Busy Week for Stratford Girls Soccer – 4 Games in 5 Days

Stratford vs. Kingwood High School – 01.09.24

Your Spartan Varsity Girls Soccer Team was on the road again this week on Tuesday night to face the Mustangs of Kingwood High School (a rematch from the 2023 Regional Playoffs). Although the Lady Spartans were still missing a few starters, the girls came out firing, and 5 minutes into the game, Sophomore Sara Benton took a shot from distance, but was snagged by the KHS goalie. At the 8-minute mark, Junior Allison Goodwin fired a shot from the left side that just ricocheted off the left post and out of play. The Lady Mustangs played right back at Stratford minutes later and took a hard shot from the left side, but Junior Goalie Liv Harbison was all over the shot and punched it away from the goal. The rest of the first half would be much of the same, but great play by both defenses would send the game to halftime knotted at 0-0.

Ten minutes into the second half, Junior Mary Paul fired a shot from the top of the penalty box (30 yards out) that the KHS goalie would have to use every inch of her reach to punch the ball up and over the crossbar, denying Stratford once again from taking a lead in the match. The green and white would have one more opportunity with three minutes remaining in play, when Paul dribbled up the middle and fired a shot that just missed its mark, but Sophomore Sydney Valentine was there for the follow up and she too just missed the chance for victory in the final minutes. The game would end in a 0-0 tie.

The Georgetown Elite Showcase – January 11th-13th

Game #1 – Stratford vs. Plano High School – 01.11.24

The Spartans traveled northwest to Georgetown, Texas to compete against some of the top soccer teams in the state at the Governor’s Cup Elite Soccer Tournament. The contest was played under sunny skies but with a 20-25 mph wind that favored the Plano Wildcats in the first half. The Wildcats would take advantage of a wind-aided first half, earning several dangerous opportunities over the first few minutes of the match. In the 15th minute, a Plano midfielder was able to find some space and fire from distance. The shot deflected straight down off the crossbar and a quick-reaction Liv Harbison (Junior) was able to secure a dangerous ball and turn away the attack. The Spartans started to find their shape as the first half marched on. In the 25th minute, Audrey Brendel (Freshman) was able to make a run up the left side and play a perfect ball to Avery Rushing (Sophomore) just in front of the Plano goal. Rushing one-touched a great shot on frame, but it was saved by the Plano keeper. In the 38th minute, Mary Charlotte Paul (Junior) slid a beautiful pass to Juliana Molinas (Freshman) at the top of the Plano box, but the shot was saved on a great effort by the Plano keeper. At the half, it was tied at 0-0.

All of the Spartan defenders contributed to a solid first half. Under pressure constantly by a wind-aided Plano attack, these girls worked together to keep Plano off the board: Layla Walker (Senior), Hannah Ryan (Junior), Whitney Bui (Junior), Zoe Lawless (Freshman), Natalie Goodwin (Freshman) and Brendel.

Thirteen die-hard Spartan girls soccer fans, who made the trip to Georgetown, eagerly anticipated watching the Spartans play with the wind at their back in the second half. The Spartans wasted little time stringing together chances. Three minutes into the second half, Sydney Valentine (Sophomore) was able to play a great ball through the defense to Allison Goodwin (Junior), who hammered a ball that looked destined for the top of the net, but a great save by the Plano goalkeeper pushed the ball over the crossbar. These two would combine again 8 minutes later when Goodwin fed Valentine a great ball, but the wind launched her shot up and over the top of the goal. Finally, in the 65th minute it was Sara Benton (Sophomore) who played a great cross to Sophia Beviaqua (Freshman), who is able to redirect the cross to the feet of Ryann Weber (Junior), who buried her shot in the back of the Plano net, giving the Spartans a 1-0 lead. Not even a minute later, Valentine broke through the Plano back line, but the dangerous shot was denied by the crossbar. The Spartans controlled the second half, creating one opportunity after another. In the 72nd minute, Hannah Haygood (Junior) beat multiple defenders to get off a creative ball to Paul, who fired on frame, but it was saved by the Plano keeper. Additional shots and crosses by Beviaqua, Natalie Goodwin, Rushing, and Brendel stacked up in the final minutes of the match, but Plano would not allow another goal. The Spartan defense and goalkeeper Addie Greenway (Freshman) were able to turn away a handful of Plano counter-attacks as the time ran off the clock. As the sun was setting in Georgetown, the Spartans walked off the field victorious with a 1-0 win.

