| On January 21, 2014 our Scotts Valley High School Falcons girls’ varsity soccer team traveled to Aptos to play the Aptos Mariners. The Mariners have a well-coached team and full of talented players. The Mariners had compiled a 2013/14 record of 6 wins & 3 losses while posting a SCCAL record of 2 wins & 1 loss. The Mariners were ranked #4 in the Santa Cruz Sentinel Power Rankings. They were ranked #505 in the Nation, #256 in the State and #33 in the CCS thru MaxPreps Sports. They had scored 18 goals while allowing 9 this season. We went into this game knowing we were in for a battle against a very tough opponent that always plays us well in our league. We started the game fast and had many runs against the talented Mariners defense. Our midfielders played great both on the ground and in the air. We played solid defensively by allowing only 1 shot on our goal the entire first half. Our Falcons had 9 shots on the Mariners goal but the opposition was strong and kept it out of their net. The score at halftime was Falcons 0 to the Mariners 0. The second half started with both teams trying to pass to feet and generate an attack of some sort. Both defenses played well and stopped many runs dead in their tracks. Our Falcons played well at forward, midfield and defensively. When each team gained some momentum the other team rose to the occasion and turned the momentum around. The second half had the Mariners with 4 more shots on goal while our Falcons put 5 shots on goal. The game ended with a hard fought 0 to 0 tie. Our Falcon goalkeeping and defense was just awesome. Our goalkeeper was senior captain Claire Covert who played strong, made good decisions, good punts and played well with quick feet and soft hands. Our defense was led by senior captain Darby McFall, soph. Desiree Rakela, soph. Marissa Sion and soph. Maddie Hitzeman. The entire defense had a great game working with each other and shutting the mighty Mariners out of a score. Our “Player of the Game” has to go to Marissa for having an outstanding game. Our midfielders had a sterling game both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Our midfielders were strong on the ground, in the air and distributed the ball with direct passes to feet. Our midfielders made several runs that nearly resulted in scores. Our inside midfielders were senior captain Melinda Lane, soph. Brittany Cartee, fresh. Serena Garcia and soph. Anna Payne. Our outside midfielders were junior Taylor Raymond, soph. Allie Carl and fresh. Mackenzie Wessell. Players having a great game with their aggressive play, composure and impact were Melinda, Brittany, Serena and Taylor. Our Falcon forwards made several outstanding runs that put obvious pressure on the Mariners defense. Soph. Emmy Koflanovich, soph. Audrey Liebenberg and fresh. Kaylee Craft played very well and was always a threat. Emmy had an outstanding game once again with her skills, hustle and gamesmanship. Our lady Falcons played extremely well the entire game against a tough opponent. We played with a lot of heart and pride while combining with skills, discipline and tenacity. We rose to the occasion when momentum was not in our favor and looked good as a team when playing smart and building an attack. Our 2013/14 record now stands at 6 wins, 3 losses & 3 ties while in the SCCAL we are 3 wins, 0 losses & 1 tie. We are currently ranked #1 in the Sentinel Power Poll Rankings for the Monterey Bay. We are ranked #435 in the Nation, #220 in the State and #27 in the CCS by MaxPreps Sports. Our next game will be on January 23, 3:30 PM against the Soquel Knights at the SVHS stadium. Go Falcons, you must believe and play with no fear! |