Big Red Girls' Soccer: The Making of a Team on the Rise

Twelve matches into the season, St. Paul's girls' soccer has shown the quiet evolution of a program learning not just to compete, but to control. The Big Red's year began with flashes of brilliance — clinical finishes, commanding midfield play, and a defense growing in confidence. Each week, they've added something new: structure, poise, belief.

The team's rhythm was clear early. A convincing 3–0 home win over Kimball Union set the tone, and the group followed with a 3–1 victory at Tilton, finding balance between speed on the wings and a composed central attack. By late September, when St. Paul's blanked Proctor 4–0, it wasn't an upset — it was confirmation that the pieces were coming together.

Statistically, this is a team led by quiet production and shared responsibility rather than a single star. Kelsey Macpherson has been at the heart of the offense, contributing four goals and two assists across ten matches — numbers that only hint at her true value. Her ability to turn in tight spaces and draw defenders has opened chances for others, particularly in transition play. Alongside her, Paige MacPhee has been equally influential, adding four goals and one assist, while averaging nearly six shots per match and hitting the target on more than half of them. MacPhee's confidence on the ball has made her a fixture in every attacking phase, often forcing opponents to collapse centrally and freeing up wide lanes.

JP Collins has provided the connective tissue in midfield — her three assists have come from vision and patience, while Antonia Pflaum's two assists and twelve shots on goal show a steady creative presence just behind the front line. The wings have found their rhythm too: Saylor Pachios, Sarah Spencer, and Raegan Otey have combined for a dozen shots on target, each contributing to the team's increasingly balanced attack.

Defensively, the Big Red have developed a cohesive spine anchored by Grace White and Alex Hatch, both registering assists from the back while keeping the team organized through pressing phases. The back line's discipline has been matched by strong goalkeeping — consistent handling and improved communication have kept the team composed in pressure situations. Every clean sheet has felt earned.

But what makes this team most compelling is its balance. Eighteen different players have registered shots this year. Nearly a dozen have recorded points through goals or assists. The bench has become a source of spark — names like Rell Sienkiewicz and Iris Lamoreaux have stepped in to sustain energy and defensive work rate when the match tempo rises. Even first-year players have found the field with purpose, evidence of a roster that's deep and hungry.

There have been setbacks — narrow defeats that sting, moments when possession slipped late or finishing lacked edge — but those games have served as lessons. Each week, St. Paul's looks more composed in the final third, more unified in recovery runs, more determined in transitions. They're learning how to manage matches rather than just survive them.

As the calendar shifts toward the final stretch, this version of Big Red soccer is defined by identity. They press together, recover together, and celebrate together. And when the whistle blows, they look like a team that expects to win — not hopes to.

The story isn't finished yet — but for St. Paul's girls' soccer, the ending feels like it could be something special.