First Game!

The Red Dragons kicked off the soccer season in fantastic fashion on Saturday, demonstrating a spirit of teamwork and energy that usually takes much longer to develop. Although we have really only had one practice together as a unit, the girls played their hearts out despite the heat and a number of injuries. I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun!

Claire Wilson has a lot of speed and can deliver powerful kicks to drive the ball far down the field. Celine Shen played tough and wouldn’t let the ball get past her. Caroline Joseph seemed to be everywhere on the field at once and made several key plays. Rose Joseph was very aggressive attacking the ball and was great at following through after a kick.

Kaitlin Hao showed talent in dribbling and controlling the ball and gained confidence as the game progressed. Michele Etzbach had equal skill on offense and defense and several times knocked the ball away from the goal when the other team got close. Meghan Mariani also was a key contributor on defense and demonstrated good hustle and good sense in knowing where to be on the field.

Hadley Ryan and Jessica Westmont made several great saves taking turns playing goalie, and Jessica scored a goal just as the game was ending to tie it 1-1.

All in all, the girls have a lot to be proud of and – most importantly – seemed to enjoy themselves and work together as a team. We will keep on rotating the girls through every position in the field, and also do some scrimmages during practices. Thanks again for getting them involved in soccer!