Girls’ Soccer Pleased With Debut Performance
Exeter girls’ varsity soccer kicked off their season at the Berwick Academy Jamboree this past Saturday. The team first lost to Berwick, then tied against Tilton School and finished off the day with a win against Holderness School.
Lower Ogechi Nwankwoala thought the team had the potential to win all three games because they were closely matched. She mentioned that one of the team’s strongest components was their passing and communication, crediting their success to through-balls that girls ran onto and scored on. “We kept getting better each game we played at the jamboree despite the fact that we were tired,” Nwankwoala said. “I think that showed us that with more and more practice we’ll get a lot better as the season goes on.”
Upper Maria Heeter agreed with Nwankwoala that the team improved as the day went on. “If we were playing the level we were at the end for the entire event, I’m confident that we would’ve won all three,” she said.
The team is scheduled to play Holderness again later this month. Senior Hannah Gustafson pointed out that Big Red still needs time to learn how to work together as “one unit.” She pointed out several errors that can be improved such as hesitating before shooting and slow transitions up the field. “Even though we beat Holderness it does not mean they won’t improve and come out firing at the end of the season when we play them,” Gustafson said.
This year, the team is welcoming several new players, such as postgraduate Katarina Cucullo. Upper Louisa Bartkovich praised her for her hard work. “[Katarina] really helped us play harder,” Bartkovich said.
Cucullo mentioned how the “quick transition from tryouts to a game” was something she was not used to. However, she found the jamboree to be a fun learning experience for the team. “The girls were super nice and welcoming at preseason,” Cucullo said. “It was nice to go to preseason if you were nervous because you could get a few days in before tryouts.”
Prep Dennesha Rolle feels that the girls are already becoming close. “The team is really inclusive which I know I appreciate, and they are also really supportive,” she said. “Even with the varying ages and classes, the team works very well together, and I’m excited to see that grow as time goes on.”
“We not only possessed the ball through all three games, but responded quickly to coaches’ criticism. This is a huge testament to how much our team dynamic has and continues to improve with the new roster.”
Senior and co-captain Daniela Nemirovsky is proud of how the team played and optimistic about the season because of the talent of the new players. “We not only possessed the ball through all three games, but responded quickly to coaches’ criticism,” she said. “This is a huge testament to how much our team dynamic has and continues to improve with the new roster.”
Senior and co-captain Grace Pratt also felt like the jamboree went well. “Seeing as we finalized our roster on Friday night, we haven’t really had time just as a varsity team, so it will be interesting to see how we improve after we’ve practiced together for a bit,” Pratt said.
Big Red’s first home game will be Saturday at 2 p.m. against Choate Rosemary Hall. Last season, the girls lost 0-5. However, they are hopeful that the game will be closer this year.
Lower Samantha Weaver thought the jamboree was a great way to start the season and believes they will improve as the season progresses. “Choate always has a really strong team but we have the advantage of a home field so I anticipate the score to be much closer than last year,” she said.