Relentless, tough, and undefeated, St. Joe’s arrived on Sat., Oct. 1 to Loeffler field, hungry for a win. Staples girls varsity soccer was just as hungry, pushing back against St. Joes impenetrable defense with strong offensive plays that kept the game evenly matched. Although the score was tied up twice throughout the game, it ended in a loss of 3-2 for the Lady Wreckers.

The game began with a goal by St. Joe’s, but Maggie Walsh ’14 quickly matched the goal, with an assist from quad- captain Abbey Lake ’12.

Defense was key in this game, and Staples turned it on. Goalie and quad-captain Jessie Ambrose ’12 held up the defensive end for Staples, with a total of eight saves. Katie Ambrose ’12 helped get the ball back to the Staples offensive side with three clean slide tackles. Siri Andrews ’13 and Julia Tziolis ’13 also lent a hand to Staples defense with several important clears. Evidence of Staples relentless defense came about 30 minutes into the second half when it took St. Joe’s four throw-ins to get past Wrecker defense.

A critical factor in Staples’ offense was the fierce defense, which allowed the Lady Wreckers to work offensively for a consistent 10 full minutes in the start of the second half. During this long offensive stretch, quad- captain Abby Fagan ’12, had a corner kick that resulted in a near goal. Lauren Garcia ’14 made her mark on the team’s offense by bringing the ball halfway down the field with three defenders on her, although this drive ended with a missed shot on goal.

Ryan Kirshner ’13 was also a key offensive player, tying the game up in the last 10 minutes with a header into the goal off a corner kick by Fagan.

However, within a minute of the Wrecker’s second goal, St. Joes’ had a cross shot to the upper right hand of the goal that brought the score to 3-2, where it would remain for the last six minutes and forty-seven seconds of the game.

It did not help that Staples was taking a beating physically against the Cadets, as well. Ali Crofts ’12 and Adele Mackey ’12 were already out due to injuries, but throughout the game Katie Ambrose ’12, Alexandra Weiner ’12, and Ryan Kirshner ’13 also had to take a seat on the sidelines due to several rough fouls. This left the team with only five subs, a number that paled in comparison to St. Joes’ bench-full of uninjured players.

While these injuries may have been a setback, the fact that they all occurred in the second half was a clear sign to Coach Nikki Ross that the team was going all out and being aggressive at the end of the game. Unfortunately, Ross saw this intensity too late.

“We fought for it in the end, but the hunger and aggression has to be turned on from the start of the game,” said Ross.

“St. Joes is a great team, and skill wise, we were pretty equal,” she said, adding that because of this, the game boiled down to a battle of who wanted the win more.

Jessie Ambrose saw the same problem in the loss. “Our biggest issue was playing really up and down,” Ambrose said.

Siri Andrews ’13 also knows the team can do better. “We have the skill and we just need to put our minds into it,” she said. “We need to bring it, whistle to whistle.”

Turner Block ’13, who added a lot both defensively and offensively to the game through near goals, accurate passes, and interceptions, also owed the loss to St. Joes to the time it took Staples to get motivated.

There is always a lesson to be learned, and Jessie Ambrose plans to take it one game at a time. “We know we’re better than we played,” she said.

The Lady Wreckers soccer team is just beginning the season, and with their next game on Mon., Oct. 3, vs. Trumbull, at McDougall Stadium at 7:00 p.m. Their next home game is on Wed., Oct. 5, 4:00 p.m. at Loeffler field.