Weekly Recap: 9/17-9/22

Monday, September 17

Varsity Soccer vs. Kingswood Oxford: W 4-0

Recap: Founders league and Class B opponents Kingswood Oxford made the short bus journey to Kiki field on Monday evening. The opening stages showcased a lot of hard work off of the ball but not a great deal of quality on it. It was clear that the first goal was going to settle the team and midway through the first half Laura Gouvin '20 provided a corner that found Sam Halligan '21 who guided the ball into the top corner with her head. Shortly after the first goal Gouvin '20 hit a driven corner that the KO keeper misjudged to double the score and settle the home team. Porter's Soccer took control of the game and found more space and time to move the ball at speed and with purpose. Ten minutes before the end of the first half Halligan '21 played a reverse ball to Carlyn Kosienski '19 who beat two defenders before finishing emphatically from just inside the area. Kosienski '19 then got her second of the afternoon before halftime as she received a cut back from Halligan 21' and then hit another unstoppable shot into the roof of the net. Marjorie Plants '21 and Molly Andrews '22 impacted the game immediately after coming on to the field in the first half.

The second half saw a lot of possession and a few chances but overall Porter’s Soccer controlled the game. Although a few players were injured it was positive to see the squad adapt and improve as a unit with and without the ball.

Wednesday, September 19

Varsity Field Hockey vs. Williston Northampton: L 1-5

Recap: The Porter's Field Hockey team struggled to get into a rhythm in their match against a talented Williston-Northampton team. Each team had a fair amount of scoring chances early in the first half, but it was Williston that got on the board first, knocking in a shot from outside with 3 minutes remaining in the first half. Two minutes later, Williston scored another one, and the half ended with Porter's down two goals. The second half again included a lot of back and forth in the midfield zones and Porter's had chances to score, but the forwards struggled to find the net until halfway through the 2nd half, when Morgan Mastrangelo '19 swept the ball into the right corner of the net off a pass from Rachel Hart '20. Although Porter's was energized by this burst of offense, the Williston Wildcats continued to break up many passing sequences and they took advantage of some slow recovery on the part of the Porter's defenders. Williston scored off a high liftover goalie Elizabeth Muller's '19 head with 14 minutes remaining, and then they knocked in a loose ball in front of the net at the 11-minute mark. Despite more consistent passing and intensity from Porter's players in the final 10 minutes, Williston knocked in a demoralizing 5th goal with 3 seconds left on the clock. The score of this game does not reflect the quite balanced game of hockey that unfolded on the pitch this afternoon. Great effort from midfielders Audrey McMillan '20, Cricket Barnes '19, and Hart '20, and consistently strong play from forwards Clare Porter '19 and Sydney Cheng '21 kept Porter's in the game until the final seconds. Defenders Grace Bergin '19, McKenna Cutler '19, and Natalie Brennan '20 put in a solid effort to break up the strong passes and shots of Williston's forwards. Goalies Kami Vigilant '20 and Muller '19 shared the goal, with Vigilant '20 recording 5 saves in the 1st half and Muller '19 recording 6 saves in the second half. Porter's drops to 2-1-1 with this first lost.

Varsity Volleyball vs. Westover: W 3-0

Recap: Porter's Varsity Volleyball came away with their second win of the season against Westover, winning in three straight sets. Porter's dominated the first two sets 25-8 and 25-12. Westover fought back in the third, starting out with a 14-5 lead. Porter's banded together and showed grit and resilience to ultimately win the set 28-26. Porter's had a great offensive game with 23 kills and 17 aces. Setter Astrid Lipkens '21 contributed 7 of the aces and provided the hitters with excellent opportunities to score. Leading the way with 9 kills and excellent passing, Sophia Barth '19 had a great game. Ellen White '19 had 6 kills, and Callie Godfrey '20 had 4. D'vine Straughter '21 had eleven hits with one kill. Defensively, Tiara Do '19 and Victoria Lima '19 shared the role of libero and received many hard hit balls.

Saturday, September 22

Varsity Badminton vs. Emma Willard: W 5-2

Varsity Cross Country vs. Taft: L 25-20

Varsity Cross Country vs. Suffield: L 40-20

Varsity Field Hockey vs. Kent: L 1-9

Recap: After a short five minutes of play, an experienced and talented Kent squad had already secured a 3 goal lead, and Porter's had their work cut out for them. After a quick time-out, Porter's regrouped and gathered some offensive pressure which led to a more balanced back and forth for the next 20 minutes of play. Porter's scored a goal towards the end of the half, but Rachel Hart's '20 lifted ball was deemed too dangerous and the goal was called back. Unfortunately, a defensive breakdown in the final 5 minutes of the first half led to a 4th and 5th goal for Kent and goalie Elizabeth Muller '19 ended the half with 2 saves. The challenges continued in the second half, but there were some bright moments and solid play from the midfielders, Audrey McMillan '20, Cricket Barnes '19, and Hart '20. After being tackled and knocked down by a recovering Kent defender on a breakaway, senior forward Clare Porter '19 was able to tip in the team's lone goal off a shot from Hart '20 in the following penalty corner. Unfortunately, Kent's powerful offense proved to be more than the Porter's squad could handle, but it was a good effort overall. Goalie Kami Vigilant '20 recorded 2 saves in the second half.

Varsity Soccer vs. Greenwich Academy: W 2-0

Recap: Energetic and organized would best describe last seasons Class A quarterfinalists, Greenwich Academy. On the 175th reunion weekend Porter's Soccer managed to take their record to 4-0 with a professional performance against Greenwich. With three players still injured the squad continued to show its versatility in shape, the ball movement has improved each time they take the field. Greenwich academy entered the final third on a number of occasions but did not create many goal-scoring chances. A couple of dangerous corners were dealt well with Jenna Hall ’20 punching them clear. With 22 minutes on the clock Laura Gouvin ’20 broke up play and sent Sam Halligan ’21 away on the right wing, Halligan ’21 then cut the ball back to Carlyn Kosienski ’19 who took a touch before finishing well into the far corner of the net. The opponents continued to press but Ana Bartkiewicz ’20 won a 50/50 battle that fell at Halligan’s ’21 feet and her one touch lay off found Kosienski ’19 who hit the top corner from 20 yards taking her tally to 5 goals for the season.

2-0 flattered the girls in green as they entered the second half with focus and determination. Greenwich Academy found some space and 1 v 1 situations in the second half but were never able to trouble Hall ’20. Gouvin ’20 put in a mature display and Marjorie Plants ’21 and Bartkiewicz ’20 worked tirelessly in the middle of the field. Katie Konin ’19 and Gabby Owens ’19 put in captains performances and this was highlighted with 45 seconds left in the game when Konin ’19 showed great footwork and tenacity in dealing with a 1 on 1 on the edge of the box.