Twenty minutes into the second half, the girls varsity soccer team and Oviedo were tied at zero. It was a rough game as the girls were getting thrown to the ground and pushed around they decided they had enough. Center-back Skye Barnes made an across-the-field pass to attacking midfielder Brynn Waddell. Beating out three defenders, Wadell faked the goalie out and put the ball in the bottom left corner of the net, making the score 1-0. 

“When she scored the first goal, it was so exciting,” striker Raegen Varvarigos said.

Varvarigos scored the second goal when Oviedo’s keeper got a pass from her teammate, she picked it up and then dropped the ball. Varvarigos, who was keeping an eye on the keeper,  got a touch and kicked it into the goal. The final score was 2-0 after the team’s defense was able to shut out Oviedo’s multiple attempts at getting a goal.

Keeper Aryana Rosenblum had 10 saves and was awarded player of the game for shutting out Oviedo’s offense. Barnes made an assist as well as kept the defense under control the entire game. She was able to stop multiple scoring opportunities for Oviedo and kept the ball out of the box as much as possible.

“We had complete control, it was unmatchable,” Barnes said. “We never gave up and we did not stop after our first goal.”

Since it was a rivalry game, it got physical fast. It started with a little pushing and shoving but soon turned into knocking opponents over. There was very high tension between both teams the entire game.

“We kept most of our composure throughout the game, but we were able to calm down after realizing Oviedo was getting frustrated that they were losing,” Rosenblum said. “They were breaking down.”

The team has not lost to Oviedo for over a year. Last year, the first time they played them, they tied 3-3, but later on, in the playoffs, they knocked Oviedo out, beating them 2-1. 

“After losing to Oviedo my freshman year I never wanted to lose to them again,” Rosenblum said. “Beating them last year in the playoffs gave us more confidence this year to beat them again.”

The Oviedo game has been a highlight for a mostly positive season. They had a couple of tough losses against Lake Brantley 4-0 and Bishop Moore 3-0, and a tie against Lake Highland 1-1, but this game sparked a fire in the girls and gave them the confidence to turn their season around.

“We started the season off very slow and not being able to communicate well as a team,” Varvarigos said. “The game against Oviedo made us realize how well we play together and we will go far this season.”

After the win, the team has a record of 4-2-1, and they have hard competition coming up facing Lake Mary on 12/13 and West Orange on 12/15. Both games will be away and will be held at 7 p.m. Tickets can be found on gofan.com.