After a loss to Pelham on September 17, the Edgemont girls soccer team fell to 2-3. The memories of their underwhelming 2-11 2021 season were flooding back.
They wouldn’t lose again for a month and a half.
The turnaround started with a huge 6-0 win against Peekskill, where the goals came from six different players. That game turned the tide in what ended up being Edgemont’s best season of all time. Edgemont followed that up with a resounding 5-2 win over Brewster and suddenly the team was back above that .500 mark, looking for their first winning season since a 9-7 mark in 2017.
Just having a winning season wasn’t satisfying enough for the Panthers. They proceeded to go 3 games without allowing a goal. They beat Byram Hills and dominated Ardsley in a 4-0 win, where junior Iliana Dimopoulos had a brace and senior Izzy Boodell added a goal and an assist.
That made 5 straight wins for the Panthers and that streak continued through their high-powered attack. A 3-2 overtime win over Ardsley was next, and then another 3-2 over Hastings, with sophomore Samantha Garson stepping up with a much needed brace to push the win streak to seven. Edgemont was one win away from their first league title in program history.
The win came with a set-piece goal by Georgetown commit Izzy Boodell, who knocked in a header to secure a 1-0 win over Sleepy Hollow. On top of the league championship, it ensured that the Panthers finished league play undefeated.
That momentum continued into the playoffs, with the 2nd seeded Panthers romping over Ardsley 3-0. They then defeated Rye Neck 1-0 on an impressive shot by freshman Kyla Gassman that hit off the post before slotting into the left corner. Set-piece magic struck again for Edgemont in the semifinals, as Boodell scored both goals off corner kick headers in a 2-1 win over Byram Hills to send the Panthers to the sectional final.
A 3-1 loss in the final to an amazing Irvington team put a damper on the year but didn’t negate the team’s achievements this year. The Panthers proved able to win their first league title and go on an 11-game win streak. This legendary season will be celebrated with a banner in the Pantherdome.
The Exciting Boys Season
Edgemont's season came to an end in a hard-fought overtime loss to Byram hills. This season was filled with highs and lows. At times, the team moved the ball extremely well and looked very impressive. However, injuries and a tough schedule made it hard for the boys to catch form.
The season started very well. The boys got out to a hot start, going 5-0 and evoking memories of the 2019 team that went 12-4 and claimed a share of the league title. They were able to beat great teams like Nyack and Hen Hud on their run. Senior Will Shah spearheaded the 2022 effort with 7 goals and 3 assists in only those 5 games, while sophomore Will Agoglia looked more comfortable with every game he played, recording 19 saves to 3 goals allowed in his 3 starts over that span.
Tough 3-0 and 1-0 losses to Eastchester and Westlake followed, but the Panthers showed resilience as they bounced back with a huge 3-0 win over Pelham. After that, they opened league play with a high-scoring 4-3 win over Sleepy Hollow, led by Shah’s 2 goals and assist, as well as senior Tapan Sidhwani’s 2 assists from center back.
Then, adversity struck. Edgemont dropped each of its next four games, mustering only two goals over that span. Injuries and sickness made it impossible for them to play a healthy lineup. But then, in true Edgemont fashion, they bounced back from adversity. Redemption came in the form of a 3-2 win against Ardsley, a team that they fell 3-0 to six days earlier. They ended the regular season in a scrappy 3-2 overtime loss against Sleepy Hollow.
Then came the heartbreak at Byram, with junior Leny Jung’s second half goal not enough to save Edgemont’s season. Unfortunately, the boys will lose most of their senior starters next year. The younger boys will look to step into those roles and lead the team next year.