There were two minutes left in the game. The score was 0–0, and tensions were escalating; anxious shouts of encouragement rang out from fans supporting both GDS and Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School. Each team was tired and desperate to score to send them to the state championship. GDS soon learned it could count on junior Alexis Rayford to do just that. With mere minutes remaining on the clock, Rayford dribbled down the field and slotted the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal, advancing the Hoppers to their first state championship since 2018.
On Friday, the women’s varsity soccer team faced off against Visitation in the semifinals of the District of Columbia State Athletic Association (DCSSA) tournament. GDS came into the game hot off a nailbiting 1–0 victory against Maret in the quarterfinals, in which sophomore Cia Carr scored the game winning goal in the last minute. Going into the tournament, GDS was the first seed and Visitation was the fourth seed.
The game started with steady and tough plays from both sides. GDS ran their offense mainly from longballs played by their defense and senior goalkeeper Corina Bellermann. The defenses controlled the first half of the game, as both offenses struggled to get shots on goal. GDS had a chance to score off a rebounded shot from freshman Elise Wosinska, but the Cubs’ defense cleared the ball out of danger. On the other end of the field, Bellermann made multiple great saves to stop Visitation from scoring, including a diving save off a breakaway play with four minutes left. The first half ended 0–0, with neither team letting up on their intensity and physicality.
“We put it all on the line and we just tried really hard,” co-captain Theo Foer said, emphasizing their relentless effort and pressure on the ball.
GDS started the second half with the ball and immediately played a longball to set up a possible scoring opportunity but were called on an offside penalty. The teams then traded possession for a few minutes before Visitation created an opportunity. They played a long ball to their attacker, who shot the ball over the crossbar, squandering one of their few scoring opportunities.
With about 20 minutes to go in the second half, sophomore Naomi Berger was tripped by a Visitation player just outside the box. The foul resulted in a free kick. The crowd grew silent in anticipation as Berger kicked the ball towards the goal, but the ball clanged off the post and bounced away. The post has become one of GDS’ most feared adversaries in recent games; in last week’s Independent School League (ISL) semifinals loss against Sidwell, GDS hit two of its four penalty shots off the frame of the goal.
With 15 minutes left in the second half, freshman Naomi Netter was fouled by a Visitation defender inside the penalty box, giving GDS a penalty. The Hoppers elected to have Foer take the penalty. The crowd was on its feet. There was a look of fierce determination on the captain’s face as she kicked the ball towards the bottom left corner of the net. But it was not to be: The Visitation goalie dived towards the ball and was just barely able to block the ball out of the net.
Both missed shots, however, weren’t enough to deter the Hoppers. Rayford received a long ball in the final minutes, dribbled past the Visitation defenders and scored the clutch goal. The crowd erupted when the ball sailed into the bottom left corner; GDS was going to the DCSAA state championship.
“We needed this,” Rayford said. “We worked all game just to take a shot and put the ball in the net.”
The familiarity of the matchup made the win especially meaningful. “Today was tough,” head coach Katie Redmond said. “That was the third time we played this team in three weeks, and we’ve come out ahead twice, and I think we just really fought as a group until the end.”
“I think we played outstanding,” Berger said. ”We did so well, we worked really well together, and we kept our hopes up and played till the end. We really wanted it.”
GDS will play Sidwell in the DCSAA championship on Sunday, Nov. 9 at Catholic University.