On Mon., Jan. 12, the girls varsity soccer team played against Flanagan High School at 4 p.m. at Cumber Stadium. It was Senior Night and the senior players were honored and recognized for their contributions and dedication to the team over their high school careers. The team entered the game with a 6-5-1 record, looking to bounce back from their loss to American Heritage High School on Jan. 9. Flanagan came into the match with a 7-7 record.

The game started with the team going on the attack early, with striker Alexa Jourdan (6) putting a shot on goal, although it was saved by the keeper. Just moments later, Jourdan nearly scored again following a good pass from striker Breanna Gordon (22), but the shot went wide.

After another turnover, Gordon came close to scoring again, with Flanagan’s goalkeeper managing to once again save the shot. Gordon stayed involved on offense, playing the ball into the box to striker Alaina Alba (20), whose shot barely missed to the left.

The defense, headlined by center back and captain Jacqueline DeStefano (23), played well throughout the first half, quickly stealing the ball and staying on the offense. DeStefano will continue her soccer career at the collegiate level at Flagler College next year.

“To play Senior Night felt pretty sad and emotional, but I’m really happy that I accomplished being on varsity all four years, so it was a great moment to wrap up my high school career,” DeStefano said.

Moments later, Jourdan broke the seal on the game, scoring off an assist from midfielder Emily Rodriguez (25) with 21 minutes left in the half.

Jourdan shined on the special night, recording a goal and an assist, while also leading the team in shots with five.

“I think I did well,” Jourdan said. “The team did pretty good overall as well. I scored a goal and assisted Breanna’s goal, so I think I did decent.”

Following a stifling defense and a pair of saves by goalkeeper Mickayla Sugrano (00), the team once again found themselves on the attack. They utilized an aggressive press tactic, which led to a surplus of shots.

With just under 10 minutes left, Jourdan nearly tallied her second goal of the game, only for it to hit the crossbar, allowing Flanagan to clear the ball. With 20 seconds left, Flanagan almost scored the equalizer, but Sugrano was there for the save. After stoppage time, the team entered halftime with a 1-0 lead.

“We needed to lock down on defense,” Gordon said. “We had to focus and make sure not to give away any messy balls and maintain possession.”

Coming out of the half, both teams seemed to be stuck in a stalemate, with neither getting close to an offensive push. This changed when Flanagan equalized with a goal with 27 minutes left in the game.

The team attempted to reclaim their momentum, but the Flanagan defense stood tall, clearing balls and saving shots, keeping them off the scoreboard. When Flanagan went on the attack, the varsity team was called for a foul inside the box, and Flanagan was awarded a penalty kick. This opportunity was turned away by Sugrano, who made a diving save to reject the shot.

However, following the save, Flanagan gained possession of the ball and scored a put-back goal. This left the varsity team staring at a 2-1 deficit with 21 minutes left.

After multiple shots on goal by both teams and neither goalkeeper willing to budge, the team turned on desperation mode in the hopes of salvaging a draw out of the game.

These hopes were then answered as Gordon netted the game-tying goal, making the score 2-2 with only 5 minutes left. Despite some late flashes of offense by the team, neither team was able to break the tie, which meant the girls varsity team had to settle for a draw on Senior Night.

“It was really fun to play Senior Night,” Sugrano said. “I had an amazing game, and it showed me how fast time goes and how it’s almost done.”

It was a decent outing for the girls varsity soccer team, tying the match 2-2. The seniors shined on their special night, as they were responsible for all goals and assists in the match. The girls varsity soccer team will play their final game of the season on the road against Spanish River High School on Tues, Jan. 13.