The school’s varsity girls soccer team (11-2-3) won 4-3 against the San Dieguito Academy Mustangs (6-8-2) at Ed Burke Field on Jan. 29. 

The team dedicated the match to Katie’s Save, an organization named in honor of former Stanford goalkeeper Katie Meyer, who died by suicide in 2022. The organization works in pursuit of raising awareness and support of athletes’ mental health. 

“We dedicated this game to her and that cause,” said Ava Guimond (10), a center back. 

Varsity head coach Martyn Hansford explained that the dedication was led by the team captain and reflected the character of the group. 

“One of our captains, Natalie Cohen (12), deserves the credit for organizing it, and I was happy to support it,” said Hansford. “Having lost a friend to suicide, it is something I feel strongly about and I’m proud of the girls for supporting Katie’s Save.”

 The dedication of the game highlighted the role of athletics in addressing mental health awareness and promoting community support. 

From the opening kickoff, the team set the tone with positive plays. According to Casey Suhar (10), a defender, ball movement and communication were key factors in achieving the win.

“We connected the ball really well with each other and brought a ton of intensity,” Suhar said. “We created a lot of goal-scoring opportunities and really took advantage of that.”

The team’s focus paid off early, according to Guimond.

“We came out aggressive and capitalized on our chances in the opening minutes. We won balls in the air and quickly regained possession after turnovers,” Guimond said.

Suhar weighs in on the dynamic of the game. 

“We came out strong,” said Suhar. “If we lost the ball, we got it right back, and we scored a lot early.”

Hansford expressed his pleasure with the team’s performance throughout the match. 

“They played with intensity and executed the game model very well,”  Hansford said. 

Hansford emphasized the significance of the opening kickoff. 

“We had asked girls to work hard without the ball, to press our opponents high up the pitch, and they did that right from the first kickoff,” says Hansford. “We also had talked about being more clinical in front of the goal, they were able to convert the chances they created.”

He noted that the team built an early lead and controlled much of the match. 

“The game was pretty much decided by halftime,” Hansford said. “Although we made a few mistakes that led to us conceding goals, we had made several changes, and that can happen.”

Despite a close final score, the team maintained its lead to secure the 4-3 victory. Hansford added that the win was important following recent losses and could help build confidence moving forward.