On Monday of this past week, the Knights played a tight contest on Randall’s Island against league leaders FASNY and lost 2-1.  On Wednesday they returned to Randall’s Island and played 80 minutes against Dwight in the rain, winning 7-0.  Friday saw the team back on Randall’s once again for their third league contest in a week to take on Churchill.  Needless to say, it was a busy week for the Lady Knights.

 

Last season LREI was able to blank Churchill 10-0 across the two fixtures the teams played.  This season’s results from Churchill suggested a vastly improved team that was floating above the other contenders in the league for the remaining playoff spots behind perennial league toppers Brooklyn Friends and FASNY.  Last season it was York Prep taking the other spot.  In past seasons BWL and York have been in competition with LREI for the two spots not taken by the top two.  This season it has been Churchill who has been turning in impressive performances to suggest one of those spots is theirs for the taking. 

 

The game played out entirely different to expectation however.

 

Right from the opening whistle the Reds held the ball and pushed the backline of Churchill.  The game was played largely in the middle for the first 15 minutes or so, but only because LREI was moving the ball around in multi-pass sequences looking for the best opportunity to break through.  Several shots went wide or right to the Churchill goalkeeper.  It was freshman forward Rachel Morrow who would tally the first of the team’s 5 on the day.  Junior Cara Eagan, starting at right back on the day, intercepted a ball just over the midline on the LREI side of the field.  She clipped a long ball that fell just over the Churchill backline and bounced awkwardly between the goalkeeper and a recovering defender.  Morrow chased the play down and poked the ball into the net by slipping in between the two opposition players.  The LREI domination continued throughout the first period, and the team was up 2-0 by the half courtesy of a goal by junior left midfielder Juno Hobbs who cleaned up a scramble in the box started by a cross from the right by junior Julia Herzfeld, and kept alive by senior forward Ally Klemer. 

 

The remaining three goals all came after the break, including a second by freshman Rachel Morrow.  Morrow latched onto a great through pass from senior midfielder Ana Maroto, who is quietly having a fantastic campaign in the center of the field.  Maroto’s tremendous work rate, incisive passing, and ability to assert herself on a game has been a major factor in the team’s improved play this season.

 

The other two came from captain Finley Martin, assisted by the team’s other captain Hazel Hutchins, and senior forward Diandra Adu-Kyei off of a cross from sophomore Lucy Tamarkin. 

 

While it was the team’s offense that got all of the plaudits over the course of the week (LREI went 2-1, scoring 13 goals), it’s worth noting that in the unit has only conceded twice in three games.  What’s even more impressive is that the goalkeeping unit has only been forced into 10 saves for the entire week’s slate of games.  The backline simply has not been giving teams good looks at goal.  Centerback pair Minnie Hutchins and Hazel Hutchins have been incredibly disciplined in their positioning and physical, often breaking up plays before they can truly develop.  And four girls have been used in the outside back spots over the week, juniors Amelia Pinney, Cara Eagan, and Maya Pacheco-Berger, and senior Maxine Guttmann.  All four have played extremely well, pushing play outside and intercepting passes. 

 

It was clear to see as the team walked off the field on Friday that they deservedly felt good about their labors across a difficult stretch of games.  They are close to locking in a playoff spot that would see them avoid playing the #1 seed, which is still to be decided.  Their next game also happens to be their final league game.  Maximum points would go a long way in their race to secure the best possible position for the playoffs.  The final league opponent is BWL, whom they will play Monday at Harlem River Park.