After ending the regular season tied for first place in the ISL, Potomac’s Girls Varsity Soccer team went into the postseason tournament with high expectations. The goal of winning the championship was set in stone for PGVS from the beginning of the season, despite the team’s roster losing 13 seniors from the successful team last season.
On Monday, October 28, the Panthers played a phenomenal game against the Stone Ridge Gators and pulled away with a 4-1 win. It was an impressive result after only beating Stone Ridge by a single goal four days earlier. Their win carried them to the semi-finals against Holton-Arms, where the team fought hard for 80 scoreless minutes and then kept the score at 0-0 at the end of overtime. In a nerve-wracking end to the game, a series of penalty kicks decided who would have a spot at the ISL tournament final. Goalie and captain Amory Imperatore ‘25 saved two Holton penalty kicks, while Chloe Lee ‘25, Julia Saba ‘26, Chiara Mizzo ‘27, and Ally Griswold ‘26 each put their shots in the back of the net. After this intense match, the Panthers secured their spot in the finals with a 4-3 win in penalty kicks.
Finally, on Friday, November 1, the Panthers were ready to take on Georgetown Day School at Episcopal’s home field. Winning this game would give the Panthers their third consecutive ISL postseason title, and the team was motivated to accomplish this impressive goal. GDS, who was the No. 1 seed going into the tournament, yet tied for total season points with the Panthers, had gone undefeated all season. When the Panthers played them on September 10, Potomac had lost 2-1 in a difficult match made especially tough by its early position in the season and the location being GDS’s home turf. Despite the loss, the Panthers left feeling they could have won. Because of this, they were motivated to win the championship game and show they were the better team.
Early on, Chiara Mizzo ‘27 scored an excellent goal, hitting a low shot into the left corner past the goalkeeper. The Panthers dominated the beginning of the half, completely shutting down the GDS offense. In the second half, the Grasshoppers were able to equalize, and the 80 minutes ended in a 1-1 tie. Going into overtime with high energy looking to score, and avoid penalty kicks, the Panthers scored in the first 5 minutes of overtime with a goal from Kaida Mizzo ‘27 shot off a cross from Alden Marin ‘26. This goal secured the Panthers’ win and an exciting championship banner.
