On Jan. 11, the Irvington girls’ varsity soccer team narrowly lost to Kennedy by a score of 2-3. The team struggled to keep up with Kennedy’s pace in the first half but fought hard in the second half, almost walking away with a draw.

The team was not moving effectively in the first half and lagged behind Kennedy’s fast offense, conceding two consecutive goals 18 minutes into the game. The players stayed very concentrated in the midfield, missing some key chances on offense and gave the ball away when no one was available to receive the longer passes. Irvington players made a great effort to maneuver the ball with footwork and handling, but still had difficulty making connections and advancing closer to the goal.

However, the girls came back with good spirits after the halftime break, and employed a more aggressive playing style, fighting hard to close the gap. Samantha Fetsch (11), the Irvington goalkeeper, made a crucial save in the first two minutes, blocking a close-range finishing from Kennedy. With a more patient offense and building their attack from the wings instead of the midfield, Darya Rasoli (11) scored a goal 12 minutes into the second half. However, Kennedy scored another goal short after, widening the lead to 1-3.

Gabriella del Rosario (11), whose main position is a goalkeeper, made a crafty mid-range goal as the Kennedy goalkeeper failed to reach it with a overhead save, closing the gap to within one goal again. Nevertheless, Kennedy’s strong defense and constant interference with Irvington offensives made it difficult to score, and Irvington ran out of time despite putting up a good fight.

“We weren’t matching their physicality during the first half, but we definitely picked it up in the second half, which ultimately put the momentum back on our side,” Coach Alex Palomarez said. “We will work on getting out on open spaces, and providing options for each other, so we can build plays moving up the field.”

“I think I got lucky because I don’t usually play that position [striker],” Rosario said. “But I will try taking more shots, and getting open for my players when we have the ball. Kennedy was a hard team, we fought hard and hopefully next time we’ll get them.”