Girls’ soccer tied Boston Latin 2-2 Saturday, Sept. 21, at home, in a hard-fought, intense matchup.
As the first half kicked off, neither team staked enough of a claim on the ball to secure an early advantage.
According to senior Eden Cha, a captain with seniors Alissa Kraus and Vivian Kritzer, the heavy downpour during the game “had an impact because the ball is so much harder for the forwards to control off of big kicks.”
Boston Latin made the first contribution to the scoreboard when the team was granted a penalty kick. After swiftly making the free shot on goal proved beneficial, Boston Latin pulled into the lead.
“In the first half we possessed but had a hard time getting forward,” said Brian Leighton, the head coach.
The score remained 1-0 in favor of Boston Latin throughout the rest of the first half.
After the half, North came back with a new attitude and a stronger will to win, according to Leighton.
The Tigers gained control of the ball early in the second half. Throughout the rest of the game, North dominated possession of the ball, allowing the team to show off its offensive skill.
According to Cha, the lineup was changed for this game as junior Grace Marchand experimented in a new spot on the field. Marchand, despite typically being a defender, is the team’s leading scorer this season.
“For me, the highlight of the game was definitely seeing Grace play more of a forward position,” said Cha.
The tides began to turn for North as junior Shiaowei Qu took advantage of a corner kick and scored the team’s first goal of the game.
Despite an impressive display of agility and coordination by the Boston Latin goalie, Kritzer’s mental game and durability, according to Kraus, allowed her to slip past and score North’s second goal.
Kritzer “was constantly being an option after passing and making mindful movements,” said Cha. “It’s a lot harder than you think.”
The Tigers, leading 2-1, remained in possession until the final minute when Boston Latin launched a last-ditch effort to change the score in their favor. However, North’s aggressive attempts to stop their advance awarded Boston Latin another penalty kick. Boston Latin made the kick, ending the game with a tie.
According to Kraus, the result of the game was disappointing. “It didn’t really feel right to have the game be decided on something that wasn’t clear and obvious,” Kraus said, “I think we definitely deserved the win, but we’re not going to dwell on it.”
North 3-4-2 defeated Milton at home on Tuesday, Sept. 24. Their next game will be against Central Catholic at Lowell-Umass Cushing on Monday, Sept. 30.
