The first half had both teams coming out and trying to set the tone and momentum of the game. You could immediately see the game was going to be very physical, fast and hard fought. Most of the play was in the middle of the field trying to control the ball in the air and on the turf. The game kept going back and forth with both teams putting three shots on the others goal. In the 40th minute of the game a streaking lady Mustang ran by the Falcon defense on the right side of our goal and settled a crossing pass. Falcon goalkeeper junior captain Emily Johnson dove for the block and got a hand on the ball which time the ball bounded past her and rolled into the right side of the goal. The goal quickly changed the hard earned draw to the Mustangs favor. The referees whistle was then blown indicating the end of the half. The half ended with the score being, Mustangs 1 to the Falcons 0.

The score at the end of the first half by the Mustangs could have crushed most teams but the lady Falcons immediately fought through the adversity, challenged themselves and raised their expectations. The second half showed the Falcons character and pride towards not letting the Mustangs take over the game. The Falcons used their skill, speed and perseverance to increase the pressure on our opponent. In the 48th minute the Falcons were given a throw in on the right sidelines of the Mustang goal. Junior Kacey Lilly took the throw in and made a perfect pass into the front of the Mustang goal. The ball bounced by several players, was settled by junior captain Madison Black who fired a hard shot by the diving Mustang goalkeeper and into the left side of the goal. The Falcons briefly enjoyed the score but went back to business trying to put on more intensity. The Falcons slowed the ball down and managed the game with good passes and runs. In the 63rd minute of the game senior Ranae Maloney broke free and streaked down the right sidelines where she sent a great crossing pass towards the middle of the field in front of the Mustang goal. The goalkeeper attempted to react but the ball was nicely settled by senior Jessica Romeo who punched the ball into the right side of the goal. The lady Falcons continued turning up the heat and in the 66th minute received a corner kick on the left side of the Mustang goal. Senior Taylor Rohde kicked a prefect cross to the middle of the goal. Junior captain Madison Black beat two defenders, jumped in the air and headed a hard shot into the left side of the goal past a diving Mustang goalkeeper. The Mustang ladies were not going to let down and put up a hard fight to the end. The game ended with the score being Falcons 3 to the Mustangs 1.

The Falcon goalkeeper was junior captain Emily Johnson who had a great game making good decisions that stopped the Mustang attack several times during the game. Emily showed her athletic abilities and skills with her quick feet, good hands, free kicks, punts and directing the defense.

The Falcon defense was once again stellar with their tackles and defending talented opponents. The Falcon defense was aggressive, reliable, consistent and made good decisions. The Falcon defense was led by senior captain Jordin Carlson who had an excellent game playing sweeper, coordinating the defense, working with her teammates while making sound decisions. Also having a good game was Falcons senior captain Kalynn Morano, junior Kacey Lilly, junior Rachel DuBridge and sophomore Megan Keating. The entire Falcon defense played well in the air and on the ground.

The Falcon midfielders played with pride and heart. Going up against a fantastic Mustang midfield was going to be a big test for the Falcons. The midfielders took the challenge and went toe to toe with the mighty Mustangs all game. A key winning ingredient to this game was the play of the Falcon midfielders. The lady Falcons showed their skill, speed, tenacity, will to compete, physical and mental toughness. Having an awesome game was junior captain Madison Black who had two goals and played hard the entire game. Also having a sterling game was sophomore Lena Gustafsson, senior captain Emily Payne, senior Ranae Maloney and senior Jessica Romeo who all worked hard controlling the middle of the field both defensively and offensively. Also getting some solid minutes of play were senior Shanan McFall, senior Kathryn Balch, junior Kyla Miller and junior Sarah Shaughnessy.

The Falcon forwards also played an awesome game. The Falcons used their speed, skills and endurance to wear down the Mustang defense. The forwards maintained relentless pressure on the Mustang defense and in the second half were able to complete several successful runs at the Mustang goal. The Falcon forwards were led by senior Sonja Gustafsson, senior Taylor Rohde, sophomore Darby McFall and junior Jessica DuBridge. Senior Sonja Gustafsson played great making runs and controlling the field play to distribute the ball to her fellow teammates making runs.

I would like to thank the lady Mustangs for giving us a great game and testing us to the limit. The Mustangs created some adversity for us at the end of the first half by scoring their goal. The Falcons showed good character by not melting down and getting disappointed. We made some halftime adjustments and the lady Falcons challenged themselves to play even better with more energy, discipline and focus. The Falcons raised their level of play and competed with a ferocious attitude.

Our next game will be when we travel to Danville, California to compete in the Tri Valley Classic Soccer Tournament. We will be playing on the 19th and 20th of December. Our first game will be on December 19th, 2011, 8:30 AM against Monte Vista High School from Danville.