After a triumph against the faculty team last spring, the combined WSC and VWS varsity soccer team took on a new challenge. While the campus was not lively as usual, the excitement and thrill of playing were present in this match. 

With many Webb Alumni returning home for Winter Break, this was the perfect time to host a current Varsity vs. Alumni soccer game. On December 30th, those in the area had the opportunity to play alongside current, past, and brand-new teammates in hopes of emerging victorious.  

Both teams came not knowing what to expect – but it turned out that the combined VWS and WSC Varsity team were in for a tough match. The Alumni team included Danny Crisostomo (‘15), an American professional soccer player for the Tampa Bay Rowdies, Abbey Cook (‘23), former leading scorer for the VWS varsity team and current University of Pennsylvania Women’s soccer player, and many other talented players.  

However, the Varsity team had an additional teammate join them on the field. Head VWS Varsity Soccer Coach, Malick Mbengue, got to ditch the sidelines and participate in the action along with his players. This also meant that there were no head coaches, which put the pressure onto the players to come up with game strategies, a starting lineup, and plays. 

While the competition was high, in part because of sibling rivalry, everybody knew to keep the energy up, game clean, and to practice good sportsmanship. From the Alumni team, Liam (20) and Jonas Gerken played as teammates. The same went for Ava (‘25) and Cruz Darby (‘27) on the opposing side. Meanwhile, Taren Duffy (‘22), Maksym Graham (‘23), Abbey Cook, and Reece Ollivierre (‘23), got to go head-to-head with their younger siblings: Lauren Duffy (‘25), Fionn Graham (‘26), Kate Cook (‘27), and Reagan Ollivierre (‘24). 

“Being able to play with your siblings made it even more fun.” said Lauren Duffy. “It made it more competitive, yet there was still an overall positive and encouraging environment on the field. It felt nostalgic to my freshman year where I got to play with Taren, my older sister.”  

By the end of the first half, the score was 6-0, with the Alumni having Abbey Cook and Liam Gerken being their leading scorers and Noelani Chock (‘23) taking the position of goalkeeper. Despite being down by six, the Varsity team came back into the second half ready to play. They ended up scoring five goals with their leading scorers being Kate Cook and Fionn Graham. However, the Alumni team stayed strong and ended the game with a 9-5 win.  

“It was super fun and I think it went well, even though it was just a friendly game,” said Valeria Gonzalez, alumni player and class of 2023. “I enjoyed playing with my teammates and just being able to catch up on how college has been for us so far.”  

Win or lose, this game was an opportunity for current and past Webb students to come together and reminisce about their time at Webb.