On Monday, Nov. 8, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School men’s and women’s varsity soccer teams began their seasons in home matches against Fort Lauderdale High School. The Lady Eagles took the field first, with their game starting at 5 p.m. Following their match, the men’s team began theirs at 7 p.m.

This was the first game of the season for both teams, and both were eager to take the field as it was the first game in two years where they were able to play in a stadium at full capacity. Both games were filled with a great number of supporters chanting for the Eagles.

“I was very excited to play at home for our first game and be back on our home field with all of my teammates,” midfielder Morgan Goldman (13) said.

The Lady Eagles were coming off a successful 9-3 record last season, while the Fort Lauderdale Flying L’s struggled last season with a record of 4-4.

The match began with the Flying L’s passing the ball, ultimately keeping the ball away from the Eagles’ defense for a short period of time. However, the Eagles played a very intense game, making three consecutive shots. Eventually, a goal was scored in the first two minutes of the game by forward Layla Segelnick (15).

The Eagles ended up missing the next shot of the game, leading to the Flying L’s taking advantage of their next possession.

Despite the Eagles’ defenders constantly kicking the ball away, the Flying L’s scored their first goal of the game. After just nine minutes of play, the score was tied at one goal each.

“I think we need to come out a bit more organized,” Coach Laura Rountree said. “It’s our first game so we’re still getting used to all the new players adjusting to the players that are returners.”

Besides a missed penalty kick by Segelnick, 23 minutes went by with very little offense. That was until MSD’s forward Kendall Slack (18) finally broke the tie and gave the Eagles their second lead of the night.

The remainder of the first half saw numerous missed opportunities by both teams, and the score remained as 2-1 with the Eagles in lead.

MSD began with the ball in the second half and scored within the first three minutes. After getting fouled, forward Lily Conn (5) passed the ball deep. Segelnick was able to receive the pass, but missed the ball, leading to a Flying L’s possession. However, Segelnick was able to get the ball back, passing to forward Molly Conn (12) and Slack to score a goal. This goal gave the Eagles a 3-1 lead.

About 15 minutes later, Segelnick got another steal, which led to forward Gianna Rizzo (9) scoring her first goal of the night. This gave the Eagles a 4-1 lead midway through the second period.

“We played a very intense game from start to end,” Rizzo said.

Shortly after that, Rizzo made another goal to take a commanding lead with a score of 5-1 in the Eagles’ favor.

With all of the scoring happening, the Eagles still looked to get the ball in their possession. Senior Skylar Lund (19) had many game-changing defensive plays, keeping the Eagles on offense throughout the game.

“I think we were best at taking shots and pressing as much as possible,” Lund said.

After both teams exchanged possessions for the next 11 minutes, forward Addison Krajczewski (25) scored with an assist by Goldman. The Eagles then held a 6-1 lead.

Shortly after Krajczewski scored, Rizzo scored her third goal of the night while running at full speed down the sideline for a hat trick.

The offensive showcase continued to succeed after Taylor Le scored, creating a 8-1 Eagles lead with just minutes to play.

Even though the Eagles were unstoppable on offense, they still played well on the other side of the field. The Flying L’s did not have a shot on goal for the entirety of the second half.

“I felt like we came out more ready to play in the second half and we did some great things,” Rountree said.

The game ended just three minutes later, resulting in an Eagles victory. The next varsity soccer game will take place on Nov. 16 against Cypress Bay High School.

Soon after the women’s game finished, the men’s team rushed the field, excited to start their season off with a win.

When the first whistle blew, the Eagles showed their dominance by keeping the ball on the opposing side of the field for several minutes. This offensive control led to the team scoring their first goal of the season.

Soon after, the Eagles were able to quickly steal the ball from the Flying L’s to bring the ball upfield once again. This possession led to another goal, that of which was scored by centerback Ian Selvaraj (19).

“I was able to score a goal and help my team out,” Selvaraj said. “We moved the ball really well in this game.”

After lots of back-and-forth possessions between the Eagles and Flying L’s, the Eagles were able to sneak past the opposing defense to kick a strong third goal. This goal would be the last of the half, bringing the score to 3-0 at halftime.

Despite the stable lead, the Eagles looked towards strengthening their offense in order to add onto their skillful performance. However, this task would not be completed without maintaining their defensive hold on the Flying L’s.

As the second half began, the Eagles were able to stop the Flying L’s offense multiple times, ultimately leading to their opponent having to throw the ball in-bounds. With the defense tightened, however, the Eagles were able to intercept possession of the ball and take the ball towards their opponent’s goal for another score.

With the score at a commanding 4-0 lead, the Eagles used their momentum to their advantage, ultimately scoring two more goals before the end of the game.

When the clock ran out, the Eagles celebrated their first win of the season with a dominant 6-0 lead over the Flying L’s, a victory that the team hoped to show a preview of the remainder of the season.

By the end of the night, both the women’s and men’s teams were able to capitalize on their skills to start their season at an undefeated 1-0 record.

“We played really well during this game to get the win,” midfielder Igor Fonseca (4) said. “We put a lot of points on the board, and we’re definitely ready for next game.”

The teams look to continue their success throughout the season’s duration, starting with their next games on Tuesday, Nov. 16 against Cypress Bay High School.