Girls Soccer Scores With Young Talent, Veteran Leadership
Despite bad weather and bad luck with injuries, the girls came within an inch of making the playoffs. Photo: Continental Studios
By GISELLE TOLENTINO
Giselle Tolentino is a member of the Girls Soccer Team.
After a soggy 11 rainy matches and an astonishing last game win against John Dewey, the Girls Varsity Soccer team’s season came to an end on October 20, as they tied with three other schools for the fourth seed, barely missing out on the playoffs.
During the pre-season, the girls saw one of their biggest wins in a non-league game.
“Defeating Madison twice this season meant a lot to me,” said co-captain and starting defender Jasmine Dominguez ‘24. “In my previous two seasons on the team, we never managed to win the ‘Battle of Bedford.’ Our scrimmage against them at the end of August was our first game of the season and really put us to the test in seeing how our new team could compete this year.”
Despite taking three losses at the beginning of the season, a hard fought 3-2 game against Murrow on September 23 left a huge impact for many players.
“When it seemed like the game was going to end in a tie, we clutched in the last two minutes and took the W,” Dominguez said. "Despite the rough start to the season, this was a game that kept us all optimistic and pumped for the games to come.”
Sabine Crawford, a freshman who joined the team and immediately started to light up the field with nine goals and three assists on the season, said, “Winning against Murrow during overtime in the pouring rain was such a hard but fun game.” Crawford, who scored the golden goal for the team, called it one of her biggest moments.
The ‘23-‘24 season was especially hard due to injuries to many key players.
“New Utrecht was genuinely one of the most frustrating games we had,” Jana Ahmed, a starting junior, said. “In the beginning, one of our most important teammates had an injury that stopped her ability to play for the rest of the season. Then right after, we had another injury for another teammate. It really affected the way we played and damaged our morale.”
The season has been an eye opener for many returning players after losing five starters to graduation. This meant the team had to depend a lot more on their underclassmen.
Sam Ragonne-Moletter, an incoming freshman with a fierce aura on and off the field, felt “nervous because it was a new school with new people, but during the season it was so much fun.”
Despite finishing with a 3-4-1 record, the girls always made sure to value sportsmanship and keep their environment safe and fun.
Katherine Omari ‘27 said that “everyone on the team was nice” and willing to help.
Agatha Altwies ‘27 said, “It’s mostly the small moments that stick with me during practice or at the 7-11 when everyone is laughing and having fun.”
As the team built up their relationships and worked through the rainy weather and injuries, it was soon time for their final game against John Dewey, which would determine if they still had a chance for playoffs.
Much of the game was spent in a nail-biting tie. However, in the second half, Crawford broke through with a game winning goal. As soon as the referee blew the whistle, the team ran to their goalie, filling their side of the field with laughter and tears.
Elani Perez ‘27 stated, “I didn’t expect this game to happen the way it did. It was crazy. After they scored, we scored, and it kept going back and forth until we made a huge comeback.”
Captains Jovanna Tomaszek and Dominguez were full of joy, but they knew that the chances for a playoff berth were still slim. In the end, the girls weren’t able to qualify and will have to wait for next year to get another shot.
“It was such an honor to be able to play with such friendly and talented girls,” Dominguez said. “I’m very happy to see how we all got along and how close we all became on and off the field. I saw a lot of potential in them and I still see a bright future for Midwood soccer for these next few years.”