The first half had both teams fiercely competing for every ball on the ground and in the air. Each team tried to control the ball and build an attack. The entire half was played pretty much at midfield with both teams forcing mistakes while the defenses dominated. The first half had 1 Falcon shot on goal while the Mariners had 2 shots on goal. The pretty evenly played half ended with a score of the Falcons 0 to the Mariners 0.

At half our Falcons made a few adjustments in order to better compete with the older and more experienced Mariner ladies. Once again the play was fairly even at first with both teams managing very little offense. In the middle of the second half the Mariners began to dominate the possession of the ball while making short passes and swinging the ball in their defensive backfield. The Falcons adapted and soon put pressure on the Mariners. We made some switches of Falcon players which resulted in a change of pace and a better attack on our offense. The change resulted in at least two great opportunities to score but resulted in no goals. The second half ended with the Falcons putting 3 shots on goal while the Mariners put 1 shot on goal. The game ended with the score being the Falcons 0 to the Mariners 0.

The Falcon goalkeeping for 80 minutes was senior captain Emily Johnson who had yet another solid performance. Emily's presence and skills in the goal is unmatched in most of the CCS. The Falcon defense was led by junior Darby McFall, freshman Mary Lonhart, freshman Desiree Rakela and junior co-captain Megan Keating. The entire defense had a fantastic game by allowing few shots on our goal and otherwise shutting down a good Mariner offense. The outside midfielders were sophomore Taylor Raymond, freshman Allie Carl and junior Nicole LaPorte. The inside midfielders were senior captain Madison Black, freshman Emmy Koflanovich, junior Melinda Lane and freshman Anna Payne. Our forwards were senior captain Jessica DuBridge, freshman Audrey Liebenberg and freshman Mikaela Inman. Having good games were the entire defense and Madison Black for her tenacious play in the middle of the field.

I would like to thank the Aptos Mariners for a hard fought game which could have gone to either team. Our Falcon players played like warriors overcoming a very talented and determined opposition. The upperclassmen and underclassmen are slowly learning their identity as a team, playing with more discipline, effort and confidence. Our team has had some adversity, ups and downs but are developing as a team game by game. Our coaching staff is proud and pleased of our Falcons character on the field and the progress we've made. Our team feels we're building something special while gaining experience every time we play. We look forward to our next game against the St Francis Sharks which will be played at their home field in Watsonville on Tuesday, January 22nd at 3:30 PM. Our record for the season now stands at 4 wins, 5 losses and 4 ties while having a record in the SCCAL of 2 wins, 1 loss and 2 ties. Go Falcons!