Raiders battle Lancers to the end

By Meghan Foley
Hometown Weekly Sports Reporter

Last Tuesday, the girls varsity soccer team faced the Norton Lancers for the second time this season, after defeating them 3–0 early in September.

Lancer’s captain Makenna Shea opened the game with a goal at one minute in, having intercepted an unfortunate pass in front of the net.

Ten minutes after Norton’s first goal, the Raiders came close to scoring themselves after a play where one player pretended to receive a pass off of a corner kick but stepped over it so the ball went to the uncovered captain Raina Patel outside of the box. Patel launched a shot that hit the corner of the crossbar and right goal post, and though Dover-Sherborn continued to press, the Lancers were eventually able to get the ball out of their end.

After a string of good passes by the Raiders put her in the box with the ball, captain Allegra Hoffmann took a solid one-timer, but it went just over the net. Meanwhile, Raiders goalie Alexis Weiss had a great save when she ran from the net to the top of the box and dove on the ball just before a Norton player got to it.

In the second half, the Lancers got their second goal when Makenna Shea kept her cool despite the defenders running beside her and hit a low ball into the right of Dover-Sherborn’s net.

Around ten minutes into the half, junior midfielder Rose Kim was injured after running down a ball and defending against a Norton player. After the opposing player crossed the ball, Kim suddenly limped a few steps and then laid down and held her leg. She was checked over by coaches and then helped off the field.

In this half, the Raiders had switched goalies to junior Piper Abbett, who made a good save after a strong attempt by the Lancers, but one minute later, Norton captain and forward Adeline Corcoran took a great shot from the top of the box and earned them their third goal of the game, making it 3–0 with just over 25 minutes left.

Raina Patel ran toward Norton’s box and was able to cut past their goalie while keeping the ball from the defense, but was unable to get the shot on net in the end. Not long after, Patel was fouled just inside the box and was consequently awarded a penalty kick, which was taken by Hoffmann. Hoffmann opted for a low shot, which Norton goalie Gabrielle Murphy got a hand on but could not trap, and it went in the bottom left corner, giving Dover-Sherborn their first goal of the game. Hoffmann later took an impressive shot—a one-timer mid-run with a defender right on her—but Murphy made the save.

Down in Dover-Sherborn’s end, Norton freshman Brekyn Moore took a high shot from the side of the box, which was tipped by Abbett but then put in by Lancer forward Charlotte Richmond, who had put herself in a good spot in front of the net.

In the last ten minutes of the game, Hoffmann put another ball in the bottom left corner of the Norton net but was called offside. With five minutes left, however, she sent a long, low cross to the middle and senior defender Sally Siegal ran into the box to direct it into the net with a controlled shot. Despite this goal, the deficit was too large, and the Raiders lost 4–2.