We knew we had a tough opponent and wanted our ladies to come out with energy, effort and control of the tempo. Our Falcons did well but the game went back and forth with each team delivering some runs deep into each others territory. The defenses bent a little but never relinquished a goal. The half ended with a scoreless tie while we put 3 shots on goal and the Acorns put 3 shots on goal.

At halftime we asked each player to give more of themselves, continue to make runs, keep our shape on our positions and play the ball to each others feet. We came out and played toe to toe physically with the talented Acorn ladies. In the 48th minute the Acorns had a run deep into our side of the field. An Acorn player made a good move and shot the ball into our net from approximately 10 yards out. We regrouped and became even more aggressive and determined to press the Acorns defense. We were able to get the ball down within shooting range several times but were not able to finish with a score. In the 79th minute of the game sophomore Brittany Cartee took a solid shot on goal from approximately 35 yards out. The drilled ball was deflected up by the Acorn Keeper and bounced off the top crossbar. The ball ricochet out and was quickly punched into the net for a score by sophomore Allie Carl. The game time expired with the score being, Falcons 1 to the Acorns 1. The second half had our ladies with 8 shots on goal while the Acorns had put 4 shots on goal.

Our goalkeeper was senior captain Claire Covert. Our defense was played by senior captain Darby McFall, sophomore Desiree Rakela, sophomore Marissa Sion, sophomore Maddie Hitzeman and sophomore Mary Lonhart. Our Falcon goalkeeper and defense played solid, tough, aggressive and stopped many Acorn attacks. The defense cleared many potential threats and improved over our previous games. Our defense continues to move forward towards their team play, trust in each other and skills.

Our inside midfielders were senior captain Melinda Lane, sophomore Emmy Koflanovich, sophomore Brittany Cartee, sophomore Anna Payne, junior Emily Todd and freshman Serena Garcia. Our outside midfielders were sophomore Allie Carl, junior Taylor Raymond and freshman Mackenzie Wessell. Freshman midfielder Marcella Margiotta was sidelined with an injury but inspired and supported her teammates the entire game. Our forward position was primarily played by sophomore Audrey Liebenberg. Our midfielders collectively improved working with each other, keeping to their positions and controlled the ball and tempo quite a few minutes of the game. We showed improvement in the air and distributing the ball to each other. Our midfielders worked well with the players at the forward position creating lots of runs into the heart of the Acorn defense.

We have a lot of work to be done and improving. The lady Falcons are developing trust in themselves, their teammates and the formation we are trying to use. Our competition today challenged us mentally and physically. We have progressed and look forward to get back to work and make our team focused, tough and competitive. Special kudos for a well played game goes to Allie Carl, Melinda Lane, Brittany Cartee, Taylor Raymond and Emmy Koflanovich.

Our record now stands at 2 wins, 3 losses and 1 tie in 2013/14. Our next game will be on Thursday, December 19, 2013, 3:30 PM at SVHS against Santa Teresa High School from San Jose. Continue to support our lady Falcons as we compete and progress through our season.