The Pirates hold onto second place in the SCCAL with a record of 2 wins, 0 losses and 3 ties while posting an impressive 2011-12 season record of 6 wins, 1 loss and 3 ties. The Pirates have compiled an awesome 32 goals scored while only allowing 8 goals against them. Last year the Pirates posted a record of 12 wins, 6 losses and 1 tie. The powerhouse lady Pirates over the years have posted 1 SCCAL Championship and 3 CCS Championships. The Pirates talented leaders this season are Maddie McDougall with 5 goals, Nicole Bare with 5 assists and Lindsay Holt with 33 saves as the goalkeeper. The Pirates have an impressive history of winning teams, great coaching, skilled players and competitive teams.

The game started with a constant rain and wet field conditions. The Falcons entered the game knowing they would be challenged and tested the entire game. The Falcons immediately began controlling the ball and the middle of the field. Dominant play by the Falcon defense was immediately coming into play with the start of the game. The Falcons began applying pressure to the Pirates with our forwards and midfielders. In the 15th minute of the game senior Taylor Rohde made a diagonal run towards the right sidelines. The ball was passed to her and she broke free from her Pirate defender. Taylor made a pass to the center of the field in front of the Pirate goal. Junior captain Madison Black took the bouncing pass, settled it to her foot and pounded in a shot to the left side of the Pirate net from point blank range. The Falcons quickly regrouped and knew that was not going to be all they had. The Falcons went back to work keeping the ball on our side of the field. In the 26th minute junior Kacey Lilly had a throw in on the right side of the field and made a good pass to senior captain Emily Payne. Emily headed the ball to the middle of the field. Inside midfielder junior Rachel DuBridge raced to the ball from approximately 30 yards out from the Pirate goal. Rachel struck the ball, looping the ball towards the Pirate goal. The ball had been perfectly struck and sailed over the hands of the leaping Pirate goalie and into their net for our second goal. The Falcons still wanted more production and again stepped up their game making plays, causing bad passes and stringing together good passes. In the 30th minute junior captain Madison Black had taken the ball down the right side of the Pirate goal and centered a pass to forward sophomore Darby McFall. Darby cleanly one touched the pass into the Pirate goal for our third goal of the half. The Falcons put together several more runs and great shots on the Pirate goalkeeper Lindsay Holt. Lindsay made several great saves and kept us from scoring. The first half had the Falcons with 7 shots on goal while the Pirates were held to 1 shot on goal. The half ended with the score being, Falcons 3 to the Pirates 0.

The second half began with more rain, wind and soggy field conditions. The Pirates came out and challenged the Falcons with their ball control and intensity. The Falcons challenged every pass and possession on the ground and in the air. The Falcons made several impressive runs with our forwards, inside midfielders and outside midfielders. The dominance though was by the Falcon defense that cleared many attempted possessions, pressured the Pirates into bad passes and initiated counter attacks all half. Most of the play during this half was at the middle of the field. The Falcons matched the physical play of the Pirates. The Pirates played with heart and pride trying to manage an attack and strike against our Falcons. The second half had the Falcons with 3 more shots on goal while the Pirates were held to no shots on goal. The game ended with the score being Falcons 3 to the Pirates 0.

The Falcon forwards had a great game. The forwards led the attack with their energy, speed and consistent pressure. The Falcon forwards were always in the thick of the attacks and bringing an all out effort. The forwards were led by senior Sonja Gustafsson, senior Taylor Rohde, sophomore Darby McFall, junior Jessie DuBridge and junior Kyla Miller.

The midfielders also had another great game. The inside midfielders played well in the air and on the ground. Their presence in the middle of the field helped control most of this game. The inside midfielders were junior captain Madison Black, sophomore Lena Gustafsson, senior Shanan McFall, senior captain Emily Payne and junior Rachel DuBridge. The Falcon outside midfielders had a huge impact on the game. The outside midfielders played all over the field on defense and offense. The outside midfielders confused the Pirate defense by making speedy runs down the sidelines and crossing the ball into the middle of the field. The outside midfielders were senior Ranae Maloney, senior Jessica Romeo, senior Kathryn Balch and junior Rachel DuBridge.

The Falcon defense was once again stellar, fearless, aggressive and successful. On countless occasions the Falcon defense ran down balls, disrupted or stole passes intended to create an attack. The defense held firm and only allowed one shot on our goal the entire game. The defense worked together with the midfielders to quickly create counter attacks several times during the game. The defense was led by senior captain Jordin Carlson, senior captain Kalynn Morano, junior Kacey Lilly, sophomore Megan Keating and junior Rachel DuBridge. Also having another solid performance was junior captain Emily Johnson our goalkeeper. Emily aggressively attacked and smothered several loose bouncing balls in the 18 yard box to take the wind out of the Pirates sails.

I want to thank the lady Pirates for a good game. The Falcons respect their play, sportsmanship and competitiveness. This game was probably the best well rounded and complete game we've played this season. We're still nursing injuries and sickness but we continue to raise our play and battle the entire game. Our forwards and midfielders are evolving and raising their expectations. Our defense and goalkeeping continue to lead the way by always challenging our opponents and keeping the game within reach. Our record now stands at 4 wins, 0 losses and 1 tie in the SCCAL. Our season record stands at, 7 wins, 3 losses and 3 ties. Our next game will be on January 24th, 6 PM at Soquel High against the Soquel Knights.