Girls soccer defeats Churchill 4–1 in first playoff game

By Cailey Thalman

The girls soccer team (10–2–1) showed up big in their first playoff game against the Churchill Bulldogs (6–6) at home on Wednesday night. 

The game was perfectly even off the bat. The Bulldogs broke the tie first, capitalizing off a dominant play in the middle that led to a beautiful through ball and a great finish, giving Churchill a 1–0 lead. Junior Maya Wiese soon tied it up with a rocket off a stellar combination from the Demartino sisters. The Vikes maintained the majority of possession for the rest of the half. Junior Charlotte Shapiro sent a textbook shot into the top right corner from the 25-yard line, giving the Vikes the advantage heading into halftime. 

The Vikes started the second half guns blazing, carrying their quality of play over from the end of the first half. Sophomore Riley Demartino tacked on another goal for the Vikes, continuing her spectacular season and giving the Vikes a two-goal cushion. Sophomore Sheridan Snow finished off the game for the Vikes by taking advantage of a mistake from the keeper and heading the ball into the back of the net, resulting in a 4–1 win for the Vikes. 

The Vikes look to face the Walter Johnson Wildcats (11–3) at Walter Johnson in their next playoff game on Friday night.