Three years.
That was how long Aragon High School had gone undefeated against girls’ soccer until Tuesday, Dec. 9, when the Panthers clinched a 2-1 win in their first league game of the season.
Senior co-captain Gaelle-Anne Foy said the team was able to overcome its initial nerves as the game continued.
“I was definitely a little bit nervous, just because Aragon was a really, really tough team,” Foy said. “I think that everyone pulled through, and I think everyone played, even all the bench players played. I think that just shows how people, when they get out there, they really are working their hardest.”
Foy and senior co-captain Mika Haggarty kicked off the eventful first half with two goals, a victory Foy said was achieved through strong group effort.
“The goal was a combination of a bunch of other players as well, not just me. It came off a throw-in from Shaela to me,” Foy said. “So I feel that kind of shows our trust with each other, and just our ability to connect [with] each other.”
Fatigue quickly set in as the teams entered their second half, costing the Panthers a goal. Head coach Andrew Flaherty said he hopes to use the mistakes from the game as a learning tool during future practices.
“There’s a couple coverages that we probably, in hindsight, could have fixed,” Flaherty said. “But that’s all part of that. That’s all part of the approach to our game is being able to rotate and pass players on and fill in next spaces.”
With senior goalie Ellora Horan’s return after previous absences, Flaherty said Horan’s defense gave the Panthers an extra boost. He added that allowing everyone to play on the field helped bring the team together.
“If you’re on the varsity squad, you should be able to contribute,” Flaherty said. “So we needed some people to be able to jump in and contribute in different moments.”
Haggarty applauded the team’s accomplishments and said the game was a reflection of the team’s preparation and effort.
“To start off our league play with a win is really just a testament to how hard everyone on the team has been working, and it really showcases that under Coach Andrew and Coach Sophia’s leadership, we really gelled as a team, regardless of being intermixed ages and never playing together before,” Haggarty said.“It really goes to show how we’ve dealt together as a team and can play together to win.”
