Tuesday, September 7, the MIHS Girls Soccer team won their first game of the season against Ballard 3-1 in a lively and energetic home stadium.
“Having the crowd and all the fans was so much fun,” left midfielder Caley Newcomer said. “[The fans] really kept the momentum going even when we were getting tired.”
In the first half, the Islanders kept steady pressure on Ballard, who in turn had a strong defense. About 30 minutes in, however, the Islanders had almost four attempts to score, while Ballard had only one shot on goal.
Jenna Martin scored the first goal of the game for the Islanders, and shortly after the start of the second half, Newcomer scored as well.
“We moved the ball well and communicated really well, especially since this was our first game,” Newcomer said.
With about 20 minutes left in the game, leading 2-1, Samantha Weiss of the Islanders was able to score a crossing goal for the Islanders, leading them to a 3-1 victory.
The Islanders are far from a perfect team, as they are only one game into the season, but they certainly have a few strengths.
“One thing our team is really good at is long balls and crosses,” Newcomer said. “We have really good vision of the field which creates a lot of opportunities.”
Throughout the game, the MIHS student section was filled with clapping and cheering after each Islander goal. Much of this excitement came from the inability of both the players and the fans to fully come together last season, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think not playing last year brought our team closer together,” Newcomer said. “We all feel like we missed out on a year so we all want to make the most of this one.”
The Islanders’ next home game will be Tuesday, Sept. 14 against Lake Washington.
