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Swinging to shoot the ball towards the Maverick net, Defender Ella Smith ’27 prepares to kick the ball. Smith played a pivotal role in aiding her teammates move the ball down the field in long strides without losing possession to the Mavericks.
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Keenly watching her teammates fight for a goal in the Maverick half, Defender Ella Smith ’27 jogs closer to prepare for a potential pass. The Warriors were pushed to be more spread out across the field to adapt to their new strategy of driving the ball down the field in long strides.
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Weaving the ball around Maverick defense, Defender Jordan Lott ’27 moves to evade the incoming opponent. Warrior offense had to utilize swift footwork to move past a robust defensive blockade set up by the Mavericks.
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Focused on the ball and the open field ahead, Defender Jordan Lott ’27 pauses before aiming the ball to a teammate. The Warriors used heightened communication across the field to gain the upper hand.
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Fighting Maverick offense for possession of the ball, Defender Erin Lott ’28 prepares to shoot the ball to a fellow teammate. Both Warrior offense and defense were tested over the course of the game, necessitating consistent communication.
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Moving towards the ball, Defender Madeleine Ziegler ’28 twists to powerfully kick the ball up across the field. The Warriors shifted from their usual short, quick attacks to longer, powerful drives to gain ground.
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Running past the Mavericks, Midfielder Elizabeth Miller ’28 drives the ball back to the Maverick half. While past Warrior home games saw the ball remaining primarily in the opponent’s half, this game saw the Mavericks aggressively driving the ball into the Warriors half as well, testing Warrior defense.
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Rising to the challenge of a high-intensity game against the McNeil Mavericks on Friday, Feb. 14, the JV women’s soccer team came out on top 3-0. This win continues their season-long victory streak. But, in one of the Warriors’ toughest home games, the Mavericks put up a strong offensive and defensive front, pushing the Warriors to gain the upper hand through technique.
“A big thing from the last time we played [McNeil] was that they conceded a lot of corners,” Goalkeeper, Elyse Osborn ‘27 said. “So we tried to improve our game on top of that.”
Right from the beginning, the Warriors attempted to fall into their regular rhythm of maintaining the ball in the opponent’s half. They made numerous shots on goal while in enemy territory, but as both teams began to showcase their aggression, the ball was repeatedly driving out of bounds to stop the Warriors. Realizing their former strategy of short, close attacks would not work against the Mavericks, the Warriors switched to weaving the ball up and down the field in long drives to maneuver around robust Maverick defense. This new strategy forced the Warriors to make more risky midfield plays, causing them to lose possession of the ball. However, utilizing their heightened communication on the field, the Warriors were able to secure their first goal of the game after reverting back to their short, quick attacks closer to Maverick defense.
“Our communication [definitely] improved a lot since our last game against McNeil, [which helped in gaining the upper hand],” Defender Jordan Lott ‘27 said.
Skilled footwork and quick passeswere strong themes for the Warriors throughout the game as they alternated between midfield passes and short attacks. While the Warriors swiftly powered through the majority of the Maverick half, they seemed pressured by positioned Maverick defense at the net, which often resulted in bad aims or fumbles which kept the game close.
“It was a good game — I feel like we weren’t scoring as much as we usually do, but the other team definitely got much better than the first time we played them,” Osborn said.
While the Warriors faced trouble making any more goals due to pressure from the opposing team, their defense remained strong into the second half, preventing the Mavericks from retaining possession of the ball and encroaching in Warrior territory. This pressure from both sides kept each offense in check and the scores restricted.
“One of our [biggest] strengths this game was our passing, and buildup to shooting,” Lott said
As both teams came head-to-head with matched aggression and power, the game stalled until the Warriors’ shots on goal came to a head as they earned their second goal. Now more comfortable with their two point buffer, the Warriors were less pressured to score goals and instead enjoyed weaving the ball away from the Mavericks to ensure their score remained at a zero. The Warriors polished off their ending score with another goal, setting the final score 3-0 from a corner kick only a few seconds before the end of the game.
The JV women’s soccer team will return for their next home game against the Manor Mustangs at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 21.
