Ali Hurney ‘26
The torrential downpour didn’t stop the girls soccer team from fighting till the last whistle in double overtime, ending in a 1-1 tie against division rival St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes. The St. Andrew’s Varsity Girls’ Soccer team finished the season as un-defeated ISL A co-champions with St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes and they strive for a tournament banner under second-year coach Festus George. On October 1st, the girls fought for a close win against Bullis, resulting in a 3-2 win. They had a quick start, scoring two goals early in the first half, but Bullis came back late in the second half, scoring two goals to tie the game. In the final minutes, junior Lucy Bobb scored the game-winning goal to keep their undefeated in-league season alive.
This season, the girls’ playing style mostly focused on technical skills and possession. At practice, they play a lot of small possession games and practice movements on and off the ball.
“It’s a combination of everything. It’s most importantly technical and possession-oriented,” Coach George said, “The ball should be played to feet, and [players should] make a lot of intelligent runs off the ball, creating space for one another.”
Freshman Ramsee Jarman is one of the starting center-attacking midfielders on the team and has had big shoes to fill. She took the spot of former attacking midfielder Nariah Goldman, who went on to play at American University. “As the starting freshman on Varsity, I have adjusted to a lot of responsibilities I have on and off the field and am getting comfortable and better with all that comes with that pressure,” said Jarman. “It was a change at first as I did not expect it, but I am more comfortable now and ready for what comes next.”
Despite their success, the girls have struggled to stay loose on the field. At times, they have frozen up in big moments and made mistakes that cost them a lead. Senior Kosette Koons-Perdikis said that the team needs to maintain a positive attitude when things go wrong. “The biggest challenge we have faced this year is our mentality when coming back from adversity,” said Koons-Perdikis. “We need to remember that making mistakes is part of the game and to pick your head up and keep going. We are a very good team when we work together [on] our confidence.”
Koons-Perdikis also said she learned about responding to adversity after a bad ankle injury last year. “I was sidelined for 7 months watching my team and friends get better and play the game I love. While getting back is both physically and mentally challenging, my injury has mostly revealed to me how much I love the game. I never take any moment on the field for granted.”
The girls have bonded well with each other throughout the season, and they are always positive towards each other no matter the outcome and support one another. Before school started, they took a team trip to the beach to become closer and get to know each other better.
“I feel like it all comes down to the amount of time we spend together and how comfortable we are around each other,” said Jarman.
As the season comes to an end, senior Maddy Friedman reflects on what winning the championship would mean to her. “I think that winning a banner would really demonstrate how far our team has grown and progressed over the season,” She continues by saying, “I think that everyone on the team has put their all into this season and a banner would reflect that completely!”
Staring on Monday, 10/28, the girls play their first game in the ISL tournament against Madera, fighting to advance for Wednesday’s game and finals.
The Team Celebrates A Goal Photograph by The Communications Department At St. Andrew’s