The Boston Latin School 2020 fall sports season was postponed due to COVID-19, which moved the season’s start from the last week of August to the Fall II season starting on February 25.

The shift affected both boys’ and girls’ soccer, whose normal league opponents received the green light for practice and games back in September, leaving them with significantly fewer teams available to play. On March 27, the girls’ varsity team took on the John D. O’Bryant School while the boys played Boston Latin Academy (BLA).

As the girls stepped onto the field, they knew what they were up against. They won 8-0 as Juliette Lowrey (I) secured the shutout. Other goals were scored by Ellie Goodfield (I), Quinlan O’Brien (I), Sofia Serig (I), Reagan O’Brien (II), Mary Harrington (III), Mackenzie Strachan (III) and Caitlin McDonough (IV).

There were also several guidelines in place at the event to ensure that everyone stayed safe. These included masks being worn at all times, kick-ins replacing throw-ins, a ban on heading the ball, proper social distancing, water breaks once per half and the handshakes between teams at the end of the game being canceled. The teams, however, did cheer to show respect to each other.

These protocols did heavily restrict players’ abilities as they had to find new ways to navigate these limitations. McDonough says, “People were hesitant on deciding who to kick the ball to when they had a kick-in.”

Harrington adds, “[The team] needed to adjust and find new ways to get the ball out of the air as there was no heading.”

The boys had a similar experience with COVID-19 restrictions, though they had a different result on the scoreboard. On March 27, they took on BLA and were defeated 1-0.

“[The game was very important for both schools as] there is a rivalry between BLS and BLA, but we definitely felt like this would be a huge win if we could get it,” says Aidan Zaphiris (IV). “There was a large crowd there, but it was a pretty hard loss. In the end, [it was] only a one-goal game.” The next time that these two teams meet will most likely be in the playoffs, which will only add more fuel to the rivalry.

As the boys’ and girls’ teams look to continue their season, they know it will not be easy. They will have to fight for every inch, but they are ready to face any matchups and challenges that  COVID-19 throws their way. Hopefully, we will see them lift the playoff banner come the end of the season.