On a rainy, cool fall day, Middlesex hosted I.S.L rival, Lawrence Academy. The Zebras were prepared for a physical battle and for eighty straight minutes it was exactly that. Middlesex scored first off of a corner kick rebound where Shannon '16 boxed out the Lawrence goaltender to allow Kate '15 to carry the ball into the back of the net. No more than five minutes later, Lawrence Academy was awarded a penalty kick from a questionable call in the box. The Spartans evened the score and the game was tied at 1-1.
Middlesex played well, moving the ball quickly, controlling the midfield (led by Sophomore Isabelle), and generating offensive chances up top. However, the Spartans netted their second goal from a corner kick to go up by one. The battle continued with mud spraying, rain pouring and bodies colliding. The Spartans scored their third goal with a hard shot slipping through the defense into the back of the net. Halftime came with the Zebras down by two goals.
Going into the second half, Middlesex dominated possession with gutsy defensive play by Mary '16, Kate '15, Lucy '17, Corina '17 and Caroline '16 and strong running by Kiara '16 and Jac '16 in the middle. Caroline '16 scored for the Zebras from a rebounded corner kick. Middlesex continued to press and possess, but the clock worked against them and time ran out. It was a hard fought, well executed and gritty team performance. The Zebras will get back to work to prepare for another tough I.S.L. match-up against Brooks School on Friday, October 3rd at 2:00 PM.
