The Mariners entered the game with a season record of 11 wins and 4 losses. The Mariners SCCAL record was 5 wins and 3 losses that had them in second place. The Mariners have had an excellent season scoring 40 goals and only allowing 9 goals this season. The Mariners are a very good team, strong defense and have some of the best forwards in the SCCAL. The Mariners are well coached and prepared for all their contests.

The first half started out with the Falcons coming out strong and putting constant pressure on the Mariner defense. In the 8th minute of play the Falcons junior Taylor Rohde took a corner kick and placed a perfect pass into the front of the Mariner goal. Freshman Lena Gustafsson trapped a deflection, settled the ball and passed to junior captain Jordin Carlson who drilled a low shot into the left corner of the net past the Mariner goalkeepers outstretched arms. The game continued with most of the play in the midfield. Both teams defenses did a good job stopping the offensive attacks. The first half had the Falcons with 4 shots on goal while the Mariners had 3 shots on goal. The half ended with the score being, Falcons 1 to the Mariners 0.

The second half was full of exciting defense and both teams constantly challenging each other for the ball. The game was played with intensity and aggressive play but both teams only committed 4 fouls each for the entire game. The second half had the Falcons with 2 more shots on goal while the Mariners mustered only 1 more shot on goal. The game ended with the score being, Falcons 1 to Mariners 0.

The Falcon midfielders had another hard fought game in which their ability to control the ball and challenge the opposition was crucial to our victory. The Falcon midfielders won balls in the air and settled the ball countless times to generate an attack. The Falcon midfielders were led by sophomore Madison Black, freshman Lena Gustafsson, junior Ranae Maloney, junior Jessica Romeo, sophomore Olivia Gonzalez, junior Kathryn Balch and senior captain Keara McCullough. Madison Black had a fantastic game playing with heart and perseverance that led the team.

The Falcon forwards played fast and gave their all putting a consistent push on the ball against the Mariners defense. The Falcon forwards were led by junior captain Jordin Carlson, junior captain Emily Payne, junior Taylor Rohde and freshman Ianthe Tozer. Jordin Carlson and Emily Payne had a very good game. Jordin Carlson continues to lead our team with 11 goals, 9 assists and 37 shots on goal during our 2010-11 season. Emily Payne is also a major contributor to the offense with 6 goals, 6 assists and 21 shots on goal. Taylor Rohde has had a great year battling through an injury to amass 8 goals, 4 assists and 20 shots on goal for the season.

The Falcon defense once again rose to the occasion and handled the very talented and fast Mariner forwards. The Falcon defense is a cornerstone for the success we've had all season. The Falcon defense registered their 12th shutout in the 17 games we've had during this season. Our defense has had 9 shutouts in 10 SCCAL games while only giving up 2 goals in all of our league games. The defense was again stabilized by senior captain Aly Bothman, junior captain Kalynn Morano, sophomore Rachel DuBridge, sophomore Kacey Lilly and freshman Megan Keating. Aly Bothman and Kacey Lilly led the charge with their speed, toughness and tenacity.

The Falcon goalkeeping was anchored by sophomore Emily Johnson who had an awesome game. Emily Johnson is instrumental in coordinating the defensive tactics and offering the Mariners players with very little to shoot at. Emily came up with some excellent saves at critical times when the Mariners put shots on goal. Emily registered her 9th shutout of the season in 1,000 (12.5 games) minutes in goal while only allowing 9 oppositions goals during the entire season. Emily continues to astonish the fans and her teammates with her goalkeeping and presence on the field.

The Falcons continue to do very well in an extremely tough and competitive league. The Falcons continue to hold on to first place in the SCCAL with a record of 8 wins, 1 loss and 1 tie. The Falcons season record has improved to 11 wins, 4 losses and 2 ties. The young Falcons continue to play as a team with the heart and will of a Falcon. We continue to follow our mantra of, we start as one and we finish as one.

We will have our bye on February 10th. Our next game will be on February 15th, 2011 at Depot Field in Santa Cruz, 3:30 PM against the Harbor Pirates.