This past week the Frisch varsity girls’ soccer team played its local rival, Ma’ayanot, in the semi-finals. The Frisch Cougars came in confident, even on Maayanot’s home court, as Frisch had already beaten Ma’ayanot the last time they had met.

The Cougars started off the game with a strong 2-0 lead, with goals scored by Rebecca Gellis and Kelly Pavel. With the help of a strong defense led by goalie Liad Arussy, Frisch maintained this score through the end of the first half. However, in the second half, Ma’ayanot caught up, tying the game at 2-2, in the beginning of the 3rd quarter. With the game up for grabs it was a question of determination and who wanted a chance at the championship more. Frisch fought hard and relentlessly with Kelly Pavel scoring another on an assist by Nicole Feigenblum.

Going into the 4th quarter Frisch was in the lead 3-2. Their coaches, Erin Mullins and Dalya Arussy, kept reminding them “a team is always most vulnerable when they are ahead.” With seven minutes left to the game, Frisch was on edge; they recognized a lot could happen in that time, but after another insurance goal by Kelly Pavel on an assist of Rebecca Gellis, the team’s confidence returned. But the game was not over and Ma’ayanot was far from ready to hand the Cougars a win as they fought back with two more goals. In the end it was the defense that stepped up with Nicole Feigenblum scoring two goals of her own while she and her defensive partner, Ally Schlisser, helped deny Ma’ayanot, ending the game with a final score of 6-4.

Go Cougars and good luck in the Championships!

By Kelly Pavel