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Amazing Senior Girls Soccer Highlights

Horton 4 vs KES 3 (Shootout)
On Thursday, October 7, our KES senior girls soccer Highlanders travelled down highway 101 to meet up with rival Horton High School Griffins in their one and only Western Region League encounter of the 2021 season. If previous matches were anything to go on, this game would be an exciting one, no doubt. In 2020, the teams met three times, twice in league play, with game one ending in a 1-1 tie, game two being a decisive Horton win, and in the Western Regional playoff final, the Griffins edged KES on a penalty-kick shootout. This year, we outscored Horton 3-1 in our season-opening KES Invitational Tournament, so a closely fought contest was in the cards.
 
We had a terrific opening 45-minutes of play, dominating field position, ball possession and in the scoring column, too, as we rolled up a 3-0 advantage at halftime. Reegan Wagg (‘24) with two goals and Jill Griffith (‘22) gave KES a pretty good cushion. Our Highlanders continued to play well in the second half. We created many chances but, despite our best efforts, could not find the end product, in this case, a goal. To their credit, the Griffins slowly chipped away and capitalized on some careless Highlanders defensive miscues. The 3-0 lead slowly dwindled to 3-1, then 3-2, and then with about 20 minutes to play, we tied the affair at 3-3. With about seven minutes to play, we stepped up our game and forced relentless pressure in the Griffins’ half of the field but were thwarted time and again by the heroic saves of Ida Hudson. Western Region rules mandate that tied games see each team earn a point-a-piece, but a result must be achieved…this meant both teams would decide the outcome with a shootout. In the end, Horton earned a 4-3 verdict, an additional point, and a well-earned victory.
 
Our Southern Tour to Yarmouth
Fresh off a restful and thankful Thanksgiving weekend, our soccer Highlanders boarded the bus on Thursday, October 14 to square off with the Yarmouth High School Vikings. When our players took the field to begin warm-up, they were greeted by a thick fog and cool temperatures. By the time kick-off happened, some thirty-minutes later, the fog had burned off, the sun appeared, and the temperature shot up by about 15 degrees! Jackets, sweatpants, and hoodies all disappeared as our Highlanders went to work in raiding the home team’s penalty area and goal mouth. It took no more than five minutes before Hannah Bryant’s (‘22) timely pass found opposite winger Reegan Wagg (‘24) who calmy found the back of the net: 1-0 KES. Although we applied relentless pressure and fired shot after shot at the Yarmouth goalkeeper, it wasn’t until the 19th minute that we scored again. Jill Griffith (‘22) slotted home after being fed by a slick Eva Palov (‘24) pass. Senior Katie Trifos (‘22) got in on the scoring act in the 31st minute, and then, in the last five minutes of the half, Fiona MacDonald (‘24) pushed up from the left fullback position to finish off a smooth pass from Griffith and make the score 4-0 KES at halftime. In the 80th minute, Trifos was johnny-on-the-spot to receive another great Griffith feed and fired home to make the score 5-0. In the 82nd minute, Palov left every player and even the referee more-than-a-little stunned with the moment of magic, and definitely the play of the day, when she curled the ball into the goal directly from a corner kick. This is a rare occurrence indeed! Goalkeepers Maya Faucher (‘22) and Lennon Rutledge (‘23) shared the duties and were focussed, composed and vocal from the back in guiding their teammates to victory. Final score: KES 5 – Yarmouth 0.
 
Highlanders Win Battle of Windsor, Defeating Avon View High School
All was quiet on the serene KES campus Saturday morning until our senior girls Highlanders stepped onto the familiar confines of Tanna Turf. Our girls found a next level gear in their play; a rhythm and tempo that produced a season high number of passes, as well as strings of passes, all of which have been greatly emphasized since the first day of practice. From the opening kick-off, our Highlanders went straight to work and played the game at a feverish pace. And, like the game in Yarmouth, it didn’t take long before the Highlanders found the back of the opponent’s net. Midfielder Eva Palov (‘24) received a beauty of a pass by fullback Ava Demmings (‘25) and fired home in the third minute to open the scoring. Again, as in Yarmouth’s game, we poured on the pressure and eventually wore down the AV defence to score again in the 37th minute. Jill Griffith (‘22) readied herself and volleyed a precise Fiona MacDonald (‘24) cross from the wing for what is among the KES goals of the season, and a 2-0 lead. For good measure, Griffith latched onto a well-placed, well-timed Yulan Farias (‘22) pass to make it 3-0 KES at the break. Reegan Wagg (‘24) was rewarded for her day’s good work with two goals, in minutes 54 and 73, to put this game out of reach. Palov was instrumental in releasing Wagg to find the mesh. Palov completed the scoring in the 75th minute when she took Maria Arena’s (‘24) cross and headed home from close range…great header, Chippy! KES goalkeepers Danica Scully (‘24) and Lennon Rutledge (‘23) backstopped their team with confidence and played wonderful first passes to ignite our attacks. Final score: KES 6 – Avon View 0.
 
With the win, KES claims first place in the Western Region D1 girls league and home field advantage for the playoffs.
 
Graham Chandler
Junior School Teacher
Director of Soccer, Girls Prep Coach
Head of Male Boarding


Athletics at KES
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King’s-Edgehill School is located in Mi'kma'ki, the unceded ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaq People.