Gallery • 4 Photos

Sita Ahlen

Caileen Sienknecht (10) pursues the ball, going up against a Jefferson Academy player. Sienknecht has been playing varsity soccer since her freshman year at Manitou, and has proven herself to be a powerful asset on the field.

With many of the returning graduates cheering the stands, the Manitou Springs High School Girls’ Soccer Team played Jefferson Academy, ranked 2nd this year. The competition between the 2nd and 5th seeded teams was one of the most competitive matches so far, but the Mustangs fell a little short. Meghan Root, a 2017 graduate and former captain of the team, commented on the girls being, “out possessed,” and coupled with a, “lack of communication,” made Root cringe.

The redeemable qualities of the game were stand out performances from Alyssa Holladay (12), blocking repeated goals, “by the grace of God,” according to a joking Nick Vidovich (12).

The first half proved to be uneventful, resulting in a 0-0 score, but the second half kicked off with a notable block by Holiday and the energy in the stands skyrocketed. In the first minute of the second half, Calieen Sienknecht (11) shot an impressive cross bar kick that narrowly missed the goal.

The game was coming to an end, with a score of 0-1, yet the Mustangs still fought against their defeat. The last couple minutes were filled with cheering in hopes the home team could come back to overtime. The next game is Thursday, March 22 at 6:00 PM, against Buena Vista. Currently, their record is 3-1 placing them.