Girls Varsity Soccer: Season Preview

The St. Luke’s Girls Varsity Soccer team hopes to mount another challenge for honors and welcomes back many of the team who won the FAA regular-season title in 2018.

Expectations are high again for the team, led by Lea Panagiotidis ‘19, Jackie Thompon ‘19, and Julia Lombardo ‘20.

The Storm registered a 14-2-1 record last year, with its only two losses coming in both semi-finals of the FAA tournament and the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) Class C tournament. Head Coach Dan Clarke hopes for similar success this season: “We have most of the squad returning, so I am confident we can challenge for the FAA and New England titles again. We have a lot of talented soccer players. However, talent is not enough and we need to work hard every day if we want to achieve our goals.”

In addition to the three captains, GVS returns Lily Tencic ‘20, Maddie Otero ‘20 Ryan Weil ‘21, Audrey Magnussen ‘21, Ellie O’Meara ‘22, Ali Gall ‘22, Caroline Lau ‘22, Ashley Barton ‘22, Caitlin Neafsey ‘22, and Macy Owsley ‘22. There are a number of new additions too, including Layla Magnussen ‘22 and Natalie Owsley ‘22, both siblings of returning players. Clarke is excited by what he has seen in preseason: “We played New Canaan High School and Greenwich High School in preseason scrimmages. They were two great tests for us and really gave me an idea of where we are as a group. We still have some work to do, but there were plenty of positives that came out of the games. Our focus and attitude, day in and day out, is going to be the key to our success this year.”

The Storm opened up the season on the road at Hopkins School on Wednesday, September 11, winning 1-0, courtesy of a stunning strike by Lily Tenic. Clarke was impressed with the display: “It was a great start against a tough team. Hopkins has improved a lot this year, but we dug deep to get the result. Lily was outstanding, and you will not see too many better goals this season than the one she scored to win the game. It was a real team performance, with everyone stepping up in some difficult conditions.”

Next up for GVS is another road trip to local rivals Greens Farms Academy on Tuesday, September 17, and Clarke expects another tough test: “GFA will be another very difficult game for us. They beat us in the FAA tournament last year and are another very good team. I would expect them, as well as Greenwich Academy, Sacred Heart, and Hopkins to all be vying for the title this year, so we will have to be at our best.”