Tabor changed its shape after a loss at Andover. Now Forde, Pimental and the Seawolves have won five straight

Teagan Forde had 14 goals through Oct. 28, Giovanna Pimental leads Tabor in assists, and wins over Milton and Groton have stretched the Seawolves' streak to five. First-year coach Matt Mones explains what changed after a 2-0 loss at Andover.

Mass Pitch Staff · 2026-11-03

Tabor Academy lost 2-0 at Phillips Academy Andover on Oct. 3, and coach Matt Mones did not like what he saw. "We were the least competitive we've been all season," Mones said. "We didn't have much of the ball, we weren't dangerous in the attack, and we got stretched and worn out from high pressing for the whole game."

So the Seawolves changed. "After that, we changed how we play," Mones said. "We became more compact and organized defensively, and that change has driven our current run."

That run is five straight wins: 5-0 over St. Andrew's on Oct. 17, 3-1 over Buckingham Browne & Nichols on Oct. 21, 3-2 at St. George's on Oct. 24, 2-1 over Milton Academy at home on Oct. 28 and 5-1 over Groton at home on Oct. 31. Milton came to Marion at 10-2-1 on an eight-game winning streak. Tabor is 7-4-2.

At the front of it are a senior from Cape Cod and a junior from Brazil.

Teagan Forde

Teagan Forde is a senior and a four-year player from Yarmouth Port. She had 14 goals through Oct. 28, with hat tricks in a 3-2 win at Thayer on Oct. 10 and in the win at St. George's. She has committed to the University of New Hampshire.

"She's our center forward and has a tremendous presence in front of goal," Mones said. "She presses, she battles and she isn't afraid to get stuck in, even though she's usually double- or triple-teamed and takes a lot of tackles."

Mones said the difference this year is economy. "This year she's playing to her strengths and becoming more efficient," he said. "She's getting her shots off quicker, taking higher-percentage shots and staying close to goal, where she's most dangerous."

She scored in seven of Tabor's first 12 games, including two goals in a 5-3 loss at Worcester Academy and two in each of the wins over St. Andrew's and BB&N.

Giovanna Pimental

Giovanna Pimental is a junior from Rio de Janeiro in her first year at Tabor. She plays the 10 as an attacking midfielder and also plays up top, and she leads the team with seven assists, according to Mones.

"Her technical ability is at a very high level: she solves problems under pressure, beats players off the dribble and creates chances for herself and others," he said. The hard part has been the style of play. "Her biggest adjustment has been the physicality and the amount of running I ask of her and the team."

The two have needed little time to find each other. "Against St. George's this past weekend, Giovanna on one goal beat multiple defenders, drove to the end line, and cut the ball back for a one-touch finish by Teagan," Mones said. St. George's is the reigning Class B champion.

Against Milton, Forde did not score. Pimental and Georgia Murray did, and senior captain Samantha Laliberte had an assist.

BB&N, then Milton

The win over BB&N was the one Mones points to. "We scored in the first five minutes, which put them on their heels, and we never let off the pressure," he said. "BB&N beat us 8-1 last year, so this win gave the girls belief that they could beat anyone."

A week later, Tabor beat Milton, which had not lost since a 4-3 game at Thayer on Sept. 30. It was Tabor's only night game of the season and its pink out game. "It was a complete 90-minute performance in which we played hard, defended as a team and took advantage of our chances," Mones said. Three days later, Tabor beat Groton 5-1 at home.

The rest of the lineup

Mones credited the back line of Laliberte, junior Mackenzie Martinez, junior Elena Power and freshman Fiona Sisson, with freshman Alexis Pimental in goal. "They've shut down some of the league's best offenses and allowed very few shots per game," he said. Tabor has allowed five goals in its five straight wins.

Murray, a junior, has played almost every minute in center midfield. Mones called her "one of our most consistent players on both sides of the ball." Isabella Tarantino and Sienna Harrington have filled the attacking spots in midfield and up front.

A first season

This is Mones's first season at Tabor. He played Division I soccer, graduated from Boston College in 2008 and spent 10 years as associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at Brown, where the program won four Ivy League titles. His father coached Division III soccer at Western Connecticut State for 16 years.

Tabor plays at Pomfret on Wednesday, Nov. 4, at St. Mark's on Nov. 7, home against Dexter Southfield on Nov. 11 and home against Brooks on Nov. 14. NEPSAC picks the Class B tournament field on Nov. 15.

Card photo: Sippican Harbor, Marion, by Eggishorn / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Corrections: editorial@themasspitch.com.