, because we know we played well and sometimes it’s the little moments that define [the outcome of a game],” Wabl said. “We are trying to keep the same mentality for the rest of our season, especially because we’ve had some injuries to key players, so everyone is stepping up.”
Although the game did not favor the Giants, the loss was one that will fuel them for upcoming games.
“We have a game coming up on Friday, as well as a tournament this weekend. I think that this loss will help us get better and fuel us to win this coming weekend,” Kemos said.
This weekend, the Giants will take on two away games playing Lowell High School and Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory on Dec. 15 and 16.
