55:00 HSPC Gerdeman with a fine move and a fine shot that is stopped by Cabral
48:59 HSPC Sparling dribbles in and the goalie with a solid save
47:55 GFSPC Misfire on the insert and Sparling is away on a snowbird
45:45 HSPC A neat three-way pass play initiated by Sparling just misses the intended receiver at the left post
45:00 The last quarter begins
END THIRD At three-quarter time, Hill leads 5-0
44:55 GFSPC Shot is saved and cleared, ending the third
40:45 GFSPC Long drive by Kothari is saved!
34:52 HSPC and GOAL Gerdeman gets a rebound, on the left wing, and uses a deft touch from the tightest of angles! ¡Golazo! Hill leads 5-0
334:57 HSPC Bigbie’s shot is saved; will rerack
33;50 Aubrey Turner’s speculative shot just misses
31:15 Bigbie with a steal of a loose pass and a backhand pass misses a teammate. That would have been a superb goal
30:00 The second half is under way
HALFTIME Hill has a lot of prime opponents, both in the regular season and at the National High School Invitational in two weeks
HALFTIME The Blues’ sophisticated use of space has resulted in numerous chances, and they were able to put in four in just one quarter against a championship side
HALFTIME I expected Hill to take the lead, but those two quick goals shifted momentum, even though Garrison Forest responded with a corner chance moments after the second Hill goal
END HALF The horn sounds with Hill leading 4-0
27:00 HSPC and GOAL Sparling with a cross that finds Bigbie, who finds open space and flips it into the mesh! Hill up 4-0 and is seemingly in control here
24:36 HS GOAL Ella Kaplan now opens her account and pushes the Rams’ lead to 3-0
23:40 HSPC Sparling’s blast tipped over the top by the GFS flyer
20:00 GFSPC Gracie Kothari’s shot is blocked; rebound stopped as well
19:10 Hill now looking to assert itself on the attack end, as is its wont
19:08 HS GOAL Aubrey Turner with the putaway in front and it is now a 2-0 game
18:10 HSPC and GOAL A nice hi-lo back to the inserter, Riley Savage flips it into the mesh and Hill leads 1-0
17:30 Sparling with a sizzling cross that Taylor Bigbie hammers wide
15:00 The second term begins
END FIRST The Grizzles have done well on the defensive end; can they keep this up?
END FIRST The sides are level after one period. Hill has had all of the chances but have not found the goal on a legal play
14:59 HSPC Whistled for danger
14:20 HSPC Opal Sparling with room but is tackled; will rerack
11:40 HSPC Ball finds an open Mae Dixon, whose shot is deflected wide of the cage by a teammate, and a 16Y for GFS is the result
9:30 HSPC Option-left to Abigail Gerdeman, save by GFS goalie Ryleigh Cabral
4:49 HSPC A “Wally” corner draws the GFS defense and leads to an open shot that finds net, but the play is whistled down for a foot
4:00 Hill is pushing dangerously close to chances but Grizzlies captain Augusta Santarelli has made a handful of smart plays to defuse the danger
0:00 The game is on
DELAY The Hill starting goalkeeper is having to change into arm pads provided by a teammate; never saw that before
PREGAME Hill is in the all-navy kits, Garrison Forest is in the white tops with light blue kilts
PREGAME The teams are warming up on the artificial grass of Briggs Cunningham Field under clearing skies, temperatures around 65
PREGAME Oddly enough, there was a good rain in the last three hours as a front came through, but they will get this one in
PREGAME One year ago this week, these teams were to meet in Maryland to open their respective seasons but lightning and a derecho with rain and dangerous winds ended the possibility of playing
PREGAME These teams also have another thing in common: a new head coach. Alli Bitting, part of the Linda Kreiser coaching tree, takes over from former US international Mimi Smith at Garrison Forest, while Katherine Bowie is the new head coach at Hill, with Gabby Gomez, last year’s head coach, moving to an assistant’s role
PREGAME Both of these sides come into their season openers as major trophy holders. Hill is the champion of the Mid-Atlantic Prep League, while Garrison Forest is the champion of the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland Class A
PREGAME It is the season debut for both teams
PREGAME Hello, and welcome to Briggs Cunningham Field for today’s interstate game between defending Garrison Forest and The Hill School, the No. 1 team in the TopOfTheCircle.com Top 10
