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GVS Remains Perfect After Defeating Mustangs
Girls Varsity Soccer (GVS) continued its perfect start to the season on Wednesday, October 10, with a 5-1 away win against Millbrook School.
Two goals from Lea Panagiotidis ‘20 and one each from Ali Gall ‘22, Lily Tencic ‘20 and Julia Lombardo ‘21 helped the Storm overcome a talented Mustang team.
Panagiotidis gave St. Luke’s the lead in the 15th minute with a superb header from a Lombardo corner. Gall made it 2-0 with a neat finish at the far post after some great work out wide by Lombardo. Millbrook pulled a goal back just before halftime to make it 2-1 but the Storm controlled the game in the second period.
Tencic extended the visitor’s lead with a wonderful strike from 25 yards that found the top corner before Panagiotidis made it 4-1 in the 73rd minute. With the Mustang’s defense tiring, Lombardo capped off a terrific performance with her fourth goal of the season with a dipping effort from 20 yards.
The win sees GVS improve to 6-0 following wins over Hopkins, Wooster, Greens Farms Academy, Holy Child, and Sacred Heart. The team has scored an impressive 29 goals in the opening six games while conceding just six.
Head Coach Dan Clarke is excited by the team’s start to the season but remains cautious as the Storm heads into the busiest part of its schedule over the next few weeks. “The team is playing some great soccer right now and scoring a lot of goals but we can’t allow complacency to creep in. We have some big games coming up and have to make sure we continue working hard and improving every day,” he said.
The team is 4-0 in FAA league play after an excellent performance against Sacred Heart on Friday, October 5. The Storm won 4-1 against a team they lost to last season, and Clarke was thrilled with the result. “Sacred Heart is a very good team so we knew we had to be on our game. They have a number of excellent players but I thought we controlled the game for large periods and looked very dangerous going forward.”
This is the best start to a campaign any team has enjoyed under Clarke, eclipsing the 5-0-1 start the 2012-13 team had on its way to an undefeated regular season. Clarke sees similarities between the two teams and is excited to see what his current group of players can achieve. “The 2012-13 team was a very talented group who loved to score goals, he said. "This group is very similar in that respect, but it’s still early and talent is not always enough. We have to stay focused and control the things within our power. We are just taking it one game at a time right now and making sure we prepare in the right way.”
Next up: Girls Varsity Soccer hosts Hamden Hall for a Homecoming game on Saturday, October 13 at 2:00pm. Then they travel to King School on Wednesday, October 17.
St. Luke’s School is a secular (non-religious), private school in New Canaan, CT for grades 5 through 12 serving over 35 towns in Connecticut and New York. Our exceptional academics and diverse co-educational community foster students’ intellectual and ethical development and prepare them for top colleges. St. Luke’s Center for Leadership builds the commitment to serve and the confidence to lead.
