On Tuesday, Oct. 6, the GDS women’s varsity soccer team lost 4–2 to Stone Ridge School. The loss brought their overall record to 4–5–1 and 0–4 in the Independent School League (ISL). On Oct. 14, the team lost 4–2 against The Potomac School, making their league record 0–5 and their overall record 4–6–1.
The team has been plagued by injuries this season—they’ve lost eight players, including some key starters, since the beginning of the year.
Both teams played with high intensity to start off the Oct. 6 match. About four minutes into the game, Benyoucef made it past the Stone Ridge defense and controlled a lofted pass at the top of the box before firing a shot into the top left corner, giving GDS an early 1–0 lead.
Despite the early deficit, Stone Ridge kept up the pressure, dominating possession and staying in GDS’ half. But after Stone Ridge lost the ball at midfield, Wosinska dribbled into space and struck the ball from outside the box—just over the outstretched hands of the Stone Ridge goalkeeper. “There were two people in front of me, so I thought that I should just shoot it,” Wosinska said. The goal extended the Hoppers’ lead to two.
But with about three minutes left in the half, a Stone Ridge attacker dribbled past Lewis and curled the ball into the bottom left corner, making the score 2–1.
Right after the half, a Stone Ridge player shot the ball into the top left corner of the goal and tied the game at two, solidifying the comeback.
With about eight minutes left in the match, Stone Ridge dribbled their way into the GDS half and shot the ball into the top of the net, giving Stone Ridge a 3–2 lead. The Stone Ridge players and their fans were ecstatic.
Minutes later, Stone Ridge crossed the ball into the penalty box and a player headed the ball into the net, extending their lead to two. The two teams remained scoreless for the final five minutes of the game, and the game ended 4–2, Stone Ridge.
“We just need to know how to be able to play a full 80 minutes, because we came out so strong in the beginning, but we slowly got more tired, and we played worse,” Wosinska said. “We just need 100 percent for the entire game.”
GDS will play their senior night game at home on Monday, Oct. 19 against Flint Hill School at 4:15 p.m.