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By Michael Flanagan
Hometown Weekly Sports Editor
With the summer coming to a close, soccer hotbeds such as Needham and Dover-Sherborn are readying for the upcoming season. It goes without saying that keeping your skills sharp and staying conditioned are extremely important aspects in soccer, and both the Needham and DS girls have certainly done so with off-season training and practicing on their own time.
However, the one true way to get ready for the long upcoming season is game action, and Thursday’s preseason match between the two schools allowed both sides to get a feel for what is to come this fall.
Thursday’s scrimmage had several positive takeaways for DS, most notably in the cage with goaltender Sabrina Doyle turning in yet another strong performance after a stellar season a year ago. Like any team trying to shake off some rust in a preseason scrimmage, the defensive backfield had a share of miscommunications and turnovers early, but Doyle showed why she is a potential All-TVL candidate this season, bailing out her team with five total saves in the first half.
The defensive play of senior captain Olivia Maier (pictured in blue) was a key strength of DS in Thursday’s scrimmage against Needham, and it should be a constant as the lady-Raiders attempt to put together another successful year in 2017 under Coach Wainwright. Photos by Michael Flanagan
Another positive takeaway for DS was the leadership shown by their three senior captains in senior midfielder Cricket Simms, back midfielder Katie Burger, and senior defender Olivia Maier. Throughout the majority of the scrimmage, Needham had a difficult time breaking into the opposing end, and much of that can be credited to the defensive efforts and intelligence of Maier. Seemingly every time Needham broke the ball into the open field or made a break towards the goal, Maier was there to deposit the ball out of bounds or, at the very least, keep the ball away from Doyle and the cage.
Simms and Burger, meanwhile, had strong showings in the offensive end for DS, setting up a series of incredible scoring chances in the late minutes of the first half. The strength of the DS girls this season might be in the defensive end with Doyle and Maier leading the charge. The losses of last season’s senior captains in Ali Jordan, Leah Balmer, and Emma White will surely have its effects throughout the season, as it would on any team, but Simms and Burger showed on Thursday that this group of Raiders could put up some serious offensive numbers if they keep clicking like they did in this preseason exam.
For funny and incisive sports analysis, follow Mike Flanagan on his personal Twitter at @fLAno0, or read his blog at www.flannylive.wordpress.com.
