Photo courtesy of Ramsey Scott
Choate Girls’ Varsity Soccer had a major 5-2 home win over Kent on November 3, adding to their already impressive 11-win record. The game started energetically as Paley Adelson-Grodberg ’22 snuck past Kent’s defense, putting Choate on the board less than a minute into the game. Team manager Adama Sowe ’23 described the first goal as “amazing,” noting that the team “started very strong.” Just a minute later, Captain Ava Gizzie ’23 scored, solidifying a 2-0 lead.
For the next three minutes Choate dominated the pace of the game, keeping the ball primarily on Kent’s side of the field and blocking any offensive attempts. Moments later, Lexi Taylor ’23 drew a penalty kick that she scored, putting Choate ahead by three goals. Following the kick off after Choate’s third goal, Kent was able to quickly move the ball up the field. A defensive stop gave Kent a throw-in, leading to a cross in front of the goal. Luckily, Captain Sophia Zhang ’23 was able to force the Kent player off the ball, kicking it out of bounds, leading to a corner kick. Kent’s physicality following the corner yielded them two headers — however, both were saved by Choate’s goalie, Maddi Genovese ’23. The ensuing counterattack demonstrated Choate’s dominant ball movement. Despite Kent’s aggressive defense, Taylor was able to convert, marking her second goal of the game and putting Choate up 4-0 just six minutes into the game.
With a strong lead in the game, Choate began substituting many of their starters out but were still able to stall Kent’s offense. However, following a series of minor defensive blunders by Choate, Kent was able to sneak one into the goal with less than a minute left in the half. Sowe explained that the team was “not expecting [Kent’s ability] to use their bodies to get some balls,” and recognized that it took the team time to adjust. The rest of the period saw no movement, with Kent displaying a newfound defensive aggression. The first half ended with a foul being called and Kent and the scoreboard reading 4-1, Choate.
The second half brought a sudden, yet short lived, change in momentum. Within five minutes, a corner kick led to a close shot. Kent was able to score, narrowing the gap between Choate to only two goals. The next ten minutes of the game consisted of a series of good offensive attempts by Choate and the return of a strong defense, holding Kent to only one shot following their goal. Nevertheless, the score remained unchanged well into the last twenty minutes of the match. The continuation of offensive pressure allowed Choate to get multiple, but unfortunately unsuccessful, shots on the goal. The stalemate continued until Mia Bratti ’25 beat her defender, scoring on a fast break with three minutes left in regulation. Choate’s uncompromising defense yielded Kent only two goals, ending the game with a final score of 5-2.
With this win, for the first time in four years, the Girl’s Varsity Soccer Team was able to achieve 12 wins in a season. Sowe attributes the team’s success to their communication and positive attitude that has allowed them to “stay strong together throughout the entire season.” She continued, “We are so excited for the playoffs and all the girls are excited to play under the pressure. I am so proud of them.”
