Blair girls’ varsity soccer crush Eleanor Roosevelt Raiders to win Regional Championship

Blair girls’ varsity soccer (14-0-1) remains undefeated after a dominant performance against Eleanor Roosevelt High School (9-5). The stakes were high and the temperature was low, but the Blazers’ spirits weren’t dampened by the intermittent rain. Continuing their stellar season, the team secured the regional title with an impressive performance. 

Within the first few minutes, the Blazers were on the front foot, having already made several attempts on goal, unfortunately amounting to nothing. A near goal roused the crowd, but as the linesman raised his flag, it was deemed offside. However, the team didn’t take long to find their stride, expertly taking the ball all the way down the field to score. Elena Kleiner sped past defenders in the first goal of many. 

27 minutes in, a scuffle near the Raiders’ goal led to a penalty kick for the Blazers, and a subsequent chant from supporters followed. The Blazers took full advantage of their opportunities, scoring a second goal with an impressive kick from Meron Koro. With a strong lead established, the Blazers were even more unstoppable. The Raiders tried to retain possession of the ball and maneuver it towards the Blazers’ goal, but were met with the impenetrable defense of Tanamar Zahar and Cal Faulk. Zahar was impressed with her team’s performance throughout the game. “We possessed the ball really well, and we connected lots of passes,” she said.

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Photo: Team in a huddle before the game

Team in a huddle before the game Photo courtesy of Anthony Le.



With only three minutes left in the first half, Koro again dribbled the ball through the opposing defenders and made a pass to Jill Klingler, who scored a third goal for the Blazers. Less than two minutes later, Blazer Rayna Bernstein broke through the Raiders’ defense again to score the fourth and last goal of the first half. The success in the first half was very positive for junior Mady Martins. “It was really great getting four solid goals in the first half,” Martins said. “We all really wanted to score.”

In the second half, the Blazers stayed just as strong. Their offense never let up, and their defense stayed strong as ever. A free kick for Eleanor Roosevelt threatened to break the shutout, but the keeper made an incredible save to keep the shutout going. 

In the last ten minutes, the Blazer offense went all in. With seven minutes left, Blair made a powerful strike towards the Raiders’ goal, but was blocked by the opposing goalie. However, this left a wide open net for Koro to deftly kick in a fifth goal. The sixth goal was the trickiest of all. From a position almost behind the net, Ella Blaise made an expert shot to secure the final goal. For the last four minutes, the Blazers still played their best, making yet another attack on the Raiders’ goal which missed by mere inches.

Meron Koro credits their success to the extensive mental and physical preparation of the team. “In practice, we’ve got to put in the work, understand that no game is guaranteed,” Koro explained. She looks forward to the team’s next games. “This team has got a lot of potential, and it's showing up. I’m proud of everybody here,” Koro said.   

Next Up: Quarterfinal game this Saturday against the C.H. Flowers Jaguars. Tickets can be purchased here.