by Carter Braun ‘23

Senior Julianne Goldstein(14) kicks the ball at the varsity girls soccer game against Paint Branch

The girls soccer season kicked off with high hopes of the experienced group to make it deep into the playoffs. The Warriors started their season with a very tough matchup against Good Counsel. Although playing against a team with division 1 college commits, the girls fought hard throughout the entire game. A goal by sophomore Katie Roecklein tied the game up 1-1 before halftime but after conceding a goal with around 15 minutes left, the Warriors had no answer and lost 2-1. The next two games did not get any easier against powerhouses Whitman and Bethesda Chevy-Chase (B-CC) as the girls fell to 0-3 on the season. 

Although the players were disappointed by the margins of the defeats against Whitman and B-CC, they knew the games were likely their most difficult of the season.  The team bounced back for a statement 8-0 win over Paint Branch. It seems as if the team has their confidence back, and they will need it with a game against rival Blake tonight on the road. In her first season coaching, Kristina Bryn has great things to say about her team. “It has been so much fun and so rewarding,” she said. “I could not have picked a better group of girls for my first year as a coach.” Bryn is no stranger to Sherwood soccer, having been a 4-year varsity player for the Warriors from 1999-2003 before going to North Carolina State University on a soccer scholarship. 

“It is really sentimental to be back on my old stomping grounds,” said Bryn. “A few years ago, I decided I wanted to pursue a career coaching high school soccer. To coach the same Warriors’ team that I once played for is literally a dream come true.” Bryn has reached out to former coaches of hers for advice, which she says has been unbelievably helpful.

Bryn is aware of the pressure that comes with coaching a varsity sport at a school like Sherwood that has a legacy of athletic accomplishments and success. The game against Blake should be early evidence one way or the other for how the girls soccer team is looking as the games start coming every few days. 

“Every coach has that underlying pressure to win every game they play, ” said Bryn. “We were dealt a difficult hand opening with three very strong teams. But I believe our team can and will win every single game for the rest of the season. A victory against Blake will feel great, but in all honesty, our hearts are set on a victory against Blair.” Even though Bryn is new to coaching, she has been made aware of one thing. In the last three years, the girls have not been able to beat Blair in the regular season or the playoffs, developing a heated rivalry between the two schools.

Before their game against Blair at home on October 11, the Warriors will play four games against Blake, Einstein, Wheaton, and Northwood. Victories in all of them would improve their overall record to 5-3 for the season. If that happens, the winner of the Blair-Sherwood matchup likely is the favorite to make it through regionals round in the playoffs.