The girls varsity soccer team lost to the Field School 7-1 in a hard-fought, fast-paced game on Thursday afternoon.

From the start of the game until the end, you could feel the Lions’ passion and effort. They began the game passing very well and were able to get some opportunities to score. 

Through the first half, the Falcons had a very aggressive offense and maintained possession of the ball. Nevertheless, the Lions showed a strong defensive stand and cleared the ball out of their own 18-yard box. 

As the first half went on, the momentum was in favor of the Falcons. That all changed when senior and co-captain Ally Knapp squeezed in the first goal of the game on a breakaway from the defense.  

“We have been connecting a lot better by making plays and communicating a lot better,” Knapp said. The Lions were making smart plays on both ends of the fields, creating small windows of opportunity for their players to score. 

Although the Lions had the lead, it did not last long as the Falcons responded with an even stronger push on the offensive end, applying pressure to the Lions defense and getting multiple chances to score. Time after time the Lions were able to fend off the Falcons until a gap between the defense appeared and allowed one of the Falcons players to score a quick goal to tie the game up at one. 

As the second half began, the Falcons showed a relentless offensive game, getting opportunity after opportunity to score. The Lions’ tough defense that showed throughout the first half did not carry over into the second half. A couple of minutes into the half, the Falcons were able to score another goal to put them in the lead. The Lions were clearly tired and made several mistakes on the defensive end.

The Falcons built on their lead as they scored six straight goals; the spark in the Falcons’ offense could not be stopped. Although at times the Lions had good chances of winning and played well, their efforts were not enough to stop the Falcons’ offense as they continued to score until the last whistle blew.

“I think we still need to work on being the first person to the ball and continue to stay optimistic whenever we start losing because sometimes we get one goal on us and we get really down, but I think we have to fight through the whole game together as a team,” Knapp said.

Assistant coach Hannah Ross built on Knapp’s positive message.

“I think they encourage one another. It’s a strong team that they have, and they have a lot of good chemistry on the field. We look to support one another and lift each other up,” Ross said.

The Lions play their next game against Sandy Spring Friends School on Wed., Oct. 16.