Varsity Girls’ Soccer Draws to Rangers on Senior Night
Grinning, all ten seniors gather for a picture at the senior night ceremony. The ceremony took place in between the JV and varsity game with many friends and family in attendance.
Mia Wiele ’26 kicks the ball in the air to pass it to the forwards next to the goal. Near the end of the game, Wiele kicked the corner kick that led to the decisive score of 1-1.
Tracking the movement of the ball, freshman Kaleia Coughlin prepares for a volley to her teammate. In the game, there were many volleys and head balls to move the ball up the field.
Senior Tayte Webster sprints ahead of the defender to gain control of the ball. After Webster got possession of the ball, she turned and crossed the ball to another forward near the goal.
On Friday, Feb. 24, the varsity girls soccer team tied 1-1 with the Vista Ridge Rangers on senior night. This game was especially meaningful for the ten seniors on the team, because it marked the approaching end of their commitment to high school soccer and honored all the hard work they have put in as athletes throughout the many years on the team.
As part of the yearly tradition, each senior received a bouquet of flowers and walked down the field with their family members. A commentator announced each senior’s favorite memories and accomplishments of being on the team, what they plan on doing in the future, and a note written by each of the athlete’s parents.
“Senior night is always bittersweet,” Amy Simon ‘23 said. “It recognizes all of our hard work and dedication for the past four years, but it marks the end of many of our team’s soccer journey.”
The stands were filled with many parents and friends who brought colorful and creative signs to cheer on the seniors for their special night. Westwood cheerleaders also attended the game and performed their routines on the sidelines to encourage the players.
In the first two minutes of the game, Kate Cooper ‘24 took a shot at the goal but the ball hit the crossball. Both teams started off with a very offensive approach and the Warriors used the midfield a lot to move the ball around the field. With 22 minutes left in the first half, Tayte Webster ‘23 took a shot at goal, but the goalie saved it.
With a few minutes left in the first half, a Warrior defender fouled the other team and they received a penalty kick. The referee blew the whistle and a tense standoff occurred between goalie Atlee Olofson ‘23 and the Vista Ridge striker before the anticipated kick. The striker shot at the goal and Olofson saved the ball initially, until the other team shot a dramatic rebound goal.
In the second half of the game, the Warriors did not let up on their offensive play, resulting in multiple corner kicks and yellow cards from both teams. With 20 minutes left in the game, Mia Wiele ‘26 took a decisive corner kick and aimed to the center of the box where Abigail Burgett ‘23 shot the ball and scored, bringing the end score to 1-1.
“We didn’t get the result we wanted, but we played hard and fought to the end,” Burgett said. “I think we need to be able to calm down as a team at times and just to focus on getting to the goal with the ball in the net.”
The Warriors will play their next game at home on Tuesday, Feb. 28, at 7:30 p.m., against the McNeil Mavericks.
Class of 2025
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