Napoleon Bonaparte once said “Victory belongs to the most persevering.” In their rainy matchup against the Berkshire School Bears, the Taft Women persevered for 80 minutes and, indeed, emerged victorious. Renata Mercedes ‘25 scored the team’s first goal before the two minute mark, followed shortly after by midfielder Faith Graziano ‘24. Taft goalkeeper Ainslee Bowers ‘26 stopped an absolute rocket of a shot just before halftime to close out an exciting first 40 minutes of play. The Rhinos kept the Bears at bay for much of the second half by doing what they do best: creating space, playing to feet, and exercising care and control over every pass. The entire Taft roster saw play time and defender Stasia Spurling ‘26 added particular power and finesse to the rest of the back line.