Led by coach Maria McAndrews, the girls varsity soccer team anticipated a victorious season following last year’s fruitless efforts, but has been continually disappointed. The team started strong with wins against Wheaton and Einstein, but their success plummeted in their recent games versus Blair and Wootton.

“Those games are learning experiences that will help us improve in the long run,” McAndrews said.

On October 4, the Devils played consortium rival, the Blake Bengals, at Blake. Early in the first half, the ball was mainly concentrated on the visitors half and within the first 10 minutes, the Bengals scored a goal. The Bengals maintained their early control of the ball, scoring two more goals before the end of the first half. In one play by the Devils, junior defender Kim Morales made a save which prevented a goal but resulted in a bloody nose.

In the second half, the team retaliated, showing increased aggression and with more shots on the opposing goal. With 25 minutes left in the second half, senior forward Sonia Basma took a fast break into an open shot on goal, bringing the score to 3-1.

The team maintained this score, despite strong efforts by the Bengals. With 10 seconds left in the play, the Bengals took a shot, which junior goalie Anna Architzel saved.

The first half of the match was weak, but as the game progressed, the team woke up and started communicating and making use of the field. Despite a good save by Architzel in the first half, the Devils were not triumphant and the game ended with a score of 8-0.

On September 26, the team played a home game against cross-town rivals, the Blair Blazers, which resulted with a loss for the home team. The Blazers dominated the game, winning 10-2. Despite the series of losses on the part of the Devils, McAndrews remains hopeful.

“Blair was a tough loss. The team was in a new formation and it is taking longer for them to get used to it. We have at least four more games until the end of the season and if the girls work hard and are dedicated then the outcome should be positive,” McAndrews said.

On September 22, the team played a tough match against the reigning state champions, the Quince Orchard Cougars. The game ended with a 7-1 loss for the Blue Devils. Basma scored the team’s only goal.

“The first two games we played really well, but then our heads blew up, we had beaten Wheaton and Einstein, and we thought we would beat Richard Montgomery and Quince Orchard,” junior Katie Kittleberger said.

The Devils look to improve on their record as the season progresses.