The first half had both teams playing aggressive and trying to control the flow of the game. The Falcons came into the game with speed, control of the ball and putting relentless pressure on the Firebirds defense. At the 8th minute of the game senior Taylor Rohde played the ball in the middle of the field, turned and kicked a perfect 25 yard pass up to the streaking senior captain Emily Payne. Emily settled the ball on a full sprint and fired a 20 yard shot over the Firebirds goalkeepers outstretched arms and into the far corner of the goal. The first half ended with the Falcons getting 6 shots on goal while the Firebirds had 1 shot on goal. The half ended with the score being, Falcons 1 to the Firebirds 0.

The second half started with the Falcons again putting pressure on the Firebirds defense immediately. In the 48th minute senior Sonja Gustafsson settled the ball and delivered a great pass to Taylor Rohde who punched the ball into the Firebirds goal for a score. The game went back and forth with each team trying to muster a controlled game. The second half had the Falcons with 7 more shots on goal while the Firebirds tallied 1 more shot on goal. The final score of the game ended up being, Falcons 2 to the Firebirds 0.

The Falcon goalkeeper was junior captain Emily Johnson who had 2 saves during the game. The Falcon defense was led by senior captain Jordin Carlson, senior captain Kalynn Morano, junior Kacey Lilly, sophomore Megan Keating, senior Shanan McFall and junior Rachel DuBridge. The defense played an excellent game working together to take the wind out of the Firebird attack while controlling the ball and initiating several counter attacks the entire game.

The Falcon midfielders should be praised for controlling the middle of the field, getting back on defense while involving themselves with the assault on the Firebird defense the entire game. The midfield was led by senior captain Emily Payne, junior captain Madison Black, senior Ranae Maloney, senior Jessica Romeo, sophomore Lena Gustafsson, junior Sarah Shaughnessy, senior Kathryn Balch, junior Rachel DuBridge and junior Kyla Miller.

The Falcon forwards had an excellent game showcasing their speed, energy, perseverance and tenacity. The forwards put consistent pressure on the Firebirds defense and challenged their ability to counter attack all game. The forwards were led by senior Taylor Rohde, senior Sonja Gustafsson, junior Jessica DuBridge and sophomore Darby McFall.

The lady Falcons had an excellent start to their 2011-12 season keeping with the winning tradition of our program. The teamwork, tenacity, energy and skill were impressive at times in the game but improvement and consistency will be a focus of our training. The Falcons played with heart while working together for a win.

Our next game will be against a powerhouse of a team in the Saint Francis Lancers of Mountain View who compete in the West Catholic Athletic League in Division 1. The lady Lancers are 3 wins and 0 losses this 2011 preseason with wins against Leland, Gilroy and Santa Teresa. We intend to rise to the expectations and play a competitive hard nosed game against an awesome opponent. The game will be on Thursday, December 8th, 2011, at 5:15PM at Saint Francis High in Mountain View.