In a fast paced game, Irvington’s varsity girls’ soccer team narrowly lost to James Logan’s team by a score of 4-6 on Dec. 14 in their first game of the season.

In the first half, Irvington struggled to string passes together and make meaningful touches. Miscommunication especially took a toll on the team and made it difficult for them to move up the field. James Logan made the most of Irvington’s mistakes by creating chances, and eventually scoring five goals of their six goals in the first half.

The Vikings looked defeated at half time, but coming back from the break and after a motivational pep talk by the coach, the Vikings were ready to take action and mount a comeback.

Irvington took Logan by surprise, scoring four goals within the span of 16 minutes. Kimiya Ganjooi (12) opened the scoring, quickly followed by goals from Gabriella Funk (11),  Darya Rasoli (11), and another goal by Ganjooi. This brought the score within one goal with approximately 25 minutes to play.

This quick succession of goals caused Logan to wake up and answer back with a goal  of their own, leaving the score at 4-6. Nonetheless, the Vikings continued to create chances and came close to scoring on multiple occasions, but clearances from Logan defenders and saves by the goalkeeper prevented them from getting back onto the score sheet.

Irvington goalkeeper Gabriela Del Rosario (11) made many saves throughout the game, but unfortunate shots and poor defending caused the Vikings to concede.

Defense played a major role in the game, stopping many of the teams’ offenses from progressing and creating chances.

The Vikings will face Newark Memorial on Dec. 21 and Mission San Jose on Jan. 4.