In+a+fierce+contest+between+two+skilled+and+highly+motivated+teams%2C+the+middle+of+the+field+was+a+battle+zone%2C+one+on+which+sophomore+Harper+Bergeron+fought+fearlessly+all+game+long.+Bergeron%2C+one+of+the+teams+captains%2C+gained+possession+for+the+Knights+throughout+the+game+and+made+entry+passes+to+the+forwards+nearer+the+goal.+The+Knights+other+JV+co-captain%2C+sophomore+Satya+Russ%2C+scored+the+Knights+only+goal+in+a+game+that+ended+in+a+1-1+draw.

Dave Winter

In a fierce contest between two skilled and highly motivated teams, the middle of the field was a battle zone, one on which sophomore Harper Bergeron fought fearlessly all game long. Bergeron, one of the team’s captains, gained possession for the Knights throughout the game and made entry passes to the forwards nearer the goal. The Knights other JV co-captain, sophomore Satya Russ, scored the Knights’ only goal in a game that ended in a 1-1 draw.

JV KNIGHTS 1, RAPTORS 1 — Defenses up to challenge of all-out offensive attack

February 26, 2023

In a 9 a.m. opening act at House Park, both JV squads created scoring chances and pushed the action all game long, and both sides found the back of the net … once.

Sophomore striker Satya Russ—in action despite suffering a sprained foot during Friday’s practice—said the game meant more because of the mutual respect between the two sides.

We had good chemistry on the field,” Russ said. “Even though we were missing a lot of players, we played our hardest til the end.

— sophomore Satya Russ

“The game was a good wakeup call because we had been playing teams not as strong,” she said. 

Freshman Imogen Hendrickse said that the Knights played well on Saturday.

“LASA is our biggest rival and considering how tough a game it was, we really stayed in it and worked hard until the last minute,” said Hendrickse, who normally plays center back but shifted to defensive midfielder on Saturday because the Knights were short-handed. “I feel we did very well with our speed of play, aggression, and passing accurately.”

The Knights’ goal certainly provided evidence of the Knights’ proficiency in those three areas. 

Russ got the Knights on the board first with a beautiful goal 10 minutes into the game. It started with a miraculous pass from Ava Dallesandro, who—facing the Knight goal at the midfield stripe—flicked a kick over her head which arrived perfectly to Russ, who trapped the ball against her chest then readied for the bouncing ball to settle into her crush zone. 

Before that happened, however, a LASA defender pressed up close against her to contest for the ball. Just before the defender could get there, Russ wrapped a blast around her despite the fact that the Raptor prevented Russ from following through on the kick—or seeing where it went.

The shot beat a very talented Raptor keeper, one of two LASA goalies who held the Knights scoreless the rest of the game. 

Two minutes later, a Raptor snuck inside the left edge of the Knight goal box and fired a laser that curled away from a diving Mady Siege. Siege may have gotten a fingertip on the near-perfect shot but not enough of a touch to keep it from tying the score at 1.

LASA is our biggest rival and considering how tough a game it was, we really stayed in it and worked hard until the last minute.

— freshman Imogen Hendrickse

The rest of the game was a flurry of aggression as both teams tried to get a second goal. The defenses, and especially the goalkeepers, were up to the task of squelching all scoring threats.

Siege was stellar, playing both halves although she normally splits the job with Maggie Gravette, who was one of several key players who missed Saturday’s game because they were at VASE.

The Raptor goalies also repelled multiple golden opportunities for the Knights to score.

In the end, the draw did nothing to resolve the rivalry (and everything to establish it), but Hendrickse and Russ take solace in how the team played under the pressure of a big rivalry game.

“We had many shots on goal,” Hendrickse said, “and I think we just need to work on finishing those opportunities and watching our offsides.”

“We had good chemistry on the field,” Russ said. “Even though we were missing a lot of players, we played our hardest til the end.”

The JV Knights are off Wednesday when the varsity plays Eastside because the Panthers don’t have a JV team. These Knights are back on the pitch Friday—playing reptiles again—when they travel to Vandegrift High School for a 4:30 p.m. non-district game against the Vipers. 

—with reporting by Priya Thoppil

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