by Erin Hogan
It was a beautiful fall evening as the girls varsity soccer team took their home field. For the seniors this would be their last time to do so. All the seniors started in this match against Heatly. The game, which Berlin dominated overall, was a great victory to be had on such a special night for the seniors. All seniors took part in the win, with outstanding play from Megan Davies, Janelle Gazalone and Kayla Hawk defending and helping with the shutout. In the midfield, Deanna Nash, Erin Berschwinger and Rianna VanEmbergh all contributed to the great shots by Emily Dooley in offense. Deanna Nash and Erin Bershwinger also shot on goal.
The game started slowly with Berlin unable to score until there was 1 minute and 5 seconds left in the first half. Senior Emily Dooley made a beautiful cross to Rachel Ferris who skillfully volleyed the ball out of the air into the goal. After the first goal it took Berlin less than a minute to regain possession of the ball. Emily Dooley dribbled up the wing and again
crossed the ball into the box. The box was chaos as Heatly struggled to get the ball out of scoring range and Berlin fought to score. Berlin’s Maria Gordon came through the chaos and got the ball into the net. As the half ended, Berlin was up 2-0.
This halftime was different from most, though, because it was a time to honor the seniors. Seven in all were honored with a flower and a little blurb from Coach Berschwinger about their soccer careers. Despite the emotional halftime, the girls still came out on the field ready to play and that was evident when, with less than ten minutes gone in the half, Berlin scored again. Emily Dooley for the third time passed the ball for the shot. Rachel Ferris was there to finish, controlling the pass with her chest and changing the score to 3-0. A mere five minutes later Erin Berschwinger took a corner kick that was cleared out to Deanna Nash who saw her chance and took a rocket shot on goal and scored letting the Mountaineers take a 4-0 lead. Erin Berschwinger and Deanna Nash were passing incredibly well. Also, Megan Davies was playing outstanding defense, not letting any girl sneak through undetected. Both teams were unable to score for the rest of the game and the score stayed 4-0, giving the seniors a glorious victory for their last home game.
All the Seniors had a wonderful last game and season and should be proud of all their hard work.
