GJVS Ends Season With 1-0 Win Over St. Mark's

The Girls’ JV Soccer team ended their very successful season with a 1-0 victory against archrival St. Mark’s on Saturday. This was an evenly matched game. St. Mark’s came in with the better record – only two losses all fall – but Groton’s girls were peaking at just the right time, as evidenced by a series of excellent practices this week.

 

Groton started off quickly, holding the ball in the St. Mark’s end of the field for the first few minutes of the game and getting off several shots, the most dangerous coming from Calen Cagney. Assisted by a blustery tailwind, SMS regrouped and managed to hold the territorial advantage for the middle of the first half, and then the teams traded chances the rest of the way. Alex Canellakis had a couple of good runs down the right side and put a shot wide of the net. Lidia Spada also had some success fighting her defender up top. Sarah Beran and Alesandra Powell each played very well at left mid. Alesandra worked with Maya Varkey to advance the ball and create some good chances, while Sarah displayed both confidence and skill as she won balls under pressure and passed extremely well. At the other end, St. Mark’s came close when a shot during a goalmouth scramble eluded keeper Anna Pimentel, but Emily Pollis was behind her near the goal line and cleared the ball safely away. Minutes later, Anna dived to her right and managed to get her fingers on a dangerous shot, deflecting it just enough that Leah Canellakis was able to clear it out of harm’s way.

 

With the wind at our backs in the second half, Groton’s hustle and teamwork allowed us to maintain more consistent pressure on the SMS defense. Maya Varkey had several great runs down the left side while Riya Varkey worked up the middle. Emily Pollis played the entire game at center mid, and her hustle played a huge role in helping us maintain possession. Calen Cagney controlled the ball from the right mid position, feeding Elena Junkala for several dangerous opportunities. This teamwork paid off about ten minutes into the half, as Calen placed a corner kick right in front of the SMS goal. With several players all scrambling for it, Elena corralled the ball and bounced it into the net for the only goal of the game.

 

Later on in the half, Sabrina Rich came in at right mid and Calen moved up to the forward line, where her ball possession skills allowed us to continue controlling the play. Meanwhile, Sabrina provided an extra layer of defense, and our back line of Isabel Brown, Addison Hyde, Leah Canellakis and Lauren Clark (assisted for a while by Lidia Spada) let very few balls get by. Goalkeeper Lilly Gordon was tested a couple of times, though, and showed great instincts and poise in aggressively coming out from the goal to grab the ball before SMS could get off a solid shot, thereby preserving the shutout and Groton’s victory.

 

Player of the Game was Sabrina Rich. As we’ve come to expect this year, Sabrina’s play at midfield was a blend of tenaciousness and defense. She was solid in the first half today, and in the second half she helped lock down the SMS offense once Groton had taken the lead. Honorable mention to Tai Campbell, Maya Luthi, Annie O’Leary, Julia Trowbridge, Fio Viacava, and Angela Wei. While these girls saw less playing time today than the others mentioned above, their hard work and hustle ensured that there was absolutely no letdown in Groton’s play when they went onto the field. In addition, their enthusiasm and encouragement from the sidelines buoyed their teammates and carried us to victory.

 

Thank you to the parents and family members who watched us today, and to those who brought the post-game snacks. Your support today and throughout the season has been very much appreciated.