The Cougars entered the game with an overall season record of 4 wins, 7 losses and 1 tie. The Cougars SCCAL record was 1 win and 6 losses. Our first game on January 6th this season ended up being, Falcons 4 to Cougars 0.

The game started with the Falcons coming out fast and aggressive. The Falcons scored in the 1st minute when junior captain Jordin Carlson crossed a pass in the front of the net where junior Ranae Maloney tapped the ball into the net past the Cougar goalkeeper. The Falcons again scored in the 2nd minute of the game when junior captain Emily Payne passed the ball into Jordin Carlson who shot the ball into the goal. The Falcons continued to press and pressure the Cougar net when in the 8th minute sophomore Madison Black added an assist to Emily Payne who punched the ball into the goal. The Falcons again scored in the 11th minute when senior captain Keara McCullough fired in a shot from 25 yards out that hit the crossbar and into the net after a pass from Jordin Carlson. The Falcons scored in the 36th minute when Emily Payne passed a through ball up to Jordin Carlson on a break away who skillfully lofted the ball up and over the charging Cougar goalkeeper and into the back of the goal approximately 30 yards away from the net. The first half ended with the Falcons having 11 shots on goal while the Cougars had 0 shots on goal. The first half ended with the score being, Falcons 5 to Cougars 0.

The second half was competitive while both teams worked hard towards controlling the ball. Both teams fought back and forth but both defenses did a great job. The second half ended with the Falcons having 1 shot on goal while the Cougars had 1 shot on goal. The game ended with the score being, Falcons 5 to the Cougars 0.

The Falcons played very well and gave their all. The Falcon forwards were tenacious with their attack on the Cougar defense. The Falcon forwards made runs all game causing the Cougar defense to collapse resulting in some quick goals at the start of the game. The Falcon forwards were led by junior captain Jordin Carlson, junior captain Emily Payne, junior Taylor Rohde, sophomore Jessica DuBridge and freshman Ianthe Tozer. Jordin Carlson and Emily Payne had a fantastic game working with each other to score 3 of our goals, 4 assists and putting 3 shots on goal.

The Falcon midfielders had a great game controlling the middle of the field, initiating the attack and falling back on defense. The Falcon midfielders were led by sophomore Madison Black, senior captain Keara McCullough, freshman Lena Gustafsson, senior Ali Ayers, junior Ranae Maloney, junior Kathryn Balch, junior Jessica Romeo, senior Pim Tamavimoke, junior Jaemi Mansfield and sophomore Olivia Gonzalez. Madison Black had a great game playing midfielder for the Falcons.

The Falcon defense was once again solid and played awesome. The Falcon defense stopped most of the Cougars offensive attacks, settled the ball and counter attacked. The Falcon defense was once again led by senior captain Aly Bothman, junior captain Kalynn Morano, sophomore Rachel DuBridge, sophomore Kacey Lilly and freshman Megan Keating. All five Falcon defenders played extremely well while playing aggressive and strong.

The Falcon goalkeeping was again the work of sophomore Emily Johnson. Emily had another great game coordinating and overseeing the Falcon defenders. Emily had 1 save during the game while recording her 7th shutout of the season in 840 minutes. Emily gave very few opportunities to have a good shot on goal by the Cougar players.

The young Falcons were at full strength for the first time this year after several injuries and illnesses. The Falcons so far this season have generated 42 goals while giving up 12 goals to the opposition. The Falcons currently hold first place in the competitive SCCAL with an overall season record of 10 wins 4 losses and 1 tie while our league record is 7 wins and 1 loss. Our team has recorded 10 shutouts in 15 games this season. We've had 7 shutouts in 8 games this year in the SCCAL.

Our next game will be against our rival the Santa Cruz Cardinals at Depot Field in Santa Cruz on February 3rd at 3:30 PM.