WA Girls’ Varsity Soccer wins 2-0 against Lincoln-Sudbury
September 25, 2019
On Tuesday, September 24, the Westford Academy Girls’ Varsity Soccer team took on Lincoln-Sudbury and won 2-0, scoring both goals in the first half.
Westford Academy dominated early in the game, with multiple shots on goal, which led to corner kicks, and more chances on goal. Senior Bella Hillman produced strong defense when needed, assuring that most of the action of the half took place on the LS side. Junior Ava Couillard and senior Sydney Jones also played strong defense.
Among strong cheers by the WA bench and a strong bleachers turnout for a Tuesday afternoon, the grey ghosts picked up several more corners.
The first breakthrough came with thirty minutes left in the half when senior Ally Giovino beat out multiple Lincoln-Sudbury defenders in the box. Sophomore Carly Davey then put the finishing touches and tapped the ball into the goal, putting WA up 1-0.
“I think we’re going well finishing and sending through balls to forwards,” Davey said.
The Lincoln-Sudbury keeper performed well, firmly catching many of the WA corner kicks in the first half, as well as two direct shots on goal.
A strong header by Couillard and clearances by Hillman kept Lincoln-Sudbury at bay, though the latter began to create more chances.
Lincoln-Sudbury’s first real shot on goal was caught neatly by the WA keeper, sophomore Kiani Barnard-Pratt. However, the second attempt on goal was cleared by sophomore Victoria Princi.
“I had good catches, but terrible kicks and communication,” Barnard-Pratt said.
However, with two minutes left in the half, a solid pass by Davey allowed Giovino to gain a corner kick, which resulted in a goal by Couillard, putting Westford up 2-0 over Lincoln-Sudbury.
“We were passing circles around the other team, and we scored a goal on a corner kick, which has been a goal of ours,” Hillman said.
Rejuvenated after half time, the two teams-Lincoln-Sudbury especially- took the field once again with renewed vigor. Though LS dominated possession in the early minutes of the second half, Giovino made several strong runs, and both teams seemed to have fairly even possession throughout the rest of the half.
“I definitely think we should work on getting the ball and then playing it out on the ground and connecting passes,” sophomore Victoria Princi said, regarding the team’s performance in the second half.
A brief downpour wet the field, impacting the pace of the game. Meanwhile, defense by Hillman and Jones kept Lincoln-Sudbury at bay; however, Barnard-Pratt steadily saved a strong shot by a Lincoln striker from the left flank.
Though some WA supporters left the game when the rain began, those left cheered harder as Giovino made several, consecutive, nearly-successful shots on goal. Regarding the struggles in the second half as compared to the breezy first, senior Brooke Ditcham believes the team should relax and play the game.
“I think we did well with staying strong and not completely giving up even when we were chasing,”Ditcham said.
With seven minutes left, a tackle by Davey gave Lincoln-Sudbury possession; their weak attempt on goal was caught easily by Barnard-Pratt. Barnard-Pratt jumped to successfully catch a later, stronger attempt in the 38th minute of the half, which was the last attempt on goal in the match.
“We kept our undefeated streak,” Hillman said. “We are looking forward to the second half of our season.”
Though they seized the victory against Lincoln-Sudbury, the team hopes to improve upon its performance in future matches.
“We kept playing until the final whistle and a win is a win one point closer to tournament,” Giovino said.
The team will take on Newton South in a home game on Saturday September 28 at 4:00 PM.
