Week #11 - Finishing Strong: Varsity Boys Soccer and JV Girls Volleyball Deliver on Tandem Day

Varsity Boys Soccer - Beginning on the literal first day of school, it has been an incredible journey for the 2026 Boys Varsity Soccer team. Led by five talented seniors, the Badgers opened the action on the road at Grace Christian Staunton back on August 18. When it was time for their first contest at home, the Badgers lit up the scoreboard against United Christian Academy, dazzling the crowd with an 8-2 victory! Levi and Van both tallied tough goals on the road at Grace Christian Mechanicsville, giving the Badgers an impressive win on the road. Then, following our overnight trips, the team defeated Cristo Rey 5-1 back at Tandem.
 
The team has survived a wild heatwave that cancelled a stretch of the season in September, and a surprise thunderstorm that cancelled their game on the road at Wakefield Country Day only a few minutes into the action. Having overcome lots of adversity early in the season, the team was ready for a big challenge: #4 Eastern Mennonite on the road followed by #8 Fishburne at home. When the team got home from Eastern Mennonite, Ruthie was the first to discuss how proud she was for the way the Badgers played on the road yesterday, and Sarah talked about how impressed the EMS parents were with the goal-keeping efforts of Levie, who had a number of incredible saves.
Today, as Van pointed out, the team was expected to lose by multiple goals. Seth, always the enthusiast, helped give the Badgers a different look. He normally plays up front, but the team needed him to play on the back line, which he did for the first time this season. He played with grit and tenacity - out of his usual position - and provided a massive surge in the process. Right off the bat, Cord passed the ball to Seth on the outside, who was effective on both ends of the field.
 
When Fishburne came into the Tandem half, Luke and Aven worked together to break up a scoring opportunity. They quickly transitioned into offense, where Otis and Levi worked together to generate a shot on goal. The Badgers were constantly pushing the ball up the field, with Shaan dribbling through traffic. He split the defense, and then delivered a pass through the 18 to Van at the far post. On the next sequence, he showed off similar footwork, this time scoring a goal of his own.
 
Defensively, Mason constantly forced the ball wide. It was clear that the Fishburne striker had not competed with somebody so strong and physical. Mason was commanding in the defensive middle, working closely with Luke to draw the competition offsides. On a number of occasions he forced shots wild, or to an angle where Levie could make an easy save. Just prior to halftime, Shaan beat everybody down field for a powerful shot. Fishburne led 1-0 at half.
 
In the second half, the Badgers made a strong push down the left side of the field when Levi got into the box and drew a penalty in the 55th minute. Shaan took the penalty shot, tying the game with a shot drilled to the left of the goalie. Tandem kept the pressure on - Shaan fired a pass across the goal to Levi who got a head on it. Then Van found Seamus in the middle for a shot. 
 
Seamus passed to Shaan who did a give and go, giving Seamus another scoring attempt, and then Shaan passed to Levi off a free kick! The Tandem pressure was furious! 
 
On the other end, Fishburne had three straight free kicks just outside the box. They were unable to score, largely due to the work of Levie between the pipes. There were seven minutes to go when Tandem nearly took the lead. Van drew the goalie out of the crease and fired a shot past him that was just barely saved by a defender.
 
Fishburne would tally one more, and withstand a free kick from the center circle that Levi nearly scored off the whistle. On Senior Night and Tandem Day, the Badgers gave it 100%, battling a state qualifying opponent to an impressive 2-1 tally. It's been a special season for this team - led by seniors Shaan, Seth, Seamus, Otis and Van.
 
Congratulations to the Boys Varsity Badgers, and to Coaches Nemanja and Nile, on a very special and highly competitive season. What an amazing soccer culture you have established! Thank you also to managers Ruthie and Juli for all of their hard work supporting the team this season, and even running the scoreboard while keeping stats. And of course, thanks to all of the families for all of your support! The team truly saved their best for last in front of a spirited crowd on Tandem Day. Well done, Varsity Boys Soccer!
 
JV Girls Volleyball - Closing out their season with a busy three game week, the Girls JV Volleyball team played eight sets in four days! The team had the winningest JV season in recent history - many of those wins coming down to the final moments! This team is full of clutch performers and great leaders, and it has been so much fun to follow their growth!
 
Emory opened today's game in her era, delivering the first four points with powerful serves, including two aces. The team showed off their full skill set in the first set - Zoey dove, setting up a big hit for Elle (one of many!) Nieve and Makayah got low - with excellent passing as usual, withstanding the power from opposing hitters. 
 
Zoey had a huge hit at the net, and then an ace, and Miller called timeout. Zoey came back to the service line, adding two more aces to give Tandem a 10-3 lead. Sam had an ace as well, and the Badgers led by nine before a Miller rally. Maeve flipped the momentum, an incredible tip off of a diving pass from Sam. Voted most improved by her peers, Marilyn closed out the set with a massive hit in the middle, 25-19.
 
The second and third sets saw strong play from Sam, with a three ball kill. Zuri was electric at the net, playing with perfect timing and smashing the ball back over. Chloe, serving as the libero, was an excellent passer, allowing Maeve to deliver yet another of her patented tips over the net. Maeve has dramatically improved her serve percentage this season, and her play in the front row.
 
Special thanks to Uriyah and family for your help at the scorers table today! And thanks to all of the families for your incredible support! We appreciate you!
 
In many ways, this JV team could easily have been mistaken for varsity - powerful overhand serves, beautiful passing, elite defense, big time hitting, extraordinary hustle and excellent teamwork. The future is bright for Tandem Volleyball! Congratulations to Coach Elize and this extraordinary team of talented and hard-working athletes! What a tremendous season - three set matches, clutch victories, silly costumes and so much fun! Keep working on your game and we'll see you back on the court in 2027!
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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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