Game #2 – Stratford vs. Round Rock Westwood High School – 01.12.24

The Spartans were back at it again on a cold Friday evening, to take on the 6A-Region 4 #4-ranked Round Rock Westwood High School. In the 13th minute, Junior Allison Goodwin would send a cross out in front of the goal to charging Freshman Natalie Goodwin, who would fire to the left side just outside the post. Allison Goodwin would have another chance at the 22-minute mark, but a very hard shot was knocked down and away from the goal by the RRWHS Goalie to keep the game tied. In the 32nd minute, SHS would have another chance when Sophomore Avery Rushing would make a run up the left side and have her shot deflected off line by the Lady Warrior Goalie. Just a minute later though, the Spartans aggressively attacked the RRWHS defense and caused the Goalie to take a quick kick to clear the ball. Junior Whitney Bui was ready though and trapped the ball on contact and fed Junior Mary Paul in the middle of the field for a wide-open shot from 25 yards out, which would find the top left corner of the goal and put Stratford up 1-0 right before halftime. However, the Lady Warriors weren’t giving up and drove back down the field with 4 minutes left on the clock to try and even the score. In the 36th minute, Junior Goalie Liv Harbison would make a diving save to knock a great shot off line and keep the Spartans ahead going into halftime.

Four minutes into the second half, the Lady Warriors would intercept a ball on a short goal kick and send it to the right corner,  where it would get fired toward the goal and blocked by Harbison, but it was still close enough to the goal to get put back in and tie the game at one a piece. Harbison would get another chance to show her skills off a few minutes later when Round Rock Westwood was awarded a free kick from midfield. The ball was sent toward the Spartan goal with the Lady Warriors in pursuit – they were able to get a shot off at point-blank range, but Harbison was there for the kick save and another deflection off her glove, with the whistle eventually blowing a dead ball on an offensive handball. In the 59th minute, Junior Ryann Weber took a shot from distance that was batted away by the goalie out of bounds for a corner kick. The ensuing kick by Paul was a good one, but was well defended by the defense. The Spartans would get a few more shots off in the final 10 minutes, but none could find the back of the net, and the match would end in a tie at 1-1.

Game #3 – Stratford vs. Dripping Springs High School – 01.13.24

On Saturday morning, your Spartans packed up and left their Georgetown hotel for the final match of the trip. They faced another tough opponent in the 6A-Region 4 #7-ranked Dripping Springs Tigers. Ten minutes into the match, Freshman Juliana Molinas fought for a ball on the Tiger end of the field and was fouled from behind by the defender, earning a free kick from 30 yards out – taken by Junior Mary Paul. Paul sent the ball to the middle of the goal, where Freshman Audrey Brendel was able to get a head on it, but the defense made a great stop and cleared the first Spartan opportunity of the day. In the 19th minute, the Tiger offense was able to find its way through the defense and strike first to put Dripping Springs up one goal early. It wouldn’t take long for the Lady Spartans to strike back though. In the 22nd minute, the match was tied 1-1 when a ball was sent upfield by Brendel to Junior Ryann Weber, who put a quick touch pass to Sophomore Sydney Valentine, who sprinted past the last defender and smoked one past the goalie, who tried in vain to stop a great shot. On a throw-in from Junior Whitney Bui in the 28th minute, Paul was fouled just outside the penalty box and earned a free kick. Paul took her own kick and floated one to a charging Weber, who was able to get a head on it but sent the ball just wide, missing a chance to take the lead. With that said, Weber would get a second chance about five minute later at the 33-minute mark. Sophomore Sara Benton would spot Weber sprinting toward the goal and thread the needle through two defenders to catch her in stride. Weber would then slip past the last defender and school the goalie one-on-one and tap the ball in the left side to retake the lead 2-1, and that’s where the score would stand at halftime.

Ten minutes into the second half, Junior Allison Goodwin would drive up the left side and place a perfect ball out in front of the goal,  where Valentine would connect but send a header just over the crossbar. The Tigers would counter-attack two minutes later with a drive up the right side, where the ball was centered and bounced around until Dripping Springs got a foot on it and found a hole to tie it up at 2-2. This last goal would set a fire off in Allison Goodwin when she continued to break away with the ball multiple times over the next seven minutes and take at least three shots, but couldn’t square one up. In the 64th minute, Allison Goodwin was on the run again and got taken down from behind in the box to earn the short penalty kick. Paul would take the kick and aim for the right side, but just glanced the right post sending the ball back into play where it ricocheted to Weber, who put it in the back of the net to put the Spartans back on top, 3-2. Stratford would keep the pressure on the last 16 minutes and lock up the victory to finish the weekend 2-0-1, their best showing in Georgetown in several years.

Your Spartans are back at home on Friday, January 19th, for one last pre-season game against Angleton High School before District play begins. Wish them luck when you see them this week!