**By Elliot Markus**

Varsity girls soccer was shut out 3-0 by the cross-town rival Churchill Bulldogs on Oct 6, falling to 4-3 on the season.

Although the game started in a defensive stalemate, Churchill put a dent on the scoreboard with time winding down in the first half.

After the opening goal, the Lady Vikes settled down and created numerous scoring opportunities, but Bulldog keeper Nicole Andrews came up with big saves to keep her team ahead.

The Lady Vikes started the second half strong, but failed to put the ball in the back of the net. In the tenth minute of the half, Churchill midfielder Pam Vranis ripped a left footed shot over junior goalie Hannah Sasscer to give the Bulldogs a comfortable 2-0 lead.

Churchill then switched to a defensive formation to keep their lead and prevent the Vikes’ offense from pushing players forward and going to goal.

The Lady Vikes continued to push up field and looked to get forward Kat Barth into space, but every opportunity was eliminated by a Bulldog defender.

With five minutes remaining, the Vikes were forced to push their defense forward in desperation. This allowed the Bulldogs to counter attack and score, preserving the shut out while at the same time rubbing in a 3-0 defeat.

With the loss, the Lady Vikes drop to 4-3 on the season and 2-2 in the division. The girls will look to rebound at home against Richard Montgomery on Oct 7.