By Ashley Le
After suffering from three losses in two weeks, girls varsity soccer needed a win to secure their chance of qualifying for the CIF playoffs. Their determination was shown in their home game against Newport Harbor as Kasey Reeve (’15) scored twice to secure a win for the Lady Barons on Thursday, Feb. 6th.
The Lady Barons cautiously entered the game by playing defensively in the first few minutes. With an experienced junior captain Valerie Holler (’15) in the midfield, the girls quickly began to dominate proceedings and perhaps should have taken the lead after a few chances.
As the whistle to end the first half was about to be blown, they managed to get on the scoreboard in a familiar counter attack when Kiana Dinsmore (’15) provided a long ball for Reeve, who then scored with a brilliant half-volley. The first half ended with an advantage for the Barons, 1-0.
Newport Harbor began the second half pushing up the team with hope of equalizing the score. Their efforts paid off after ten minutes when the Barons defensive line made a mistake in the 18-yard box, allowing the Sailors to score. Many chances were created for Newport Harbor after that, but they could not find the way through goalkeeper Kaelyn Whitcomb (’16), who was brilliant in front of the goal.
Reeve came back on the field and immediately left an impact. In an attack started by Leigha Williams (’16) from the midfield, Reeve swapped passes with Abby O’Toole (’15) and guided the ball passed the Sailors’ goalkeeper into the goal, bringing the Barons ahead once again. The rain started to pour in the last 15 minutes of the game making it difficult for both team to adjust and 2-1 stayed as the final score.
With the victory against Newport Harbor, girls varsity soccer finally ended the loss streak, thus securing its third place in Sunset League. With two more games left in the season, the girls move one step closer to qualifying for the CIF playoffs after many years. The Lady Barons’ next home game, and also their last game of the season, will be against Edison next Thursday.
