“Definitely a few people got tackled but everybody was just so happy, so excited,” senior forward Jessie Watkins said. “This game, it means everything to us.”
The Raiders (5-1) struck early when Autumn Freeman pounced on a loose ball in the penalty box in the 19th minute before firing her shot into the roof of the net.
Eleanor Roosevelt goalkeeper Lien Gareri stood tall to preserve the advantage and denied Jennings a tying goal after the senior got in behind the Raiders’ defense. But Bowie (5-1) equalized a minute later when Watkins delivered a strike from beyond the top of the penalty box into the top left corner.
Eleanor Roosevelt had chances to equalize but failed to capitalize on its opportunities in a tight match that was unlike most the Bulldogs and Raiders played thus far — the teams entered Thursday’s game dominating counterparts by a combined score of 75-5. The Bulldogs won each of their four games by at least six goals while the Raiders won all five of their matches by seven goals or more.
“We have a lot of younger players on our team. This really taught them how to step up and step into the role of having to play really tough games,” Watkins said. “In practice, we giggle and we laugh all the time. But when we get on the field, we’re really serious and we want to make sure that we put out everything on the field. They definitely did that and I’m very proud of them.”
The Bulldogs’ win was a big step toward achieving one of their season goals — a Prince George’s championship. Though Bowie ended ER’s season in last year’s playoffs, the Raiders won the regular season matchup and the county title.
“If we don’t beat Roosevelt, there is no country championship, so this means everything to us,” Coach Vincent Stewart said. “I’m very proud of the girls, they worked hard and they dug down deep inside themselves.”