The Eagles Have Landed
The Dobbs Ferry Varsity Boys and Girls' soccer teams played in their annual homecoming game on Wednesday night. This year it was against rival their crosstown rival, the Hastings Yellowjackets. Both games were exciting to watch, with great moments on the offensive end and fierce work on the defensive end. With more attendance than usual, because it’s a homecoming, combined with the high stakes of a rival game against Hastings, the evening started with an energy unlike other games this season. From a dominant performance by the Dobbs Ferry Girls, to a nail-biting finish from the Dobbs Ferry Boys, the Dobbs Ferry Eagles more than delivered in this year’s homecoming game.
The girl’s varsity team kicked off the night with the first game. The 8-4 Dobbs Girls led by Captains, Isha Bindra and Natalie Sparta, dominated the field for two halves against their rival, Hastings. Unlike the Dobbs Girls, who went 7-0 to start the season, the Hastings Girls have struggled this season. Their record until this game was 1-8-1, which paled in comparison to the Dobbs Ferry Girls. In an interview before homecoming day, Senior Isha Bindra said her team was feeling, “absolutely lit and pumped and confident.” Junior left back, Olivia Nunez, added about her team's confidence going into Wednesday night's game, “We are feeling very good and confident, we really want to win on homecoming night.”
The confidence of the Dobbs team was on full display throughout the game, as they finished the game with a final score of 3-0. Freshman Pheobe Walker was the leading scorer for the Eagles putting up a hat trick, scoring all three of the Eagle's goals just in the first half! Now 9-4, the Dobbs Ferry Girls Soccer team is ranked number 2 in the Section 1, Class B rankings, and is likely to make a strong run for the Section Championship in the playoffs later this fall. They play Hastings again on Wednesday night, but this time at Hastings. If Dobbs plays like they did in their homecoming, the outcome is likely to be the same.
The game that followed the girl's game also delivered when it came to the excitement and quality of the game. The Dobbs Ferry Boys battled against the Hastings Boys in a tight back-and-forth matchup that lasted nearly the whole game. Both Dobbs Ferry and Hastings struggled to move the ball up the field and score due to the tough defenses from both teams. Dobbs Ferry managed to make multiple shot attempts throughout the game, while Hastings barely got the ball halfway down the field before losing possession. Juniors Mateus Hertz-Bird, Christopher Doherty, and Riley CaffentzisHorn led the backline for the Dobbs Ferry Eagles, and were crucial in stopping Hastings from scoring. However, with 30 seconds remaining in the 2nd half of the game, neither team had scored, and it looked like this great rivalry game would end in a disappointing tie. That’s when a miracle happened. Sophomore Chase Colyer buried a goal with time running to put the Eagles up 1-0. The Yellowjackets attempted to score but it was for naught. The Eagles defense held strong and Dobbs Ferry walked away victorious and improved to a record of 8-4-1. They are currently ranked 5th in the Class B Section 1 soccer rankings and should be on other Class B teams' radars as their regular season is coming to a close with three games left. Their next game is at Albertus Magnus, a team they tied with earlier in the season. Wednesday’s win could give the Eagles the momentum they need to propel the Dobbs Ferry Boys to victory in their next game.
