On an easy, breezy, beautiful Cover-Girl kind of day, the Taft Lady Rhinos boarded the Land Jet and headed up to Suffield to take on the Tigers in the match-up of the week. Anna Rossi, team Shaman, provided some wisdom in the pre-game huddle: “It’s not about the size of the dog in the fight, it’s about the size of the fight in the dog.” Inspired, fired, up, and ready to show everyone what this team is made of, our starting 11 took the field with the intensity of trainers preparing their pooches for the Westminster Dog Show. But Suffield brought their best, and this match was no walk in the park. The first half of the game failed to reveal early favorites for Best in Show, with the majority of play taking place between the two 18 yard lines thanks to unbeatable defensive lines on both sides (quote from Coach Sullivan: “I’d put my beating heart in our net because I just KNOW that Alex Trombley ’27 and Harper Van Maanen ’28 would keep it safe). After some chaos outside the Taft box at the 39 minute mark, Suffield’s #10 trotted through our defense like a prized Shiba Inu to tuck a rocket behind front post. The Taft dog pack responded quickly, working together like a team of sled dogs on a straightaway section of the Iditarod to make a full field run, ending with Ruthie Amponsah sending a banger to the back of Suffield’s net just 30 seconds later, assisted by Senior Emma Strub. The competition is tight, the teeth were being checked, but with the game all tied up before breaking for commercials, it was still too close to call. Head Coach Rebecca Swift made sure her dogs were fluffed and hydrated heading into the second half, and boy, did they come out ready to play. Highlights of the second half include senior goalie Sofia Smith taking first prize in the fetch portion of the contest, catching a rocket to the upper 90 shot from a free kick 35 yards out. Seka Slivjanowski proved she must have been a greyhound in a past life, because you could see her ears flapping in the wind on her breakaway to net. Kudos to the Suffield keeper for stopping her shot. At the 29 minute mark, Captain Sofia Lombardo-Varisco sent a cross into the box and to create the same kind of chaos as a full bag of treats at the dog park: “me, me, me, I want a goal!” everyone seemed to bark. Lucky for Junior returner Isa Hadden, she was able to capitalize and push Taft’s second and final goal of the game over the goal line. No laurel wreaths for getting Best in Show, but that’s a title this team is hungry to defend in the remainder of our season. Final score: 2-1.