Junior Eva Vinik fell hard to the ground after a tie-up with her defender. Everyone on the field went silent; players paused for a moment as she hit the turf. But as quickly as she fell down, she got right back up, flashing a smile and giving a thumbs up to her teammates on the bench. The crowd cheered as she sprinted back to join her team.
After a slow start, the Hoppers were coming back into the game, and this energy was the momentum they needed.
On Thursday, Oct. 16, the women’s varsity soccer team beat the Holton-Arms School Panthers, 3–1. This was their first matchup of the season against the Panthers (3–2), who were coming off a three-game winning streak.
This victory was especially important for GDS, as the results of their next few games will determine their seeding in the Independent School League (ISL) playoffs. The Hoppers are currently in third place. While not officially securing a ranking for the tournament, the win makes a high seed for GDS likely. Final seedings will be determined as ISL teams finish up their seasons.
For the first few minutes of the game, the Hoppers and Panthers traded possession of the ball, neither making it much past midfield. But that quickly changed as Holton began to turn up their offensive intensity. They began moving the ball quickly up the field, getting two good looks on fast breaks that were saved by senior goalie Corina Bellermann.
Another fast break by Holton left Bellermann alone to fight off three Holton players. She jumped and dove, making three saves in a row before a perfectly positioned Holton shot soared into the net, giving the Panthers the lead only six minutes in.
But GDS was not to be deterred. “We wanted to make sure we were communicating, getting wide, playing quick balls,” junior Alexis Rayford said.
The Hoppers found ways to get around defenders, making extra passes to find open teammates and using fancy footwork that left Holton players stumbling.
Late in the first half, the Hoppers finally capitalized on that quick ball movement and spacing. A touch pass from one player to the next found open freshman Elise Wosinska on the right side of the penalty box. Two Holton defenders ran to swarm her, but they were too late. Her shot soared through the air, high above the goalkeeper’s hands, and into the right corner of the net. Spectators and teammates alike cheered as Wosinska’s goal brought the score to 1–1.
The goal proved to be all GDS needed to turn the game around.
In the beginning of the first half, Holton was getting all the good looks and shots. GDS was timid on the offensive end, passing up open looks. Wosinska said the team needed to do a better job of “taking our shots and taking our opportunities when we have them.”
But by halftime, GDS was able to contain Holton, stifling the Panthers’ offense. “We really worked on pressuring and containing them,” Vinik said. Due to their strong defensive efforts, the Hoppers often had possession of the ball, giving themselves more time and opportunities to score.
Entering the second half, they seized fast break opportunities, passing the ball forward efficiently. Junior Merrell Palmer had a nice look close to the net, but the Holton goalie leapt just in time to catch the shot. A far-out shot from Rayford was similarly saved by the Holton goalkeeper.
Halfway through the second half, on one of those fast break opportunities, Rayford sprinted ahead, pushing the ball towards the Holton side. The team passed left and right before eventually passing back to a wide-open Rayford near the goal. She easily scored, shooting the ball into the top corner out of reach of the Holton goalie, putting GDS up 2–1.
But they were not done yet. With just five minutes left in the game, Wosinska found an open lane to the goal and dribbled it up. The goalkeeper fell to the ground as the ball hit the back of the net. The Hoppers were now leading 3–1. Wosinska looked around in awe as her teammates surrounded her, cheering and chanting. The team could sense a win was in sight.
Holton, try as they might, failed to get even another attempt on goal as the Hoppers closed out the game, sealing a 3–1 victory.
Following the victory, head coach Katie Redmond complimented the Hoppers’ ability to bounce back after the early Holton goal. “Winning is a skill. It’s working, it’s being confident in yourself, and knowing as a group, we can come through and finish this game.” She paused for a moment. “They’re great teammates and great champions of each other,” she said.
The team will play next at Georgetown Visitation on Oct. 21.