On March 24, the McLean girl’s varsity soccer team played their first game of the season on home turf against the Alexandria City Titans. In the aftermath of their previously canceled game in a storm of rain-filled disappointment, the Highlanders were eager to take on their next match.
“We were super excited to play against Alexandria tonight, especially since our first game was canceled due to the tornado warning,” senior goalie Aimee Abraham said. “It was really nice that our first game of the season was at home.”
Within the first 5 minutes of the first half, the Titans netted a goal on McLean. Nevertheless, McLean remained relentless, persisting in keeping a strong defense. Abraham came in clutch for the team, blocking critical shots from Alexandria City.
“During practice we worked a lot on our press up top, and I think we put Alexandria under a lot of pressure that way,” head coach Austin Vassallo said. “We’ve really worked through our formation a lot, and that went really well.”
The rest of the first half remained largely uneventful, with both teams struggling to break through the opposing defense. McLean’s midfield worked hard to maintain possession, passing the ball strategically and testing the Titans’ back line while their defense stayed disciplined, blocking shots and intercepting passes.
However, as the Highlanders closed in with a pep talk during halftime, a switch was flipped in both mentality and game strategy.
“We figured out that they were pressing really low [during the first half], so we needed to pass [the ball] around, stay calm and not get too excited [or] nervous when playing around the back,” freshman striker Naomi Plerhoples said. “It was only 1-0, so it wasn’t a super big lead [and] we knew we could come back from it.”
Going into the second half, McLean continued to press their opponents with more aggression and confidence. The tables began to turn in favor of the Highlanders as they scored their first goal of the game, bringing the score to 1-1. With the score tied, the Highlanders pushed forward with renewed energy, testing the Titans’ defense.
“[Plerhoples] took the ball way down the line and found [sophomore midfielder Rafi Taylor] right on her feet,” Vassallo said. “We’re not a great heading team, so we kept our crosses on the ground, put in the back of the net and got ourselves right back in the game.”
Despite earlier setbacks, the Highlanders remained undeterred from executing the plays they practiced with perfection, allowing them to score a second goal with 11 minutes left in the second half. Sophomore midfielder Amalia Torpy assisted senior striker Ashley O’Sullivan in her goal, sending McLean up into the lead 2-1.
As McLean walked off the field with a win against Alexandria City under their belt, they looked towards the near future of the rest of their season in the hopes of more triumphs. The next upcoming game the Highlanders will be at Westfield on March 26, where they hope to add on a second win to their resume.
“When you get scored on in the first couple minutes, it’s definitely a defeat for the team, but we did a great job of coming back,” Abraham said. “We pressed them hard the entire rest [of the] second half, got that goal in the first couple minutes and we were able to keep the energy up very well throughout the rest of the game.”
