Since kicking off their season this March, the Briar Woods Girls Varsity Soccer team has continued to uphold its reputation as a commanding presence on the field, compiling an impressive 11-4-2 record and proving themselves as one of the district’s top contenders.
Head Coach Catherine Bruton reflects on the season, sharing, “My proudest moments have been games where everything wasn’t going according to plan and we were hitting a bunch of roadblocks, but the girls were able to dig out of the hole and pull off a win, so both times with Stone Bridge in overtime were big wins that [made me proud.]”
On Wednesday, April 30, in a closely contested non-league match, the Briar Woods Falcons were edged out at home by the Patriot Pioneers, falling 2-1.
Coach Bruton said, “It was a weird game because we didn’t necessarily play our full team, because it was a non-district game and we needed to be smart about who we were resting and who was getting minutes. That’s why we [didn’t have the upper hand.]”
On Thursday, May 1, the Falcons started a new win streak when they secured a hard-earned 1-0 victory over the Riverside Rams. The lone goal came early in the first half, when senior midfielder Luciana Collantes-Gasco capitalized on a missed save by the Rams’ goalkeeper, finding the net with ease. Briar Woods controlled much of the game offensively, registering a flurry of shots on goal and dominating set pieces, including numerous corner kicks and direct kicks. They tallied 48 direct kicks and 33 indirect kicks, keeping Riverside’s defense on its heels with frequent restarts and chances to attack. On the other end of the field, the Falcons remained composed and disciplined, and their momentum carried them through to a well-earned shutout.
Freshman goalkeeper Asrielle Silver shared her thoughts, stating, “Mentally, Riverside is one of the toughest teams, and after their first goal after ours, we kind of fell apart mentally and it was hard to fight back from that.”
On Wednesday, May 7, Briar Woods dominated Potomac Falls and cruised to a 6-0 victory. After recent scoring struggles, the Falcons found their rhythm early and maintained control throughout, combining strong communication and ball control for a decisive win and clean sheet.
“Games against Potomac Falls have been an opportunity for us to work on a lot of strategies, so even though it wasn’t the most technically challenging or physically challenging team, it was an opportunity for us to improve our game,” said Coach Bruton.
On Friday, May 9, the Falcons defeated Stone Bridge in a 3-2 overtime win, mirroring their earlier-season result. The Bulldogs struck first with a header off a corner from sophomore forward Ava Ryan, but Briar Woods answered minutes later as senior forward Krista Tehan netted the tying goal, assisted by senior captain and midfielder Olivia Kannan. Tied 1-1 at halftime, the Falcons took the lead early in the second half with a goal from junior midfielder Morgan Jones off a pass from junior defender Abby Hardy. Stone Bridge tied it again through sophomore midfielder Alyssa Kurre, forcing overtime. Hardy sealed the win for Briar with the golden goal, assisted by junior defender Catie Borsuk. The Falcons held a 31-11 advantage in corner kicks and added 42 direct kicks, 18 indirect kicks, and five key saves from Silver.
Kannan explained, “I think it definitely wasn’t our best game because Stone Bridge is one of our best competitors, and I think we panicked, because we held them off until ten minutes [into the first half,] and then they scored. In the future, we just have to learn to focus on putting pressure on the whole half, because we really put on a lot of pressure in the overtime.”
As the regular season comes to a close, the girls reflect on how they feel about the team and going into playoffs.
“Just having the privilege of saying that I’m with a team that supports me after a good game and having a team that actually supports and cares about me has been important to me this season, because my team last year was not good about doing that. It’s going to be sad when the season ends though, because half of the team is made up of seniors,” expressed Silver.
“I think our team is very close with each other this season, so it’s going to be a sad end to the season, but I try to be very positive with everyone because I’d rather have a positive environment than a negative one and personally, not letting anything negative affect moving forward is something [I’m working on] to make sure I’m ready for playoffs. I feel like we’re in a pretty good position, so we just need to keep it up and keep winning,” added Kannan.
Briar Woods subsequently played Lightridge and Independence this week to end their regular season, coming out victorious against the Bolts with a 4-1 win, but losing against the Tigers in a 4-0 loss. The girls’ next game will be a district tournament game on Tuesday, May 20, at 6:00 pm. Make sure to come out and support your Briar Woods Falcons!
