Varsity girls soccer conquers Priory 11-0 on senior night
Varsity girls soccer demolished Woodside Priory School 11-0 during senior night on Davis Field on Friday.
Before the game, the team honored seniors and co-captains Natalie Barth, MacEnzie Blue, Eva Cheng and Audrey Yang, who walked on the field with their families while team manager Ronica Khattri (11) recognized each senior’s accomplishments and impact on the team.
“I’m very happy but also kind of sad that the seniors are leaving,” forward Aanya Sharma (11) said. “I wanted to make sure that I played well during this game to honor them and to make sure to show how much they’ve put into this program.”
The Panthers managed to bring the ball toward the Eagles’ half before Audrey cleared it across the field. Although Priory initially trapped the kick, Eva stole the ball and bounced it to MacEnzie, who passed it to Aanya. Priory’s goalie ran out of the box in an attempt to intercept the ball, but Aanya touched it past her to score the first goal of the game, bringing Harker up 1-0 less than 20 minutes into the half.
Soon after, Eva ran through Priory’s defense to pass the ball to midfielder Kaitlyn Nelson (11). The Panthers intercepted it, but the Eagles regained possession, and Aanya scored another goal from 10 yards to double the lead. Five minutes later, Priory kicked the ball out over the end line, giving Harker a corner kick that MacEnzie headed into the net to place Harker ahead 3-0.
Thirty minutes into the half, Aanya received a yellow card for pushing an opponent, and offensive midfielder Ava Zarkesh (11) subbed in for her. Priory floated the ball toward Harker’s side, but Audrey bounced it back out to Emma. After a brief scuffle with both sides competing for the ball, MacEnzie gained possession and passed to Eva, who shook her defender up to score from 17 yards and bring the score to 4-0.
“Eva made a really good shot, and it was pretty far away from the goal,” spectator Audrey Dagum (12) said. “That got me super hyped because I don’t come to a lot of soccer games, and it’s nice to come out and support the people that I know in the classroom and as friends. Since I’m a senior, it feels special to be able to see some of the last high school games my friends play.”
Taking advantage of holes in Priory’s defense, Kaitlyn maneuvered to an open space at the 25-yard line and scored the fifth goal of the game with five minutes remaining in the half. With a few seconds left on the clock, after a brief scuffle with the goalie, Ava scored the final goal of the half off of a corner kick from Aanya, increasing Harker’s lead to 6-0.
In the opening minutes of the second half, Harker dominated possession as the forwards and midfielders applied high pressure on Priory’s defense. The Eagles capitalized early, with Aanya launching a corner kick to MacEnzie, who scored her second header goal of the match to extend the lead 8-0. Eva pushed the tempo of the game along the sideline, creating multiple attacks and linking with wingback Cynthia Xie (11) and Emma to move the ball through the middle of the field. A few minutes later, Aanya stripped the ball off the Panthers’ goalie and scored, but the goal was called offside.
Strong defensive play by Kaitlyn, Audrey and right back Sophie Han (10) stopped multiple Priory counterattacks and quickly turned them into transition opportunities for Harker’s offense. Midway through the second half, Audrey took a free kick, following up on the Panthers’ clearance to finish from 20 yards to widen the lead to 9-0.
Moments later, MacEnzie made a pass to Eva, who ran around her defender to slot the ball into the corner of the net. The Eagles’ pressure remained steady, with shots from Eva, Natalie and Aanya repeatedly testing Priory’s goalie. In the last four minutes, MacEnzie scored her third goal off of Kaitlyn’s corner kick, capping the game 11-0.
“This was definitely our biggest crowd, so I was a little nervous, but overall really excited,” MacEnzie said. “I definitely do want to be a role model — that was one of my biggest things I wanted to make sure I was doing as a senior. I wanted to make sure I was leading well and being someone to look up to, especially as a captain.”
After the match, teammates gifted personalized posters and blankets to the seniors. Natalie’s father Evan Barth noted the significance of his daughter’s senior night as her high school career nears its end.
“Natalie is the youngest of our three kids, and so we’ve done this two times before, and it’s just as special every time,” Barth said. “I’m proud, of course, and I feel a lot of happiness. It’s fun to see Natalie in her element with her friends and teammates, just so much joy.”
