The girls soccer team started their 2019-20 season with a scrimmage against Suffield High School on Monday, Sept. 9 at home. The girls fought hard but fell short in the end.
The girl’s first game was on Wednesday, Sept. 11 against Wilbrahan and Monson School. Head Coach Tracy Deeter said that the girls worked to the very end and never gave up, which was evident by their 2-0 victory. Junior Izzy Berckemeyer and freshman Talia Impelluso scored the very impressive two goals. “We did a good job looking to make combinations and worked to the very end,” Coach Deeter said, “but we have work to do defensively.” The girls faced Miss Porter’s School on Wednesday Sept. 18, and they fought hard in the early minutes, but Porter’s fought back and scored three goals in the span of 10 minutes. The girls never gave up and continued to hold their ground. In the end, the girls could not come up with the win and lost 1-4.
Coach Deeter also said that the strength of the team is its veteran leadership by the two captains: senior Ainsley Vaughn and senior Jamie Scarpantonio. She also mentioned the high skill level of the players as a number of them play soccer all year around on an outside team. Coach Deeter said that the team still has to work on their fitness and defense. “They also have to be more aggressive as a team and believe that they can compete in every game,” she said.
The team is fairly young this year, with six new freshmen, some of whom even start. Coach Deeter said that these new players are very talented and have a sharp learning curve ahead as they play with girls who are older than them. Even though this team is young, their goals have not changed: improve and be tournament eligible. “The goal is also to have fun and have a positive experience regardless of the outcome,” Coach Deeter said.
Junior Annelise Vaughn said that the team is very positive and gets along well. She said that everyone is very close, and this is evident through their team spirit. She also said that the team needs to work on quickening their playing pace and moving the ball around quickly. “A goal we have this year is to start the first five minutes of every game strong and end the last five minutes of every game strong,” Annelise Vaughn said.
The team faces Cheshire Academy on Saturday, Sept. 28 and Loomis Chaffee School on Wednesday, Oct. 2.
