Furious Finale Sees Varsity Fall Just Short Versus Ridgefield

The changing of the seasons was evident in the drop in temperature at kick-off as the setting sun sent rays through the colorful trees lining the Girls’ Varsity soccer pitch. Set up in a 3-4-3, the Cougars were again down three regulars and were boosted by the aid of three brave players from the MS team. The game kicked off, and it was clear that Ridgefield came to compete and had talent, in particular in the form of a skillful central defender, a powerful center forward and an incredibly talented attacking midfielder. The defense did an amazing job to contain and frustrate the latter of these, clearly more than she was used to being thwarted, led by the vocal leadership of Daisy in central defense and co-captains Caroline and Clare, who flanked her on either side. On the one occasion where a deflected clearance landed at the Ridgefield forward’s feet, her blistering strike from close range along the end line was tipped with two confident hands over the crossbar by Hannah, who had barely a moment to react to the thunderbolt. Play was fairly even throughout the first half, as Sloane and Lillian once again provided width and hustle down the left flank to keep the Cougars spread out. It was this flank that would produce the opening tally: after the two left-sided players put pressure on the Ridgefield defense, a half-clearance was sent to the midfield line where Clare launched a one-time pass over the top for Victoria to latch on to. The center-midfielder beat her foe with pace and measured a low finish from just to the left of the penalty spot into the near bottom corner for a lead 11 minutes into the match. The lead was well protected until five minutes before halftime when the pace of the Ridgefield captain was suddenly on display, getting in behind down the left channel and calmly finishing her equalizer on a 1v1 chance. 

This moment and three more at the beginning of the second half - one a blast from 25 yards, one a chip from a tight angle and another a blast from 16 yards - proved how impressively the back three had dealt with this experienced and skilled midfielder through the opening 20 minutes. The visible frustration had now turned to elation just five minutes into the second half, and Ridgefield seemed to be cruising to a 4-1 victory. 

The hosts, however, had other ideas. Tata came on in the second half and worked tirelessly on the left side to win and advance the ball. Luna protected the back three in the defensive central midfield and was able to retain possession in tight spaces, making several key passes and tackles. And Ella, forced into a new role through teammates’ injuries, led the line at center striker, stretching the defense and playing her usual fearless brand of football. Defending effectively and simply not giving up paid off in the most telling of ways: Victoria chased down a loose ball at the top of the penalty area and received a blasted clearance off her ribs from close range. The deflected ball rolled all the way from the top of the penalty area to just shy of the corner flag, and the opponents seemed so surprised by the sound and fury of the collision that they were slow to react to Victoria chasing down the loose ball. She then dribbled it across the end-line and, with Lillian, Ella and Nat streaming into the box, used her teammates as decoys to distract the defense and 'keeper and fired a finish from a tight angle to make it 4-2 with eight minutes on the clock. 

The pressure continued, and with three minutes remaining, India’s fine performance earned her a moment of brilliance: she received the ball from her left midfield position, cut into the center circle on the defensive half of the field and measured an inch-perfect through-ball down the right channel to Nat. The right-midfielder still had much to do, but she took two touches with the outside of her right boot, held off the shoulder challenge from the central defender and fired a shot from 17 yards just under the crossbar to cut the deficit to one. 

After the Cougras conceded a corner shortly after the kickoff, Hannah handled a series of shots before corralling one and sending a deep punt into the Ridgefield end, giving the visitors a nervous finish with several three throw-ins to defend. The final whistle came before NCCS could equalize, but the team was appropriately proud of a fantastic effort against a talented visiting squad.