Blair girls' soccer crushes Magruder in home opener

On Sept. 13, the Blair varsity girls' soccer team (3-0) defeated the Magruder Colonels (3-1) in their home opener, 4-1.

Blair wasted no time and quickly dominated the field as soon as the buzzer sounded. Magruder kicked off, but the Blazers asserted themselves and gained possession of the ball pushing it up to the Colonels’ side of the field. For the majority of the match, Blair kept on Magruder’s side of the field, trying to take their chances at the goal as often as possible.

Eight minutes into the first half, senior midfielder Alma Zhong shot a quick goal off a free kick. The first goal of the night raised not only the team’s spirits but also their intensity. The team’s defense and offense got to work, deflecting each and every one of Magruder’s attempts to break through and score. 

Just five minutes later, junior midfielder Hariette Ngwatung slid in yet another goal, settling the score to 2-0.

Ngwatung broke through Magruder’s defensive line over and over, attempting two more goals, both of which were picked up by the Magruder goalie. With less than a minute left in the half, the Colonels crept past Blair’s defense and managed to slide in a goal of their own. The half ended 2-1. Despite Blair’s assertiveness on the field, the score was still tight, and the threat of a comeback still lingered in the air. 

Whatever possibility was left was quickly shut down by the Blazers, who came back even stronger in the second half. Ngwatung and the rest of the team continued to pressure the Magruder defense. Senior striker Sally Peyrebrune scored the first goal of the second half, bringing Blair into a comfortable two-point lead, 3-1.

Blair’s defensive ability to create space and maintain control over their half of the field allowed the team to quickly gain possession of the ball after the Colonel’s kick-off. On the other hand, Magruder’s defense fell apart when faced against the Blazer offense, who never backed down from the fight. For the remainder of the half, it was Blair’s offense against the Colonel goalie and the out-of-bounds line. The girls took their chances to score whenever possible and eventually Zhong scored the final goal of the night, setting the final score, 4-1.

“I think we had a pretty solid game,” Peyrebrune said, “[We] gave up a goal which isn’t great, but what can you do.”

Ngwatung also commented on how the first few goals of the game helped the team build confidence early on. “We started off very strong, this game we… dominated most of the time. We got early goals which gave our team a lot of confidence,” she said. 

Coach Robert Gibb characterized the team’s playing style as making good decisions and moving the ball quickly and accurately. Looking into the future, the team has several more games before they hit their division, schools like Walter Johnson, Churchill, BCC, and Whitman. “We’ve gotta be sharp at that point, it’s really building so we have as many players confident to play well so we can… hang in there against teams like that,” he said. 

The Blazer girls will face Springbrook High School (away) on Monday, Sept. 18 at 7:15 p.m. Tickets can be found here.