Bulldogs Victorious in Tiebreaker by Tim Overlund

After finishing in a dead heat for 3rd place at 9 – 4 – 1 during the regular season, Garfield and Bainbridge faced off at the Southwest Athletic Complex on Wednesday afternoon. Bainbridge struck first on a goal by Kamryn Coryell in the 12th minute, but Garfield soon answered when junior Anna Goldberg continued where she had left off on Monday by finishing a beautiful cross from senior Cameron Dacey in the 15th minute.

The game went back and forth for the remaining minutes of regular time and two 5-minute overtime periods with numerous chances on both ends, but with the score still knotted at 1 – 1, the teams lined up for penalty kicks to decide who would advance to play Holy Names on Saturday in the Conference quarter finals.

Garfield went first, but sophomore Elise Morris’s attempt was saved. Kamryn Coryell topped off a very good performance by scoring for Bainbridge.
Sophomore Carlin Bills calmly slotted her kick home to tie the score, but Aerin Amore scored for Bainbridge to put them back in front.
Senior Cameron Dacey hit the back of the net for Garfield to equalize, and then senior goalie Miye Aoki-Kramer saved the next Bainbridge shot to leave the score tied 2-2 after three rounds.
Junior Sakke Overlund beat the goalie, but clanged her shot off the cross bar, only to see Bainbridge miss wide right to leave the score tied after the 4th round.
Then strategic late substitutions by Coach Jeremy Lugo came into play. Freshman Lauren Guthrie had only played the last two minutes of the game, but looked like an experienced veteran finishing her pk to give Garfield their first lead of the afternoon. But Catherine Carley showed nerves of steel for Bainbridge and tied the score at 3 – 3 after 5 rounds.
Going into the sudden death rounds, freshman Lisa Rehder, another late substitute, gave Garfield the lead again and this time, Miye came up with a huge save to seal the win for the Bulldogs.

Kudos to senior captain Lucy Kolpa, junior Noelle Kim, and sophomore Kayla Whitesel who anchored the back line for all 50 minutes along with Elise. Senior starters Bronwen Street and Anika Thomas-Toth were invaluable in their roles with Anika almost scoring in the waning moments. Senior Dani Gullino and juniors Corrine Manley and Olivia Liu also contributed valuable minutes off the bench.

Next up is a powerful Holy Names team with the leading scorer and assist king in the Metro Conference, but with a 6-game winning streak of their own, the Bulldogs won’t back down from anyone on their quest to make the State tournament.

Senior Night!

Maddie, Miye, Lucy, Cameron, Bronwen, Bella, Delaney, Anika, and Dani

Big Wins Against Bainbridge to End the Regular Season!

On a blustery fall night at Memorial Stadium, the Bulldogs took on the Spartans in what was expected to be a couple of blistering matches. JV started off the 5 pm match in complete control, linking passes, moving the ball forward, and getting back on defense. The referee gave Bainbridge a free kick near the top of the box and the Spartans took advantage giving them a 1-0 lead in the 19th minute. The JV bulldogs didn’t let up the pressure and a few minutes later, countered with an attack resulting in Fiona Skerrett’s first goal of the match. Skerrett scored another from an assist by Aniya Beck to put the Bulldogs up 2-1 at Half. The second half started similar to the first with great passing by the JV squad. However, the play became more physical and sophomore Emily Goldberg was injured during the run of play partway through the half. A shaken Bulldog defense allowed a second goal, so the score was tied 2-2. The Bulldogs didn’t give in and Fiona Skerret completed the hat trick, assisted by Maren Cooper, late in the second half to give the bulldogs the edge again. Sophomore Hailey Mathers slotted the ball through to Lizzie Castro in the 78th minute who found the net making the final score Garfield 4, Bainbridge 2.

The Varsity team started with an extra dose of intensity after senior night celebrations. The Bulldogs took advantage of their outside midfielders and kept attacking from both sides. Sakke Overlund found Anna Goldberg who let a shot fly in the 10th minute that was deflected into the net by a Bainbridge defender. Eight minutes later, seniors Anika Thomas-Toth and Cameron Dacey found Goldberg again. She cleanly struck the ball into the net. The Bulldogs faced a relentless attack in the second half led by Bainbridge Senior Kamryn Coryell, but held on to maintain the 2-0 Victory. Senior Miye Aoki-Kramer had 9 saves including a volley by Coryell. The Bulldogs enter the Metro League playoffs for the second year in a row.

