“Who are we? Wildcats! Who are we? Wildcats!”

This is what you would have heard loud and clear for the first night game of the year: Girls’ Varsity Soccer team under the lights on Sawyer Field on Friday, September 12.

The girls faced off against Worcester Academy, a Class A team. Williston is class B, so going into the match, they knew it was going to be a challenging one.

Before the game Mr. Conroy, Williston’s Athletics Director, shared his thoughts going into the match. He commented that he was very excited for the team and the Williston community, saying, “our girls always play inspired soccer under the lights.” He continued, “I have heard that it was a great preseason for girls’ soccer- everyone has been working very hard. The coaches seem very pleased.”

Fans showed up right at the start of the game at 7 p.m. dressed in dark attire for the team’s blackout-themed game. Despite the cold and rain, it was great to see such a crowd, who even had the creative idea to wear trash bags to stay in support of the blackout and keep dry.

Their cheers could be heard loudly and clearly and no one seemed to pay too much mind to the weather conditions.

Williston started the game by putting pressure onto Worcester and testing its goalkeeper in the first two minutes. A powerhouse shot from junior Haley McCreary left Worcester’s keeper shaken on her line.

Great defense on Williston’s end from the team’s back four who protected their goal with excellent composure. The first half was a good fight with neither team scoring. The crowd was pumped and very excited for the second half.

The second half heated up with more shots on goal for both teams, especially Williston who managed to score. Unfortunately, the goal had to be taken back because the whistle had gone for a foul on Williston before the ball went in the net. The free kick was then taken by Junior Emily MacDonald, whose great kick over the wall and defensive line was just off by a bit, hitting the cross bar!

Up to the final whistle, the energy of the game remained high, but neither team scored. It ended in a 0-0 tie.

After the game, Williston’s Head Coach, Erin Davey, had many positive things to say about the game. “We definitely saw hard work and passion come out from every single person.” Davey continued, “the game showed us that there was a lot to work on.”

Many parents and members of the Williston community also commended the overall spirit of the bleachers that night.

Williston student and Junior Class President Verdi Degbey said, “It was an all-time high in Williston pride that I have seen since I have been here.”

Ms. Davey commented on this saying it was “the best school spirit I’ve seen in a really, really long time—outstanding, absolutely outstanding.”