On Sunday, Nov. 9, the women’s varsity soccer team was set to face off against Sidwell in the District of Columbia State Athletic Association (DCSAA) state championship game. But after 32 minutes, the game was postponed due to lightning and rain in the area.
“The DCSAA is going to look for another neutral site potentially for tomorrow’s game,” Athletic Director Mike Brooks said in an interview. “But it’s highly unlikely to find one on such short notice. If they’re not able to find one, we’ll decide in the morning and we would host at GDS at 2:45 tomorrow.”
According to an email from senior captain Rachel Sachs at 11:03 p.m., the game will be played at Catholic University at 4:00 p.m. The game will pick up where it left off, with 8:05 left in the first half.
Before the GDS game even began, there had already been delays: The men’s championship game between Washington International School and St. John’s College High School, which was played before the women’s game, went to double overtime and a penalty shootout. Therefore, the women’s game started at 8:00 p.m., as opposed to its scheduled kick-off time of 7:00 p.m.
As the teams lined up to begin the match, an ominous drizzle began to coat the field.
It did not take long for Sidwell to score, coming off a fast break less than ten minutes into the game. But fueled by the GDS fans’ persistent cheers, junior Shanez Benyoucef scored midway through the first half. The Sidwell goalie dove on the ground, and Benyoucef took advantage of the opportunity to kick the ball into a wide open net, tying the game.
The goal from Benyoucef left the crowd on their feet stomping on the bleachers, waiting for more.
But more would never come, as the drizzle suddenly turned into a downpour, and lightning began to strike in the distance.
A referee on the field blew his whistle: A standard 30-minute delay of game had been called. The score stood at 1–1, with just a few minutes left in the first half.
Josh Barr, who leads communications for DCSAA, explained that the association’s neutral athletic trainer is in charge of determining the course of action during inclement weather. She determined that a 30-minute delay and later a postponement were necessary.
Fans and players rushed to take cover from the floods of rain as they waited for further information from staff members about the status of the match.
The full half hour passed before the athletic trainer announced that the game would be postponed to another day.
“She told us at the conclusion of the thirty minutes that there was still lightning in the area and based on her looking at the radar, she did not think we would be able to resume before at least 10:00,” Barr said. “And at that point it’s too late to resume the game.”
By the time the fans filed out of the stadium, it was pitch black outside. They had endured hours of rain and cold to cheer on their team in the state championship, but they would have to wait for another day.
Sam Gross contributed reporting.