Thank you to Garfield’s Seniors who have led their team on and off the field this year!
Miye Aoki-Kramer, Delaney Connor, Cameron Dacey, Dani Gullino, Bella Muno, Bronwen Street, Anika Thomas-Toth and Captains Lucy Kolpa and Maddie Hazzard

Pushed by Blanchett, JVC closes season out strong

Tied 1-1 at the half and with only one sub available for field play, the JVC Bulldogs fought their way to a comfortable 7-1 victory over the Blanchett Braves in their final match of the season. Julia Lin scored the first two Garfield goals, each on lovely give-and-go plays, first with Aidee Quiroz-Ramirez and later with Lily Laesch. Sophia Balaski scored the third goal with a corner kick, having had a similar effort which appeared to cross the line in the first half waved off by the referee. Lily Laesch then unleashed a four-goal barrage to put the match away.

2015 Junior Varsiity Team

JVC plays beautiful game, defeats Roosevelt

Taking the ball on the opening kick, the JVC Bulldogs strung together numerous passes, moving the ball around and down the field. Although they did not score on that initial possession, they established the pattern that would hold for most of the match. Sharing the ball and moving all over the field, they dominated, with braces (that’s the fancy European term for a pair of goals) from Julia Lin, Leila Adams, and Fiona Drum, a hat trick from Lily Laesch, and a goal from Malini Williams, released from goalie duty in the second half to roam the opposite penalty box. The Bulldogs also demonstrated a strong threat off corner kicks, with Sophia Balaski sending two wicked crosses that led to strong, if unavailing, headers from Lily Laesch and Aidee Quiroz-Ramirez.

Garfield Versus Blanchet

The JV team was victorious against Blanchet at Memorial Stadium on Thursday, October 7, 2015. The first half was evenly played with few scoring chances from both teams. In the second half, Sophomore Hailey Mathers slotted a beautiful ball through the defense to Corrine Manley who struck the ball perfectly into the back of the net. Manley took advantage a short while later to score a second goal past Blanchet’s keeper. Final score: Garfield 2, Blanchet 0.

The Varsity team had more of a struggle against a solid Blanchet team. For the first 20 minutes, the Bulldogs managed the pace of the game, with nice passing and great work down both sidelines. The next quarter of the match was played more evenly, but Blanchet took advantage on a corner and found the far post for a goal. In the second half, the Bulldogs came out fighting, but Blanchet’s Taylor Chambers powered a ball past the defense and into the net. Final score: Garfield 0, Blanchet 2.

JVC loses tough battle with Holy Names

The Bulldogs JVC team held league leaders Holy Names even at 0-0 for 80-plus minutes, before surrendering the only goal of the match shortly before the final whistle. The Bulldogs were chasing the game in its early stages, as Holy Names moved the ball around the field with great poise and control. Fighting hard as a team, the Garfield players raised their game well beyond what they had been able to deliver the first time they matched up with Holy Names. In fact, this performance may have been more impressive than their recent victories.

Battle at Bainbridge

The Garfield Bulldogs JV and Varsity soccer teams traveled to Bainbridge Island on a beautiful fall afternoon Thursday October 1! The JV ladies started their match with a fierce attack netting two goals in the first 5 minutes. Junior Fiona Skerrett had the first followed up shortly by Sophomore Elizabeth Castro. The Bulldogs were solidly in control the remainder of the half, but did not earn another goal despite several attempts.

The start of the second half looked similar to the first and within the first ten minutes, Lizzie Castro fed the ball beautifully to Sophomore Maren Cooper who put it away. The final score was 3-0. Chiyo Aoki-Kramer and Hannah Phelps were flawless in goal.

At 7 pm as the sky darkened, the Varsity team took to the field. During the first 20 minutes, the Bulldogs moved the ball beautifully around the field. Olivia Sander had a beautiful cross from the right side that just missed wide. Unfortunately, Bainbridge took advantage of a breakaway and got a goal about halfway through the period. They followed with another a bit later in the half. In the second half, Bainbridge’s strong forward carried the ball forward and couldn’t be stopped by Garfield’s back line. At this point in the game, the Bulldogs were down 3-0. However, a feisty Julia Reguera answered back with an unassisted goal bring the Bulldogs to within 2. For the final 10 minutes, Coach Lugo played with only 3 back to try to improve the Bulldogs scoring chances. Despite several solid attacks, aggressive play, and even a rare header attempt by defender Lucy Kolpa, the Bulldogs failed to score another goal. Final score; Bainbridge 3, Garfield 1.

The Bulldogs play Crosstown Rivals Roosevelt on Tuesday and the ever-chippy Bishop Blanchet squad on Thursday. Both games are at Memorial Stadium. JV plays at 5 pm and Varsity plays at 7 pm.