vs. Northbrook High School – 02.24.25

On Monday, February 24th, your Varsity Girls Soccer Team continued District play on the road versus Northbrook High School, which had been postponed three times due to weather. Well, they waited for the right night, as the temperature was a cool 75 degrees at kickoff. The match would get underway in the best weather/game conditions that the Spartans had competed in the last few weeks. Stratford controlled possession right from the opening whistle, and just four minutes into the match, Senior – Allison Goodwin would beat the whole back line of the NHS defense to a goal kick, breaking away and beating the charging goalie one-on-one with a 25-yard shot over her head to go up a quick 1-0.

At the 5-minute mark, Junior – Sydney Valentine would break away from the NHS defenders and make a run to the goal but was fouled from behind in the box before she could get a shot off. Valentine would take her own penalty shot, firing bottom right corner past the goalie to increase the lead to 2-0. Northbrook would take a goal kick in the 10th minute, but Valentine’s aggressiveness would pay off again. She charged the defender that was trying to clear the ball, made the steal, and fired a shot into the back of the net, notching her second goal in 5 minutes and the third for the Spartans, 3-0. Three minutes later, it was Valentine again, but this time after making a run up the left side of the field, she would find Goodwin in front of the goal and lay off a pass that quickly found the back of the net, 4-0. In the 15th minute, Senior – Ryann Weber sent a ball upfield that Goodwin would run down and pass off to her left side, finding Junior – Sara Benton all alone for an easy goal that put the green and white up 5-0 less than halfway through the first 40 minutes. Less than 60 seconds later, it was déjà vu all over again, when Senior – Hannah Ryan sent a ball upfield to Goodwin, who continued up the right side, slotting a ball to the middle of the field, where Benton found the back of the net again, increasing the lead to 6-0.

In the 19th minute, the Spartans would give up their first District goal of the year, but only because of a unique situation and a questionable call. Off a free kick from mid-field, the NHS ball bounced toward the SHS goal and, after going through several players, it was covered up by Sophomore Goalie – Addie Greenway, but a whistle was blown for an alleged handball in the box. The Raiders would convert on the penalty kick and take the score to 6-1. This fired up the Spartans, and they were quickly on the attack again. At the 20-minute mark, Valentine was fouled from behind (again), and this resulted in a penalty shot just outside the 18. Senior – Mary Charlotte Paul lined up for the kick, but ran by it, leaving the shot to Benton, who placed a perfect ball just under the crossbar and over the outreached hand of the NHS goalie, to increase the lead to 7-1. In the 24th minute, Valentine sent a long ball upfield to Goodwin, who beat the charging goalie one-on-one and put the ball into the empty net for her third goal of the night and the eighth for the Spartans (8-1). At the 32-minute mark, Freshman – Ava Gibson made a long run up the left side of the field, taking a shot near the goal that was deflected back to her, that she then laid off in front of the goal to Junior – Avery Rushing, who fired on goal to increase the lead to 9-1 and wrap up the scoring for the first half.

In the opening minutes of the second half, Valentine made a run up the left side, drawing three defenders and a charging goalie. Valentine held the ball until the last moment possible and then found Benton in space all alone, where Benton had an uncontested tap-in goal to go up 10-1. In the 44th minute, off of a SHS corner kick by Paul, a fight for the ball found Sophomore – Audrey Brendel with control on the left side driving to the goal and finding Rushing front and center for a chip shot that sailed over the goalie’s head and into the top left corner of the net, 11-1.

At the 55-minute mark, the crowd would get to watch a scenario unfold in which the Spartans connected on their last goal of the night. Off of a lazy NHS goal kick, Goodwin forced a turnover and quickly dribbled toward the goal, lining up for a shot, but was fouled from behind inside the box. However, the ball was placed just outside of the box for the kick, allowing NHS to set up a defensive wall. The wall would do no good, as Paul fired left side into the back of the net as the goalie watched it go by. The Spartans would dribble the remaining minutes off the clock, and the game would result in another mercy-rule victory with 20 minutes remaining to be played.

vs. Cy Fair High School – 2.26.25

The Spartans took the field on Wednesday night versus Cy Fair High School looking to extend their perfect District record. It was clear from the opening whistle that Cy Fair, coming off a recent win versus Memorial High School, was looking to be a much more formidable test for the Spartans. The Bobcats committed to keeping eight defenders back at all times, crowding the attacking space and forcing Stratford to get creative to find opportunities. Eleven minutes into the match, Junior – Sara Benton would send a shot on-frame that the keeper was unable to handle. An opportunistic Junior – Sydney Valentine was able to get on the loose ball, split two Bobcat defenders, and beat a diving goalkeeper at the far post to open the scoring. While the Spartans continued to dominate possession and eliminate any chances for Cy Fair through the balance of the first half, opportunities would remain scarce with so many defenders fighting to keep Stratford out of the goal. In the 37th minute of match, Sophomore – Audrey Brendel would dribble up from her defensive position and fire over the defense on goal. Another rebound from the keeper would spill out onto the field, where Sophomore – Juliana Molinas was able to send the ball back on-frame. After a few moments of uncontrolled possession by either team within the Cy Fair penalty box, Valentine would win possession, turn, and fire, beating the keeper again on the far post to extend the lead to 2-0 going into the half.

