Highlight: Girls’ Varsity Soccer (09/26/2024)

By JOHANNA HILLMAN and SOPHIE ZHU

    It was sunny on Wednesday afternoon as the Exeter Girls’ Varsity Soccer team took to the field to play their first game against Brooks School in North Andover. Exeter had previously scrimmaged with Brooks, and lost.

    The game started out slow, with the first 10 minutes seeing little to no action. For almost the entirety of the first half, Exeter and Brooks exchanged almost-goals, with both sides making plays for a goal but neither scoring.

    However, towards the end of the first half, Brooks scored the first goal of the game. Watching from the sidelines, you could feel the tension in the air at that moment as the Exeter girls realized the game was getting serious.   

    As the players retreated to their benches for halftime, the score stood at 0-1, Brooks leading. The Exeter team stood in a tight circle on the sidelines of the field as Coach Diego Ardura spoke to the team.

    As halftime ended and the players found themselves back on the field, the second half opened with intensity from both teams.

    However, Brooks quickly widened their lead, scoring two more goals in the second half.

    With only five minutes remaining, lower Lily Lombardi spotted an opening and dashed down the sideline to chase the ball. Coach Ardura rallied the players on the sidelines, urging them to cheer louder. The field resounded with Big Red’s spirited support.

    Despite an impressive first goal of the season by upper Sylvia Guarracino, Exeter girls’ varsity soccer fell to Brooks School with a final score of 1-3. Nevertheless, morale remained high throughout the game, and they pushed until the final whistle, the cheers of the team and the spectators alike growing louder in encouragement.

    There were various challenges coming into the game with Brooks School. “Brooks plays a 3-5-2 formation that really tests our ability to work as a team, and though the score shows one thing, we did a really good job dropping and supporting the defense,” noted upper Morgan Signore.

    Co-Captain Ella Shea echoed this sentiment and highlighted their training strategies leading up to the game. “We’ve mostly been practicing on defensive and offensive formations. Coach [Ardura] has done an amazing job of recreating game-like situations.”

    Brooks had the advantage on paper, bringing a larger team, so players had to focus on improving their physicality and ensuring their technique during practice. Coach Diego Ardura’s strategic approach was evident in the team’s performance. “Soccer balls in the air was one of our biggest things. Coach Diego wrote soccer balls in the air on the whiteboard, making sure we’re getting those. They’re also very technical. When we’re on defense, we make sure that we are pressing high, but we’re not lunging in so that they don’t blow past us and score a goal,” Shea said about other difficulties that they faced. “I think we were really consistent throughout the game, which is great. Even though we didn’t get the result we wanted to, it was so much better. This is like the best I’ve seen this soccer team.”

    Others felt similarly. “The team had a lot of positive energy,” said Annabel Jordan, a new prep on the team. “We really worked on communication, and defending as a team instead of individually.” The most important thing the team did during the game was “giving our all on the field and working together,” Jordan said.

    During the game, the team and Coach Ardura focused on implementing a pressing system, a strategy designed to disrupt the Brooks’ ability to move the ball up the field smoothly. When Brooks’ goalie had possession of the ball, instead of allowing them to kick it far upfield, the pressing system forced them to make shorter passes to their defenders. Exeter then applied pressure on these defenders, limiting their options and increasing the chance of regaining possession. This tactic aimed to prevent Brooks from effectively passing the ball to their midfielders and forwards, thereby creating more opportunities for turnovers and potential goals.

    In addition to new strategies, the team has been working on building morale this season, particularly with the addition of many new players and coming off a loss from Choate, through team dinners and team-bonding activities.

    “The team has really great chemistry this year. Everyone is so eager and happy to be there, and when you watch the team play or listen to the bench, it’s so clear. Coach Diego puts a very heavy emphasis on our team dynamic, especially the idea of family. All of the little things make a huge difference in our on-field connection,” said Signore. “We have 3 core team values, but one that always stands out to me is confianza, or trust.”

    The Exeter girls’ varsity soccer team’s performance against Brooks School may not have resulted in a win, but it highlighted their perseverance, teamwork, and determination—qualities that will undoubtedly serve them well throughout the season. “Comparing our first scrimmage to our most recent game, we look like a totally different team,” Signore recalled, “It speaks to the team’s ability to adapt. Our ball movement, our offensive and defensive shape, the speed at which we step to the ball or anticipate movement, everything is drastically improved, and we’re barely into the season.”