The CLHS girls soccer team is making a name for itself as we get closer and closer to the playoffs. The 7-8-1 team put together an impressive three-game win streak, shutting out all three teams thanks to amazing performances by the defense and freshman goalie Genevieve Anderson, who has been a brick wall in the way of any shots on goal making 92 saves so far this season.
In their January 7th showing against Dunbar, Cypress won decisively, with the game coming to a close after only 38 minutes with an 8-0 victory for Cypress. A typical soccer game is 90 minutes long, but in less than half of that time the Panthers had put a mercy rule onto the Dunbar Tigers ending the game. This was an especially meaningful game for Kiera Desmond, a sophomore midfielder who was playing her first game back since an MCL tear earlier in the season. After scoring four points Desmond said “It feels good to be back on the field, scoring was great and I was happy with the shots I made.”
Another scorer in the Jan. 7 match was Peyton Hemmer, who said, “It felt really good to score, this is my second goal so far this season.” Hemmer also noted “I liked ending the game early so we could get out of the cold.”
On Jan. 9th the Lady Panthers also shut out Lehigh 2-0, defeating them for the second time this season. A defensive masterclass would only require Anderson to make one save, and both goals were scored by Senior Captain Ava Gadus. With those victories, Cypress finished 9th in the LCAC tournament.
That win streak was snapped with last week’s loss to Barron Collier, who is ranked 11th in state 4A play. They fell to Oasis 2-1 on the 14th, but the girls are determined to finish their season strong, and they are currently in third in their district.
There are two regular season games left, and then the district playoffs begin next week, with the girls slated to play Fri. Jan. 24 at Labelle. A strong performance in the playoff could light a spark in a somewhat young team to begin a dynasty of dominance.
