The first half had both teams coming out and trying to set the tone and momentum of the game. The lady Falcons approached the game with relentless pressure and ball control. The first part of the half was dominated by the Falcons on the ground and in the air. In the 10th minute of the game the Falcons worked hard for a corner kick to the right side of the Cougars goal. Senior Taylor Rohde took the kick and delivered an accurate cross to the front of the goal. Senior captain Jordin Carlson beat her defender, chested the ball to her foot where she punched the ball into the back of the Cougars net for a score. The Falcons briefly celebrated and went back to work putting more shots on goal, making runs and attacking the Cougars defense. The Cougars were unable to build an attack because of the Falcons stellar defense. The Cougars were on their heels but their goalkeeper and defenders stood strong. Numerous point blank shots at the Cougars goal were blocked, saved or were not on goal. The Falcons ended up with 10 shots on frame while the Cougars were held to 0 shots on goal the first half. The half ended with the score being, Cougars 0 to the Falcons 1.

The score at the end of the first half showed the lady Cougars were going toe to toe with their rival Falcons. The Falcons challenged themselves and raised their expectations. The second half showed the Falcons character and pride towards not letting the Cougars get back into 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 free kick on the left sidelines approximately 30 yards from the Cougar goal. Senior captain Jordin Carlson took the kick and made a perfect pass into the front of the Cougar goal. The ball bounced by several players, was settled by junior captain Madison Black who fired a hard shot by the diving Cougar 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 61st minute of the game the Cougars forward Mariah Linberg settled a pass in the center of the field approximately 20 yards from the Falcon goal, beat two defenders and shot the ball past the diving Falcon goalkeeper and into the left side of the goal to make the score close at 2 to 1. The Falcons quickly rebounded and raised their play with a sense of urgency. In the 73rd minute the Falcon midfielders put together a string of accurate passes to mount and build an attack. The ball went to the left side of the field where senior Jessica Romeo settled the ball and looked inside to an open junior captain Madison Black. Madison took the pass, turned and fired a shot towards the Cougar goal from at least 35 yards out. The Cougar goalkeeper tried to save the shot but the ball flew over her outstretched arms and into the top of the net for a Falcons 3rd goal. The Falcons immediately went back to business and began pressuring the Cougar defense over and over. In the 76th minute senior Jessica Romeo took a cross on the back left post of the Cougars goal, settled the ball to her foot and made a beautiful pass into the middle. Senior Sonja Gustafsson was making a run and took the pass and chipped it into the Cougars goal for the Falcons 4th goal. The Cougar ladies were not going to let down and put up a hard fight to the end. The second half had the Falcons with 11 more shots on goal while the Cougars had 1 shot on goal. The game ended with the score being Falcons 4 to the Cougars 1.

The Falcon goalkeeper was junior captain Emily Johnson who had a good game making quick decisions that stopped the Cougar attack several times during the game.

The Falcon defense was once again strong with their tackles and defending. The Falcon defense was aggressive, reliable, consistent and made good decisions. On countless occasions the defense stole the ball from the attacking Cougars, settled the ball and used crisp passes to mount a Falcon counter attack. 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 defense worked hard together to allow only one shot on their goal the entire game.

The Falcon midfielders played with tenacity, pride and heart. The midfielders challenged themselves to shut down the Cougars all game. An important winning factor to this game was the dominate play of the Falcon midfielders. The lady Falcons showed their skill, speed, 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 (1 shot on goal), senior Ranae Maloney (5 shots on goal) and senior Jessica Romeo (2 shots on goal) who all worked hard controlling the middle of the field both defensively and offensively. Also getting some solid minutes of play were senior Kathryn Balch, and junior Kyla Miller.

The Falcon forwards also played an aggressive game and peppered the opposition with shots on frame. The Falcons used their speed, skills and endurance to wear down the Cougar defense. The forwards maintained never ending pressure on the Cougar defense and in the second half were able to complete several successful runs at the Cougar goal. The Falcon forwards were led by senior Sonja Gustafsson (6 shots on goal), senior Taylor Rohde (1 shot on goal), 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 Cougars for giving us a great game and testing us. The Cougars created some adversity and frustration for us while making us adjust and work harder. The Falcons showed good character by ratcheting our belts with more energy, discipline and focus. The Falcons raised their level of play and competed with a ferocious finishing attitude.

Our next game will be when we travel to Watsonville, California to play St Francis C. C. Catholic High School on Saturday, January 7th, 2012, 11:00 AM at their home field.