We wanted our Falcons to come out from the beginning and challenge the lady Mariners on the ground and in the air. The Mariners came out aggressive and controlled the tempo and the middle of the field. The Mariners were quick, physical and had good soccer skills. In the 30th minute the Mariners received and executed a corner kick that resulted in a Mariner goal. The first half had the Mariners with 5 shots on goal while our Falcons had 3 shots on goal. The score at halftime was Falcons 0 to the Mariners 1.

At half time we stressed the fact that we needed to put in more effort, energy and win loose balls. The first 20 minutes of the second half we played well and created many opportunities and won most of the balls in the air and on the ground. Our passing was good and we made smart runs. During this time the Mariner goalkeeper was up to the task and made several good saves to stop our attacks. The Mariners regained their game and started pressuring our defense. In the 65th minute the Mariners again received a corner kick which resulted in a second goal when the ball went to the front of our net and a Mariner headed it into the goal. The Mariners kept us off balance and this was not our day. In the second half the Mariners had 4 more shots on goal while we had 4 more shots. The score at the end of the game was Mariners 2 to our Falcons 0.

Our Falcon goalkeeper was senior captain Emily Johnson who had 9 saves. Emily was absolutely on her game while having at least 5 fantastic saves from point blank range. Emily showed off her athletic skills, quick feet, sure hands and quick decision making. Emily's punts and free kicks were solid. Emily kept us in the game the entire time and simply was the best soccer player on the field.

Our defense was played by senior captain Madison Black, junior co-captain Megan Keating, freshman Desiree Rakela, freshman Mary Lonhart, freshman Marissa Sion and junior Melinda Lane. Our outside midfielders were played by sophomore Taylor Raymond, freshman Allie Carl, freshman Mikaela Inman, freshman Maddie Hitzeman and junior Nicole LaPorte. Our inside midfielders were Madison Black, Melinda Lane, Allie Carl, Maddie Hitzeman and freshman Emmy Koflanovich. Our forwards were freshman Audrey Liebenberg and senior captain Jessica DuBridge. Having a good game was Taylor Raymond, Desiree Rakela and Allie Carl. Having a great game while playing with a lot of grit, effort and heart was Madison Black. The Player of the Game goes to Emily Johnson who fought like a Warrior while putting her young team on her shoulders and leading the way.

I want to thank the lady Mariners for a good game. Our young Falcons will learn a whole lot by playing high caliber teams. As coaches we take responsibility for this loss and we will be better prepared in the future. We need to grow from this experience, play better individually and as a team. Our season record is now 8 wins, 6 losses and 5 ties while our SCCAL record is 6 wins, 2 losses and 3 ties. Our next game will be on Thursday, February 14th, 3:30 PM at Scotts Valley High against the St. Francis Sharks.