The girls varsity soccer team defeated the Hillsdale Knights with help from an early goal by Samantha Phan, a junior, on Monday, Dec. 3.
In only their fourth game of the season, the Scots lacked some chemistry in their attack but got the job done thanks to good defending and Hillsdale faults.
“We have a very talented team that is still learning to play together,” said head coach John Wilkinson. “Our biggest struggle is playing cohesively.”
Struggles seemed to hurt the Scots early in the first half, as Hillsdale had much of the possession on Carlmont’s defensive end. Strong defense by sophomore center back Meagan Freeman led to a group of counter-attacks that helped the Scots get out of their early trouble.
Right as Carlmont began to get in their groove, a shot by Phan chipped over the keeper in the thirteenth minute, giving Carlmont the one-goal lead they would maintain throughout the game.
“Going up early gives our team a lot of momentum, but we also need to keep that momentum going,” Phan said.
The Scots’ early attacks revolved around Katie Blondino, a sophomore, who they looked to send up the right side of the field as much as possible. In the nineteenth minute, there was another chance for the Scots as they looked to pass sophomore Aleece Kessler the ball. The Carlmont attack eventually fell short as Hillsdale dropped back in their defense.
The counter-attacks looked good all night for the Scots, but they could never seem to connect their final-through pass.
Defender Rachel-Amir Chapman, a junior, felt that the counter-attack could have been better.
“We had a lot of good combos, but our final pass was not that good,” Chapman said.
The Scots continued to dominate play for the remainder of the first half, with senior goalkeeper Logan Bonetti and defenders Chapman and Freeman quickly shutting down the Knight’s few chances to attack.
“When you are winning a game, a lot of teams tend to lower the intensity, so there is not as much support [for the defense] because we are not as focused,” Chapman said.
Despite their relaxed manner, the Scots ended the first half with their 1-0 lead intact. The Scots went into halftime feeling they could have done better.
“I was a little scared after the first half because 1-0 is not a big lead,” Phan said.
After a quick halftime talk, the Scots came out hot, but a shot by Blondino was eventually saved by the Hillsdale keeper.
An ensuing back and forth ended in what seemed to be a tying goal for Hillsdale. After a quick chat between the assistant referee and the head referee, the goal was disallowed because the player was offside.
“The call was pretty close, and throughout the game, they sent a lot of really close through balls like that,” Chapman said.
Despite the score remaining in Carlmont’s favor, Hillsdale seemed to be in control midway through the second half.
“We were upset, but at the same time I knew that we would still have a good chance at coming back,” Kessler said.
The Scots did come back to keep possession and in the final ten minutes of the match, with shots by Kessler and Chiara Rigatuso, a senior, giving the team an energy boost. Once in possession, the Scots’ defense began to recover and stayed strong for the final minutes.
“In the second half, our defense was less timid, and we were able to step up,” Chapman said.
Carlmont passed the ball for the last minutes of the game to secure their 1-0 win, an excellent way to bounce back after losing in the last minute on Saturday, Dec. 1, to Piedmont Hills.
Carlmont will play next at home against Notre Dame on Tuesday, Dec. 4, where they will look to extend their winning streak. Hillsdale will also play on Tuesday, Dec. 4, at Lincoln.
Even though it is early in the season, Wilkinson has high hopes for the team. “I expect us to do really well in the league and beyond,” said Wilkinson. “The girls know what I expect from them.”
Regardless of the coaches expectations, the players themselves all want to make it far and plan on doing so.
“We really want to win league and go far in CCS,” Phan said.
