Varsity Girls Soccer Earns Win, Draw in Key Week of Action

10/28/2026

It was a true team effort when the varsity girls soccer squad won 5-0 over The Frederick Gunn School at Clarke Field on October 22.

View a Photo Gallery of the Varsity Girls Soccer Game vs. The Frederick Gunn School

Five players — Elodie Hufferdine ’28, Flynn Dixon ’29, Carter Mack ’29, Amelie Henzler ’28 and Leyre Cabrera ’27 — each scored once to lead an incredibly balanced Panthers offense. Dixon, Lara Diez ’29, Penelope Schab ’27 and Avery Gosnell ’29 also chipped in with one assist apiece for Masters, which jumped out to a 3-0 lead at the half.

“The team was fully committed to our game plan,” head coach Juan Cobos said. “Our goals for the game were to be aggressive, creative and take some risks offensively. Our outside backs and wingers pushed up the field, our strikers sat with the back line and our defense held a high line. As you could see from the stat line, it was truly a team effort.”

The Panthers followed it up with another stellar result against host Hopkins on Saturday, October 24, earning a hard-fought 1-1 draw.

“The key to our draw against Hopkins was our fight, and our refusal to let in a second goal,” Hufferdine said. “We played in a very aggressive way, which caused Hopkins to turn over the ball more than they usually would’ve.”

Masters' lone goal came off a perfectly weighted through ball from Hufferdine to Dixon, who used her speed to track it down and finish. A scoreless second half was highlighted by the strong play of goalie Ruby McDowell ’28, who anchored a lockdown defensive effort.

“If I had to name one thing as the key to the result, it would be Ruby McDowell’s presence in goal,” Cobos said. “She made some unbelievable saves to keep us in the game when Hopkins was on the front foot.”

Relinquishing a single goal across the two matches was a major bright spot for the Panthers’ defense.

“In both matches, we tried to be very coordinated defensively everywhere on the field,” said Hufferdine, a standout center back. “In the midfield, we consistently made sure each attacker was marked to the best of our abilities, and on defense we were very good positionally due to communication. It is really essential for our team to stay connected and coordinated when defending, so we really try to communicate effectively.”

Masters will square off against Holy Child in its next match today, Wednesday, October 28, at Greene Field at 4:15 p.m. The team will then travel to Canterbury on Saturday, October 31, before closing out the regular season on November 3 with a Senior Game against visiting King.

The Panthers need victories in all three matches to qualify for the Fairchester Athletic Association playoffs, which get underway with the quarterfinal round on November 10.

“Keep putting up strong fights against our opponents,” Hufferdine said of the team’s goals moving forward. “We hope we can make the playoffs, and we hope to put up a strong fight in them.”

Not overcomplicating things will be key for Masters.

“Soccer is a simple game: Make the easy pass, move up and down the field together, and stick to the game plan,” Cobos said.