GDS was down 1–0 with 38 minutes remaining in the game. Sophomore Naomi Berger crossed the ball just above the defenders’ heads into the box, and junior Shanez Benyoucef smashed the ball into the upper corner of the goal, tying the game.
Last Wednesday, GDS women’s varsity soccer battled Sidwell in the semifinals of the Independent School League (ISL) AA tournament. Despite a valiant effort by the Hoppers, Sidwell won in penalty kicks, 4–2.
The ISL is split into two divisions. The AA division is the upper division and A is the lower division.
Going into the game, GDS was ranked fourth in the AA standings, and Sidwell was ranked first. Sidwell lost to Potomac 4–0 in the final.
Sidwell controlled possession of the ball for half of the game. Twenty five minutes in, however, freshman Elise Wosinska received the ball and crossed it into the 18-yard box. Junior Eva Vinik took a controlling touch and slotted the ball into the bottom left corner. Then, the whistle blew. Wosinska was called on a hand ball; the goal was no good.
“It wasn’t a hand ball—it literally didn’t even touch her arm,” Berger said. “She crossed it in and Eva finished it.”
After the handball, a Sidwell player dribbled past the GDS defenders and scored, putting the Quakers up 1–0. GDS quickly ramped up their offensive pressure and created multiple scoring opportunities after Sidwell’s goal, but weren’t able to convert any of them.
“We were really persistent, and we kept fighting even after we were down and we worked really hard,“ Wosinska said. Wosinska set up her team with multiple chances to score, but most of the opportunities were either off-target shots or shut down by the Sidwell defense.
Early in the second half, Benyoucef scored to tie the game at one. After the goal, the teams played fairly evenly. Senior goalie and co-captain Corina Bellermann said she thought her teammates played well: “I am just super proud of how they played; I mean, it was a super tough opponent.” Bellermann made multiple saves in the second half.
During the final minutes of the second half, the players and crowd looked anxious. GDS struggled to create offensive opportunities and Sidwell kept missing shots. The pressure just kept mounting. With five minutes remaining, a Sidwell player took a touch just outside the 18-yard box, preparing to strike the ball. Berger, sensing a shot was coming, stepped up to steal the ball from the Sidwell attacker, tripping her in the process. Berger received a yellow card, and the Quakers lined up for a free kick.
The crowd fell silent in anticipation. The ball sailed hard towards the goal, but Bellermann leapt up and knocked the ball above the goal. The score remained tied with two minutes left in the game.
Stoppage time due to a Sidwell injury gave both teams more chances to score a desperately needed goal. However, GDS failed to convert on a corner kick, and Sidwell couldn’t take advantage of a bad pass from the Hoppers that could have led to a breakaway opportunity. Then, the whistle blew: The ISL AA semifinals were going into overtime.
Extra time consists of two five minute periods and, if the game is still tied, a penalty shootout. During both extra-time periods, Sidwell possessed the ball much more than GDS, but neither team had any opportunities to score. The game was still tied at 1–1, and the game would be decided in a penalty shootout. The tension in the crowd was suffocating. In a shootout, each team takes five penalty shots. The team who makes more shots wins.
Sidwell lined up to take its first shot. The Quaker player ran towards the ball and kicked it, hard. Bellerman dived the wrong way and the ball sailed into the back of the net. 1–0, Sidwell.
On GDS’ first penalty kick, Wosinksa walked towards the ball, concentration written all over her face. That walk slowly turned into a jog, then a run and then a full on sprint as she struck the ball. The GDS sideline held its collective breath as the ball came shooting towards the corner, then bounced off the post: no goal.
The second Sidwell shooter ran up towards the ball, then, wasting no time at all, kicked the ball straight into the back of the net. 2–0, Sidwell.
Then came junior Alexis Rayford. She stepped up towards the line and then expertly slotted the ball into the corner of the goal. The GDS sideline erupted in cheers.
The third Sidwell kicker ran towards the ball and nailed the third kick into the back of the net; the Quakers still hadn’t missed.
Senior Theo Foer took GDS’ third shot. The co-captain looked extremely focused as she ran forward and scored. The Hoppers weren’t finished yet.
Sidwell then made its fourth kick in a row and the Quakers sideline and bench erupted into cheers. 4–2, Sidwell.
The next penalty from GDS was the make or break: score, and extend the shootout. Miss, and go home. The pressure was on, and Benyoucef lined up to take the kick. Suddenly, the entire crowd was on its feet. Sidwell students got loud and GDS supporters yelled in encouragement. Benyoucef ran towards the ball and kicked it. It sailed towards the left side of the goal, and then, like Wosinka’s, hit the post and bounced off. There was a groan from the GDS supporters and a simultaneous roar from all the Sidwell fans. The Quakers had bested GDS in the tournament semifinals.
It was a heartbreaking loss for the women’s team. “I think we played really well,” freshman Aliana Cromer said. “I think that towards the end we were working really hard and working to get what we wanted but we didn’t play as well as we could have in the beginning and we’re all very upset but we tried our hardest.”
“We actually have really come together as a group this year,” head coach Katie Redmond said.
Though the Hoppers were eliminated from the ISL AA tournament, the team’s season is not over yet: They will play in the first round of the District of Columbia State Athletic Association (DCSAA) tournament next Friday, Nov. 7.
Jacob Blane contributed reporting.