On the night of Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, the Berkeley High School girls varsity soccer team faced off against Carondelet High School in a thrilling matchup displaying hard work and determination from both teams. Players from opposing teams showed all their hard work on the field.
The match started with high energy as both teams fought over control of the ball. BHS came out especially strong with players stealing the ball and chasing the ball down from Carondelet players. During the first half, players from both teams pushed themselves to take shots on goals, connect passes and work cohesively as a defensive and offensive unit. In preparation for the game, BHS senior defender Autumn Dalton said, “Our coaches watched a lot of film and would tell us about their tactical play. And in practices, we really worked on what (Carondelet) did last year and how to prepare for them, especially on defense.”
The first half continued with Carondelet applying heavy pressure, forcing Berkeley to focus on defense. BHS defenders, led by Dalton, worked diligently to combat Carondelet’s fast offense. Dalton said, “They were a really quick team, so we kind of held a defensive block. We held back more so that we could stop them from making fast runs.” As Carondelet controlled ball possession, BHS’ defensive strategy stopped any goals from happening and ended the first half in a scoreless tie. BHS sophomore midfielder Amaya Tomikawa recalled the team’s preparation, explaining, “We got to the field like an hour and a half before, and we set our goals, and then we warmed up, and talked about giving it our all.”
Halftime started with a massive offensive jump from BHS and Carondelet, and effective moves and strategies took place. Head Coach John Tamrat reflected on the strong offensive plays saying, “I would say we were trying to find the wide player when we can, or making sure our nine (attacker) and 10 (attacking midfielder) can find those players. We did that well a couple times to an effect and it’s just the final phase of finishing the play off that was missing for us.” BHS forwards like sophomore Evita Escamilla Geisler, junior, and senior Chloe Caldwell ended the game with six shots on goal in total.
Despite BHS’ strong defensive efforts in the first half, with roughly 30 minutes left in the second quarter, a Carondelet striker scored bringing the score to 1-0 with Carondelet in the lead. Looking back on the first goal, BHS junior and goalie Taylor Kelso noted, “I definitely would have made a different pass. I think the pass wide was not executed well and led to them getting a chance that they shouldn’t have had in the moment I had the most pressure. I think I panicked a little bit. And I should have calmed down and taken a second.” Only five minutes later a penalty kick was awarded for a Carondelet player, who took a free shot on goal at Kelso, and narrowly kicked the ball over the goal.
Undeterred, BHS put up a fight in the second half, and the ball was chased down on both sides of the court. With only three minutes left, another penalty kick was awarded to Carondelet. The entire stadium was on the edge of their seats waiting for the kick to take place. As the whistle was blown and the ball flew through the air, Kelso jumped, but narrowly missed and another goal was scored for Carondelet, bringing the score to 0-2. BHS continued to fight for the remainder of the game and the final score was 0-2, a win for Carondelet.
Kelso summed up the team’s performance saying, “We played really well. I think the scoreboard doesn’t reflect the game that we had. I think we should be really proud of how we played.”
Although they were outscored, the Jackets fought hard and showed determination and grit.
Coach Tamrat plans on using the outcome of this game as fuel and motivation for continuing this season with their heads up and the courage to take on difficult opponents. “The hope is that we carry that momentum and that confidence in our games moving forward and playing with that same intensity coming from the same approach, and not having fear of playing anyone regardless of their standing or who they are,” Tamrat said.