GSPN's Homecoming Recap
Note: This article was originally written for the October 2019 edition of Beachside.
By Isaac Moskowitz (’21) and Charles Kolin (’21)
Saturday, October 19th, was a big day for GFA sports. It was a lot to process, but GSPN is here to help with our Homecoming sports recap. Several teams secured important wins on the home turf (or court) against the King Vikings. Let’s dive into these games.
First off, congratulations to Varsity Cross Country. GSPN usually doesn’t give them much attention, but they deserve more after their performance against Christian Heritage and King on Saturday. The team dominated both the boys’ and girls’ sides of the race. Caroline McCall (’21) won the girls’ race with a time of 19:29, and Larson Palmgren (’21) placed second in the boys’ meet with a time of 17:04. GFA dominated both sides of the meet, defeated King and Christian Heritage, and secured a win during GFA’s homecoming on Saturday.
Next up, Varsity Field Hockey put forth a dominant performance against King that resulted in a 5-0 win. Zoe Koskinas (’21) scored two goals and assisted twice. Keely O’Shea (’21) scored a goal and notched an assist, while Caroline Cooper (’24) and Laci Raveis (’23) contributed the other two goals. Goalie, Nikki Farber (’20), only needed one save to complete the shutout. The Dragons moved to 9-2.
Both Dragons Varsity Soccer teams were also able to secure wins on Saturday. The boys’ team won 5-3 on the hands of the goalkeeper, Max Yates (’21), who saved a late second-half penalty kick to preserve the Dragons’ win, along with four other saves. Ethan Lior (’20) scored twice and assisted once to set the pace for GFA’s offense, who had a 3-2 lead at halftime. Josh Kitt (’24) added a goal and assist, while Henry McDonald (’21) and GSPN broadcaster Charles Kolin (’21) added two more goals for GFA. Will Whelan (’21), Jack Seegers (’20), and Tyler Bierman (’21) all contributed to the win via an assist each. The Girls’ Varsity game decided to be more on the defensive side, with the team pulling out of the match with a 3-1 victory. Lauren Lior (’23), Ryan Boyle (’20), and Elyse Kimball (’20) scored goals for GFA. Ava McCormick (’23) and Emma Smith (’22) were credited with assists. Goalkeeper Lane Murphy (’22) saved six shots to secure the win for the Dragons.
Finally, the Varsity Volleyball team suffered a heartbreaking loss later in the afternoon. The Dragons fell to King 0-3. Available on-demand on GSPN’s YouTube channel, the game was much closer than the final score indicates. The Dragons got off to a rocky start, losing the first set 25-15, but rebounded and kept it close against the powerhouse King team in the second and third sets, with a score of 25-21 in the second set and 25-23 in the third set. Cayla Bernstein (’21) had six kills, while Ava Ewing (’20) had 5. Meg Nesi (’20) assisted 15 times while GFA’s front line held its ground against a strong King attack, with a total of 17 blocks. Sam Freeman (’21) contributed seven of these blocks, Madison Gordon (’22) had four, and Ava Ewing (’20) had three. GFA’s Varsity Volleyball team hopes to rebound after this loss and steal one away in King’s home court.
This concludes GSPN’s recap of GFA’s Homecoming on Saturday. The volleyball game is always available on our website, and we will keep the GFA community posted about any upcoming broadcasts in the fall. We are excited to see what these talented teams can do and look forward to the next round of GFA teams’ performances during the winter season.