Girls’ soccer, 14–6–4 overall, finished their season in the first round of CIF Open Division playoffs ending in a 5-0 loss against the Granada Hills Highlanders, 13–4–2 overall.  

Senior Izzy Mylan, a captain alongside junior Somer Staley and senior Alex Rosen, said the team worked to grow and develop over the season. 

“We really worked hard to direct our efforts to improving in each game,” said Mylan. 

Coach Chaka Forman said the team started the game losing momentum, going 3-0 down early in the match.

“We made some big mistakes early and, in soccer, once that momentum gets away from you, it’s hard to get it back,” said Forman. 

Forman said that it was “uncharacteristic of our team, and that set us in a hole.”

The team had a strong season prior to the match against the Highlanders.

The Gondoliers, who had beaten the Highlanders 3-1 late last year, December 13, began to lose motivation once they fell behind. “I think a lot of our team gave up in trying to win then,” said Staley.  

Despite a radical offensive shift at practice in preparation for the game, Staley says “the offensive opportunities were very weak. We didn’t have one corner and we only had two or three shots on goal.”

According to Forman, despite the team’s best efforts, the “early mistakes ended up costing” them the win.

However, the team wants to use this loss as a growing opportunity for next season. 

“We’ll figure that out and come back stronger next year. It’s not how we wanted to end the season,” said Forman.