Week #7 - Tandem Varsity Soccer Rallies in the Second Half, JV Volleyball Plays Tough on The Road

Dave Levy, Athletic Director
Boys Varsity Soccer - The last few weeks have been an adventure for the Tandem Boys Varsity Soccer team - we lost a week of play to an immense heat wave, had a game cancelled because of rain and another cancelled because of a storm - after they already traveled an hour and a half! Regardless, the Badgers showed off beautiful passing to start the game, like poetry in motion. On one occasion, Aven, Shaan, Levi, Seth and Van each touched the ball, clearly the result of a lot of hard work in practice. Levie dove to break up scoring opportunities in goal, and Seth earned a throw in just outside the 18. He sent the ball into Aven, who found Levi on the goal line. Levi crossed it behind the goalie, sending to Seth who found Van for a powerful shot! The goalie got a hand on it, but Van was just too strong, and the Badgers scored first. Levie was absolutely magnificent today - he pushed some high shots over the goal, dove for loose balls in the box, and had two saves that should find their way onto ESPN!
 
After a WCDS response, Luke was fabulous defensively and reset the offense by sending the ball to William. He pushed it ahead to Levi, who found Seth before returning it to the talented freshman. Levi drilled the ball into the box, where Seamus pushed his way through traffic and gave Tandem a 2-1 lead. The Badgers benefited from the speed of Cord and Eli on the outside, helping to flip the field.
 
Facing a deficit at halftime, Tandem emerged from their huddle in the corner of the field tough, refreshed, and ready to compete. The team made several adjustments, many of them defensive, as the outside backs dropped and put additional pressure on the WCDS offense. As a result, Mason made a key tackle and cleared the ball to the middle of the field. Van won it from his opponent, turned to the middle, and found Shaan who turned and drilled the ball off the cross bar. Aven hustled to the rebound, passed it back into the middle, and found Shaan again - who used his left foot to drill the ball past the goalie, bringing Tandem within four.

The Badgers kept the pressure on. Mason earned a free kick just inside the midfield line. He took his time and fired a curving ball towards the back post where he found where Aven controlled the ball with his right foot and crossed it to Seth, who beat the goalie to the ball. In only a five-minute duration, the Badgers scored two goals, cutting the lead to 7-4.
 
Defensively, the work of Ethan and Luke was exceptional, forcing the opponent wide and tackling the ball away from them. The duo then worked the ball up the line, finding Van, who passed it into the box. Seth drilled a shot at the goal, deflecting off the goalie, and resulting in a corner. Levi found Van for an excellent scoring chance, and when the ball went just wide, Shaan stole the goal kick and passed it to Aven on a beautiful cross for another opportunity. The Badgers flipped the momentum, and it reached a true peak when Shaan got the ball at midfield.
 
We've all seen Shaan score on a multitude of trick shots, and know that he is willing and able to score from any angle. This afternoon was his longest and most extraordinary goal - fired from nearly 80 feet away, with a perfect arc that traveled just over the outstretched arms of the goalie. Even Shaan raised his hands as to the sky, just as surprised as we were. The Badgers cut into the lead again, and kept pressing.
 
Congratulations to this incredible team on an excellent effort, particularly in the second half, showing off their strong character.
 
JV Girls Volleyball - Highlights Shared From the Desk of Elle M.
 
The JV Girls Volleyball team has had an outstanding season, most recently enjoying a 2-0 sweep of Appalachian Christian. After a week away from campus, the Badgers picked up right where they left off.  After the Varsity game on Wednesday ended earlier than expected, the team took the court immediately, setting up their dynamics and went straight into drills! By the time Coach Elize arrived at the usual practice start time, the team had already put in twenty minutes of serious work. As a result, they were ready to take on a tough New Covenant team on the road.  
 
Elle was particularly impressed with Chloe, who played libero for the first time today! Elle also pointed out great service play from both Emory and Zuri, who had several aces. Defensively, Makayah was fabulous getting under the ball with "some great digs" and Oliver "did a great job covering." At the net, both Elle and Marilyn had a block! Offensively, Sam was excellent as the setter as usual, her soft hands setting up Maeve for a back row hit, Zoey for a front row hit, and Hadley "tricked the other team with a backwards set dump!" 
 
Thanks to Elle for sharing these highlights - another successful outing for the Girls JV Volleyball team!
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Tandem Friends School is a co-ed Quaker day school for grades 5-12 in Charlottesville, Virginia.
 
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