After an intense and hard-fought game, the girls varsity soccer team tied against the Field School on Thursday with a final score of 4-4. Despite their rough start, the Lions were able to recover quickly and play competitively throughout the rest of the game.

The game was fast-paced, as the Lions allowed a goal within the first two minutes. They responded quickly, however, with a goal of their own just a few minutes later. But their defensive struggles continued throughout the game.

“Our defensive communication wasn’t good. We need to talk more in general for our defense to be better,” junior Leah Harrison said. 

Harrison, one of the team’s lead scorers, ended the game with two goals and an assist. But this offensive power was not enough to solidify the lead, as Field competed hard and was able to answer each JDS goal with a goal of their own.

“I mean, they’re just tenacious,” head coach Paul Simonetti said. “They play hard all the time and I knew it was going to be a tough game like this coming in.”

Simonetti, who is in his second season as the Lions’ head coach, is proud of his team and saw this game as a mere fluke from a coaching standpoint.

“I think the field was tilted in our direction. We just didn’t hit some of those shots that were just so close,” Simonetti said.

Senior captain Devorah Freeman, who was unable to play due to a concussion, watched from the bench and saw this game as an opportunity for growth as a team.

“We need to work on communication,” Freeman said. “There’s a lot of confusion and clumping and I think if everyone just talked about where to go and work a little more as a team together then we would do really well.” 

Despite their poor communication, the Lions were able to keep the game competitive. A clutch goal by senior captain Elana Skolnick-Einhorn with only a few minutes left sent the game to overtime, where both teams ultimately fell short of victory.

The intensity of this specific matchup was not a new experience for the Lions, as the team lost to Field last year in the semifinals, just out of reach of the championship. 

After playing the Field School a few times in his coaching career and falling short of the win twice, Coach Simonetti remains confident in his players and knows the future is bright. 

“They persevere, recover, and hustle, and that’s what they do all the time, and they get better at it every day,” Simonetti said.