Girls’ soccer earned a commanding 2-1 win against Brookline Thursday, Oct. 23. The matchup marked the Tigers’ last home game of the regular season and the team’s senior night.
“Our starting lineup was majority seniors, so we were ready to go out there and get the win tonight,” said senior Shiaowei Qu, a captain alongside seniors Eva Hautefeuille and Colleen Walsh. “This team means a lot to all of us.”
The game opened on a touching moment: senior Clara Binne took the kickoff, her first appearance on the field since her leg injury, before stepping off to continue her recovery.
The first half of the game was uneventful, with neither team scoring. Brookline was held off by sophomore Annabelle Wardly, who made several close saves in goal.
Near the middle of the second half, however, North began making strides. After a flurry of motion between the two teams, senior Grace Marchand possessed the ball and kicked to Hautefeuille, who scored a goal with a header. Walsh described this moment as a great display of teamwork.
“I think after the half, we came out with a lot of energy and a lot of intensity, and I could tell that we really wanted to win today,” said Qu.
Only a few minutes after North’s first goal, Marchand sent a perfect cross into the box. Junior Ella Avisror met it with a header to score.
“To score two goals off headers today was huge,” said head coach Brian Leighton. “That’s been our kind of kryptonite, in the sense of not getting up and heading the ball, defending, or attacking.”
Upon the game’s conclusion, the team quickly huddled on the sidelines before dispersing to greet friends and relatives. Many seniors fell into tears as they took in the overwhelming support surrounding them.
“I’m gonna miss everything,” said Qu. “Probably the people the most, and the team traditions. I’m gonna miss team dinners, I’m gonna miss talking with everyone, I’m gonna miss driving with them to training.”
One of the most heartwarming team traditions of all, though, came next. The seniors on the team lined up as the rest of the girls stood in a semicircle in front of them. Then, one by one, the juniors read poems created specifically for each senior, commemorating their time and impact on the team.
The seniors were then presented with another tradition: their custom-made sheets. Each sheet was decorated with a senior’s initials and things the team associates with them, such as certain music, foods, and phrases. Finally, the seniors ran across the turf with their sheets wrapped around them, savoring some of their last moments of the regular season.
The Tigers, 4-6-6, will play Weymouth High School Monday, Oct. 27.
