Oct. 8, IHS girls’ JV soccer team won a highly anticipated match against the North Creek Jaguars 3-0. The win only further tightened their impeccable record as Issaquah continues to battle Skyline and Eastlake for the most polished overall standings for JV girls’ soccer.

That chilly night’s victory began with a fast-paced battle between both sides of the field. The first few minutes were filled with early tries for goals. Players followed the ball as it rapidly shot across the field, and the crowd swiveled their heads back and forth with anticipation. It was not until late in the first half that an exciting sequence led to Issaquah’s first goal. At the Issaquah goal, goalkeeper Grace Roy slid forward in an attempt to capture the ball, leaving North Creek free for a goal. In a heart-stopping moment, the kick by North Creek ricocheted off the right-hand crossbar and landed at the feet of an Issaquah defender. The atmosphere in the stands flipped entirely as the ball rapidly made its way across the field for what was about to be the first goal of the night. The goal, set up through the brilliant teamwork of junior McKinley Greenwood, junior Kahia Vaifoou, and freshman Mackenzie Lee, began as a confusing muddle of passes and fancy footwork. Finally, it was the North Creek goalkeeper freshman Amy Kovich who slid forward, left the goal unguarded, and opened up a slow, straight shot for Greenwood.

In the second half, a skillful passing sequence allowed sophomore midfielder Harper Frye to slip past the North Creek defenders and aim a powerful, yet seemingly effortless goal. The conviction in the shot was sweet redemption for a scoring opportunity that she previously missed when her foot scraped just too far from the ball for a kick, resulting in a good-natured laugh. The final goal of the night came towards the match’s closing when Vaifoou drilled the ball into the net’s upper right corner off a corner kick by Issy.

The match ended with 3-0 on the scoreboard and celebrations all around. Frye, especially, was all smiles when approached after the game. She said, “I feel amazing… [North Creek] beat Skyline and that’s the only team we’ve lost to, so it’s not that we weren’t expecting to win, but we knew it was going to be a tough game.”

Roy spoke of how wonderful it was the team had played their hardest on such a special night. The event she referenced was Kicking MS with Claudia, mainly taking place during the girls’ varsity game. Head coach Kyle Tatro explained the event: “Kicking MS, which is multiple sclerosis, with Claudia is to raise money [for the disease] and awareness for one of our own, Claudia Longo. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, she graduated from IHS two years ago, and she’s an alumni of both IHS and the girls’ soccer program. Right now she plays for UW as a redshirt freshman. This event is all about supporting her.” Multiple sclerosis is a rare disease in which one’s immune system damaged the covering of nerves. Symptoms vary between patients, but can cause pain and fatigue as well as impair coordination and vision. The exhilarating JV game was an amazing kick-off to the night for honoring Longo.

When asked how the girls are going to prepare for their upcoming games, Roy said, “We have tough competition coming up… I felt really good about this game, and our teamwork was awesome… we’re going to focus on what worked and didn’t work during this game.” The team will need all the support they can get next week. Coming up is a challenging game against Eastlake, one of two teams with a record rivaling their own. The girls’ soccer team are aiming to bring their A-game when they face-off against the Eastlake wolves on their home turf next Wednesday.