Only a few minutes into the second half, Brendel would find Senior – Ryann Weber unmarked in the middle of the field. With the Bobcat defense still holding within their final 20, Weber would shoot from 30 yards out and find the back of the net on an upper 90 no-doubter. In the 53rd minute of the match, Weber would earn a Spartan corner kick that would be taken by Benton. A beautiful ball would be sent to the far post, where Freshman – Ava Gibson would earn her first Varsity goal by heading the corner into the net. Less than a minute later, Gibson would do it again. Senior – Mary Charlotte Paul would start the opportunity by sending a corner kick into the box before Gibson would battle her way through multiple Bobcat defenders to get control of a loose ball deep in Cy Fair territory before firing far post and extending the lead.

Senior – Mary Charlotte Paul would be the next to get into the action after she was fouled 30 yards from goal by a Bobcat defender. Paul lined up the free kick and fired directly on goal, bending her shot around the Cy Fair defensive wall and off the fingertips of a diving goalkeeper to give Stratford their sixth goal. In the 65th minute of the match, Weber would send a ball deep into the Cy Fair box. The Bobcats would momentarily deflect the ball into an open space before Valentine beat two defenders to the ball and found the back of the net once again to complete her hat trick. With less than a minute left in the match, Molinas would beat multiple Cy Fair defenders up the near sideline before firing on frame. Once again, the Bobcat keeper made the initial save, but the rebound was hammered home by Paul to enforce the mercy rule and give the Spartans another 8-0 victory.

In addition to the offensive display by the Spartans, the defense completely shut down a talented Cy Fair attack. Great defensive work by Senior – Whitney Bui, Senior – Claire Lamon, Senior – Hannah Ryan, Junior – Avery Rushing, Sophomores – Zoe Lawless and Audrey Brendel, and Freshman – Hannah Hewitt.

vs. Cy Falls High School – 3.1.2025

Stratford would make the trip for the first time to take on the Cy Falls Golden Eagles, the newest addition to District 17. Like most District games, Stratford would control the possession from the opening whistle and begin their relentless pressure and attack. Just five minutes into the match, Senior – Allison Goodwin would draw the attention of numerous defenders before playing the ball across the field to a sprinting Senior – Ryann Weber, who would run onto the pass in stride and finish inside the far post to get things started for the Spartans. Less than two minutes later, Weber intercepted a pass in the midfield before laying the ball back to Sophomore – Zoe Lawless, who immediately found Freshman – Hannah Hewitt, who played the ball to Sophomore – Audrey Brendel. Brendel continued the possession, passing the ball to Junior – Sydney Valentine, who drove toward goal and won a corner for Stratford. Junior – Sara Benton would send the ball into the box, and Senior – Mary Charlotte Paul would redirect the ball to the feet of Goodwin, who fired it into the net.

At the 18-minute mark, Lawless would intercept a Golden Eagle goal kick and find Paul in the midfield. She would send a ball through the defense, and a race between Valentine and the Cy Falls goalkeeper ensued. Valentine would win the race, touching the ball around the oncoming keeper, and then into the net to extend the lead. A few moments later, it would be a great give-and-go between Goodwin and Senior – Claire Lamon on the far sideline with Goodwin ultimately firing upper ninety on the far post, leaving the goalkeeper with no chance. Twenty one minutes into the match, Valentine would fire on goal, but a deflection by Cy Falls would result in a Stratford corner kick. Benton would take the kick for the Spartans, sending the ball into the box and finding the head of Paul, who added another goal for Stratford. Senior – Whitney Bui would get the next chance started for Stratford by sending a ball up the field to Freshman – Ava Gibson, who slotted a great ball between the back line of Cy Falls to a streaking Valentine, who ran onto the pass and scored just inside the far post to make it a 6-0 Stratford lead going into halftime.

As the second half got underway, it wouldn’t take long for the action to heat back up. Hewitt would find Weber in the middle of the field. Weber played the ball wide to Sophomore – Juliana Molinas. Molinas would drive toward goal, waiting for a defender to step but none did, so she took one final touch before firing on goal and into the back of the net. Paul would intercept a goal kick from the Golden Eagles and find the feet of Benton. Benton would use her exceptional ball skills to dribble around numerous defenders and beat the goal keeper near post to give the Spartans the magic number of 8 goals. Your Spartans would simply play keep-away for the remaining ten minutes before the match was called via the mercy rule to give the Spartans their 12th straight District victory.

The Spartans will be playing to clinch the District at home on Tuesday, March 4th at 7:15 pm versus Cy Ridge High School. Please come out and support the Lady Spartans' quest for their fourth straight District Championship.