With six minutes left in the second half, and the score still 0-0, it seemed as if the game would go into overtime, and maybe even penalty kicks. But then, in a shocking turn of events, first-year varsity player sophomore Elena Gahan scored the winning goal just before the end of the game. This was the outcome of the Girls’ Varsity Soccer Regional Quarterfinals, in which Benjamin played Oxbridge for a spot in the Regional Semifinal game. On Tues., Feb. 11, the Lady Bucs played their first regional game at home, dominating in not only possession but also aggression.
The first half of the game moved slowly, with both teams playing somewhat cautiously in hopes of moving on to the next level of playoffs. The teams were fairly matched in terms of records this 2025 season, with the Oxbridge team being 8-10-3, and the Benjamin team being 8-5-3.
Junior Kenna Kujawa shares the team’s goals and plans going into this highly anticipated game, “Coach Hillary told us to watch film and get to know how the other team plays. We learned that they sit back and kind of just defend so she told us that we would have to stay together as a team and move the ball quickly. We wanted to play our style of soccer and not theirs.”
As the match continued, it was clear that Benjamin had a majority of possession time, as Oxbridge played a much more defensive game. The Thunderwolves kept their defense very deep, putting most of their strength towards keeping Benjamin from scoring rather than being offensively aggressive. Senior Aniyah Seedeen-Vargas led this Oxbridge soccer team in terms of offense.
“She kept calm but she tried to break our lines of defense. She tried to help her team move forward,” shared Kujawa.
At the beginning of the second half, the Lady Bucs were forced to change up their starting lineup for less experienced players. Kujawa and junior Chase Zur both came out of the game due to in-game injuries. Kujawa was able to return to play after a brief break, but Zur remained out for the rest of the game.
Zur had a more serious injury; “I was going to pass the ball and I twisted my ankle outwards and a girl was pressuring me. We collided and I fell on my ankle. I tried to get up, but I couldn’t. I could not go back in because I had a sprained ankle.”
Sophomores Ava Bevevino and Kayla Travers filled Zur’s position at center midfield. During the last few minutes of the game, veteran senior goalie Emily Simon made several stops to keep Benjamin in the game.
Although the game was nearing its end, Gahan was able to break through Oxbridge’s strong defense and score, finishing the game with a score of 1-0 and earning Benjamin’s Girls’ Varsity Soccer Team a place in the next round of playoffs.
“It was an awesome moment scoring in the Oxbridge game because it was our quarter-finals for regionals. However, it really was a team win because we were all able to contribute and the entire team played so well in that game. Scoring was impactful because we did not have to go to overtime or penalties and it sent us straight through to our semi-finals,” shared Gahan.
Benjamin’s winning streak continued, with a 6-2 upset against the Edgewood Red Wolves in the Regional Semifinals. Tonight, the Lady Bucs will play King’s Academy for a spot in the State playoffs.
