Five GDS teams played on Spring Sports Saturday on April 20. Men’s varsity lacrosse, women’s varsity lacrosse and varsity softball played at home, while the varsity baseball team played in a doubleheader at Sidwell. The track and field team competed in the annual McNamara Mustangs Invitational.
GDS went 2–3 on the day, with women’s lacrosse winning their game and the varsity softball team winning a scrimmage against teachers and faculty.
In the first game of Sports Saturday, GDS men’s lacrosse team faced off against Seton School.
Within the first two minutes, the Hoppers pulled out to a 2–0 lead, powered by goals by sophomores Thomas (TJ) Jones and Julian Lucas. Seton quickly answered with three goals to take a 3–2 lead. Two goals by freshman Ahren Sidhu gave GDS a 4–3 lead, which was quickly taken from them with a last-minute goal from the Conquistadors. The first quarter ended with the two teams tied 4–4.
In the second quarter, Seton scored two early goals to take a 6–4 lead. Freshman Ryan Granowitter scored a goal to cut the lead in half, but the rest of the quarter belonged to Seton. The Conquistadors scored five unanswered goals in the second quarter and entered halftime with an 11–5 lead.
In the third quarter, Seton extended their lead to nine and held GDS scoreless. The Hoppers entered the fourth quarter trailing 14–5. Seton scored two goals late in the fourth quarter to take a 16–5 lead. With less than 50 seconds remaining, sophomore Benjamin Gold scored the final goal of the game. GDS ended up losing the game 16–6.
Sidhu, who is coming off a five-goal game against Sandy Spring Friends School, added two more goals on Saturday. When asked about his recent success, the freshman said, “On offense we’ve been connecting.”
Head Coach Will Thayer also spoke highly of the team. “I thought we played some of our best lacrosse,” he said. “We put a lot of effort in.” He also mentioned some of the team’s young talent, saying, “I’m really pleased with a lot of our young guys stepping up. Ahren had a couple of really good goals,” and Thayer complemented the defensive performances of freshmen Ashwin Pathiyal and Tristan Souchaud.
The team’s next game is on Wednesday, April 24 at 4:30 p.m. when they face off against Bishop McNamara on the road.
The GDS varsity women’s lacrosse team defeated Oakcrest 12–7 on Sports Saturday.
The action started early, with a GDS shot off the post on the very first play. The first goal of the game came on the resulting Oakcrest counterattack. The Chargers did not stay ahead for long, however, as two quick goals from junior Jessica Berger gave GDS a 2–1 lead.
An Oakcrest goal in the final two minutes of the quarter tied the game, but the Hoppers’ response was swift, and senior Syuri Smith scored directly off the ensuing face-off. GDS was very successful with face-offs, winning all but one in the first quarter.
GDS began the second quarter with an early goal from freshman Willa Wible to extend its lead to 4–2, but a quick Oakcrest goal off the rebound of a good save by freshman goalkeeper Maddy Allen switched the momentum. After the third consecutive Oakcrest goal gave the Chargers a 5–4 lead, the Hoppers gathered briefly in front of their goal, where, according to Allen, the team discussed working on their communication.
The players clearly took their conversation to heart, and on the very next play a six-pass sequence resulted in Smith’s second goal of the game. It didn’t take long for her to secure a hat-trick and regain the lead for the Hoppers, who ended the half up 6–5.
Head coach Parker Benedict explained in a post–game interview that she used halftime as an opportunity to remind her team of their capabilities, and she said she tried to “really bring them back to the fundamentals of lacrosse, and also instill a little bit of confidence, reminding them that they do this every practice—they can definitely execute it in a game.”
The Hoppers dominated soon after retaking the field, shutting Oakcrest out for the entire third quarter. The first goal of the half belonged to junior Natalia Freedman, who scored following five successive passes to bring the Hoppers downfield. Senior Maggie LoCascio scored soon after, and senior Sophia Newkirk followed suit. A goal by freshman Alexis Rayford less than a minute later gave GDS a comfortable 10–5 lead heading into the final twelve minutes of the game.
The fourth quarter started well for GDS, and Newkirk scored her second goal of the game within 20 seconds. Oakcrest soon scored two consecutive goals, but they weren’t enough to come back. Another goal from LoCascio in the final two minutes was a final flourish for the Hoppers, who came away with the 12–7 victory.
Allen expressed gratitude to her teammates at the end of the game. “Everybody has just been really great at keeping me out of my head and being really supportive,” she said. She specifically credited LoCascio and Smith for keeping her calm.
Senior leadership was also a part of the team’s performance that Benedict highlighted. “Even if we do lose a game, or are having a tough time in a game, their positivity really shines through no matter what the opponent is looking like,” she said.
“It’s a lot about positive feedback and constructive criticism,” said Newkirk, a co-captain of the team, on mentoring younger players. “I think just being positive and pointing out their good plays, and then giving them constructive criticism, builds up their confidence and gives them room to work on,” she said.
The team’s next game is at home on Tuesday, April 23, against St. Andrew’s.
The final game of the day, though slightly less official than the others, was no less competitive as GDS staff faced off against the varsity softball team at 3:00 p.m. Saint James, whom GDS was originally supposed to play, did not have enough players to field a team.
After a few minutes of warmups and lineup confusion, the faculty were first to bat. Director of Student Community Programming and high school science teacher Bobby Asher opened the scoring with a hit to deep left field that sent high school physical education teacher and department chair Jodi Jackson and Chris Oster, Environmental Stewardship and Campus Environmental Stewardship and Campus Commuting Manager, home.
Senior Roam Redington responded for the students with a leadoff home run, but it wasn’t enough to slow down the faculty. A pair of two–run home runs by Oster and Athletic Director David Gillespie and other scattered runs had the students trailing by eight in the third inning.
The tides soon began to turn in the students’ favor, however, as a huge hitting streak in the bottom of the third inning, followed by senior Ella Lynn’s three-run home run in the fourth, put the students up 11–10 to win the game.
“We have a lot of people on our team who, when the going gets tough, we don’t get going,” said Asher jokingly in a post-game interview. He described the faculty team as a “weak squad.”
The softball team’s next game is on Wednesday, April 24, against Sidwell.
Earlier in the day, the men’s varsity baseball team faced Sidwell in a doubleheader. GDS lost both games, one 11–6 and the other 11–4. The team’s next game is at Flint Hill on Wednesday, April 24.
The GDS varsity track team competed in the McNamara Mustangs Invitational on Saturday. Freshman Shira Wenthe finished third of 24 in the 1600-meter run. Junior Audrey Leff finished third of ten in the 3200-meter run. Sophomore Alexandra Solomon placed second of 11 in the 400-meter hurdles. The men’s 4×100 meter relay team finished second of 23 schools in their race.