On Friday, October 28, the Academy Girls Varsity Soccer team cruised through the quarterfinals as they faced the Bloomfield Bobcats, a team the Chargers never competed against during the regular season.

The Chargers earned a first-round bye heading into this matchup as the second seed. The Bobcats were the tenth seed, seeking their second straight win after advancing against the seventh seed, Kirtland Central. According to MaxPreps, the Academy ended the regular season racking up a record of 12-5-3 and Bloomfield tallied a record of 11-7-1 during the regular season.

Although the Chargers performed better than the Bobcats during the regular season, the girls knew that they had to be ready and focused for this important elimination game.

“A big thing about our game is making sure we are keeping possession and working as a team,” said Chargers forward, Reily Cates ’25. “We like to get our outside backs down the field a lot and get them in for crosses because we usually play a 4-2-2-2 formation. So there is a lot of space out wide, and we try to exploit that through our outside backs…We also like to play off each other, so staying connected with who you’re playing with.”

Then Cates spoke about how they could improve one of their weaknesses.

“One of our weaknesses is not playing well for a full 80 minutes. Some games, we will have a very good half, but we have trouble completing a whole game. A couple times in big games, we have gone up a goal, but then let one in a couple minutes later, so we have been working on improving that. I think just really focusing on that is a big thing.”

But on this day, the Chargers were ready. They dominated the game.

Academy came out of the gates strong, attacking the minute the opening whistle blew. The Chargers stormed up the field into Bobcat territory, playing quickly and aggressively. Their offensive attack led to an early penalty kick just within the first minute. Forward Adeline Spratley ’26 got ready to take the PK. She stood back, waiting to take the shot, and drilled it into the bottom right corner of the net.

Academy 1 Bloomfield 0.

Minutes late

r, Academy advanced up the field, threatening to score again. Defender Ainslie Hasse ’24 placed a great pass ahead where Spratley finished it inside the box for her second goal of the half.

2-0 Academy.

The Chargers continued to play on the attack and did not let up.

Academy quickly advanced the ball up the field at approximately the 21st minute, when forward Reily Cates ’25 drilled a powerful shot from outside the box past the goalkeeper and into the back of the net. The goal gave the Chargers a 3-0 lead.
Academy possessed the ball more than Bloomfield, and a lot of the time when they had the ball, the Chargers were in Bloomfield territory, eager to score. Forward Anna Babinski ’23 joined the scorers as she chipped a precise shot right past the goalkeeper, assisted by Cates.

Academy extended its lead to 4-0.

Academy continued to burst the game open as Cates and Babinski both later scored their second goals of the game, sending the Chargers to halftime with a 6-0 lead.

Academy Head Coach Andrew Wiese said he was pleased with his team’s first-half performance. He told his team they were doing well.
“I told the girls to keep creating chances and to try to exploit the space in between the lines. The only time we were in trouble was when they would hit big balls over the top, and so we needed to make sure we were covering in the back.”
Academy began the second half strong. They were audacious and aggressive, attacking all the time on offense. During the 45th minute, defender Jaclyn Lehrman ’23 made her way into the box where she shot a powerful shot that went through the hands of the Bloomfield goalkeeper.

Academy now led 7-0.

The Chargers were not only dominant on offense, but their defense also proved to be impeccable, shutting out the Bobcats for 80 straight minutes. Lehrman was a vital part of Academy’s defense, sprinting for loose balls and hustling down Bloomfield forwards.

Both offensively and defensively, Academy shined throughout the whole game.

“We were very good in transition to offense,” said Wiese after the game. “We created a lot of chances, and we came out very strong. Our intention was to really press the game from the outside, and we were successful doing that.”

The coach spoke about how they will prepare for their important semifinal matchup next week against St. Pius.

“More of the same…w

e will reinforce some of the habits we want to perpetuate like moving the ball quickly and keeping the field compact. If we can do those things, I think we’ll have a good shot.”

After Academy’s commanding victory, there was a tribute to the Charger seniors on the team as part of Senior Day. The seniors of the team were Jaclyn Lehrman, Tess Hatchell, Lily Spoerke, Jessie Levandoski, and Anna Babinski. Each senior was honored and recognized for their participation and achievements on the girls’ varsity team.

A great tribute after a great win!

The Chargers went on to face the 3rd seed St. Pius X Sartans on Wednesday, November 2 but lost in an

overtime heartbreaker 2-1.