Last Monday, girls varsity soccer concluded their season with a game against Dual County League opponent Tyngsborough High School. “It was disappointing,” said Wayland Coach Guy Enoch, describing the final game. “I don’t think that this outcome accurately reflects on our overall season.”

Sixteen minutes into the game, the Tigers were able to control the ball and bring it into the Warriors penalty area. A cross into the 6 caused a scramble in front of the net–Tyngsborough scored.

The half ended with Wayland down 1-0. Sophomore Claire Nishioka picked up the game in the second half. Nishioka crossed the ball into the goal area and teammate Whitney Fletcher was able to receive the ball and put it into net, scoring 1-1.

The rest of the half Wayland held onto the tie, but allowed Tyngsborough to play over them. “I think that we lost our heads, and we had a loss of composure,” said Coach Enoch. With fewer than five minutes left, opponent’s shot brought Wayland goalkeeper off her line, and the Tigers were able to score off a rebound.

The game ended as a 2-1 loss for the Warriors. This made their season close with a record of 7-8-4. “We made every game count, not a single game was meaningless to us this year,” said Coach Enoch.

Wayland had five seniors this year: Captains Rachel Oliver and Tory Jones; Iris Irwin, Katie Hill, and Sarah Gordon.

Captain Rachel Oliver was a stand out player for the Warriors this year as always. “On the field, it was clear that she was a dominant force, and she led the midfield really well,” said Coach Enoch. Oliver stepped up to lead the team, and it showed both on and off the field.

Captain Tory Jones got injured in the third game of the season, but played in the last game. “The fact that she came back to practice and pushed herself into the last game shows her extreme dedication to the sport,”  Coach Enoch said. Jones led the Warriors off the field with her positive encouragement.

Iris Irwin played defense for the Warriors this year. Enoch noted, “Iris brought a lot to the team on and off the field.  She was always positive and she helped set the tone of the team. Iris made great strides of skill-wise improvement this season.”

Katie Hill was a goalkeeper for Wayland this year.  Katie was a dedicated player who encouraged her teammates at all times.

Sarah Gordon was a midfielder for the Warriors. “She was one player I could trust to always play with everything that she had,” said Coach Enoch. “She is completely positive on and off the field, and her attitude helped set the tone for the team.”

All the seniors contributed greatly to the Warriors soccer program, and they will be missed next year.