Sometimes in team sports, it isn’t who can score the most or defend the best that determines wins and losses — it’s the makeup of the team and its players.
That has been the case for the Wayland High School girls’ soccer team in the first half of the season, when the team enjoyed probably its best start with an 8-0-2 record before dropping its first game, 2-1 to rival Lincoln-Sudbury.
Sure, the Warriors (8-1-3) are scoring more than their opponents and giving up few goals. But it can be how a team wins or reacts to setbacks that can dictate a season.
Take the Oct. 6 match against perennial Dual County League leader Acton-Boxborough. Wayland was holding a slim 1-0 lead after Sazie Wrentmore tapped in a cross from Avery Brown midway through the second half. The Colonials then tied it with five minutes remaining in the game.
But, unlike last year, when the team didn’t have the confidence to overcome what could have been a heartbreak, they grabbed the lead less than one minute later. This time Wrentmore took a cross from sophomore Elsa Renneker, from the other wing, for a 2-1 victory.
The win extended Wayland’s winning streak to six games. The streak reached seven with a 2-0 win over Boston Latin on Oct. 13 before ending with the Oct. 15 loss to L-S.
And maybe more amazing is that the victory over the then undefeated Colonials was the first win against A-B in at least two decades.
“[Not giving up] are the types of things that are most heartening to me as a coach,” said third-year head coach Ed DeHoratius. “And those [types of] things distinguish this team from last year’s team. I’m not sure that happens last year.
“Last year we lost a lot of games in the last minutes. There is a collective trust in each other this year that shows in tighter games.”
The Warriors are outscoring their opponents 24-9, through Oct. 19. The eight victories match their best win total in the past five seasons.
“It feels awesome to be playing the way we are,” said Wrentmore, a senior who leads the team with nine goals. “It is a reflection of how we are playing as a team and growing [as a team] since preseason. Even with our record, our practices continue to be intense and we don’t take giving up a goal personally. We all have the same goal to win, and win with grace.”
One of the keys this year has been how new players have stepped in – and stepped up.
Returning defender Heather Maddocks is joined by newcomers Somerby Newton, Annabelle Hague and freshman Kayla Babineau. The foursome has not been intimidated and is instrumental in transitioning to attack.
Three of the midfielders (sophomore Sloane DiRoberto, Olivia Umina and Brown, another freshman) are new from last year’s 4-12-1 squad, with returnee Natalie O’Neill solidifying the foursome.
Up front, Wrentmore, who “improved just enough to make herself dangerous,” according to DeHoratius, is in the top five in DCL goal-scoring.
Goalies Rosie O’Hara, a sophomore, and Grace DiStefano have split the games down the middle, each playing one half. They have combined for five shutouts.
“Every year we’ve been getting incrementally better and I think certain pieces fell into place that I did not anticipate,” DeHoratius said. “Some players have stepped up to fill spots and we are doing better than I had expected. And our returning players advanced better than I expected.”
Wrentmore said her younger teammates are playing well beyond their years. “I think our underclassmen were fearless entering the season,” she said. “They have handled it with so much grace. You can’t tell they haven’t played with us for a while.”
Wrentmore said working out, summer leagues, and practice sessions in the off-season hrlprf the team bond and form chemistry on the field. “Wins don’t come from one person; they come from all of the practices, film sessions, recovery days and what we did before the season [started],” she explained. “Now we’re practicing with a purpose and intention.”
