We anticipated this game being aggressive and physical. Both teams came out and tried to assert dominance on controlling the ball. In the 12th minute of the game junior Taylor Raymond took a throw-in from the right sideline. Soph. Brittany Cartee took the pass and raced down the right wing beating her defender. Brittany delivered a perfect pass across the Cardinal goal. Soph. Allie Carl took the pass at full stride and drilled the ball into the net for a goal. The game went back and forth in the first half with our Falcons putting 4 shots on goal and the Cardinals with 2 shots on goal. The halftime score was, Falcons 1 to the Cardinals 0.

At halftime we spoke about keeping our poise and controlling the ball in possession. Both teams played hard, with tenacity and an urgency to score. Our Falcons had several missed opportunities to score but the Cardinal defense held firm and did not allow a goal. The second half had our Falcons with 5 more shots on goal and the Cardinals with 1. The game included 1 red card, 5 yellow cards and 31 fouls between the two teams. The game ended with the score being, Falcons 1 to the Cardinals 0.

Our Falcon defense once again led the charge of not allowing a goal for another SCCAL victory. Our goalkeeper was senior captain Claire Covert who had a solid game and 3 saves. Our inside defenders were senior captain Darby McFall and soph. Desiree Rakela. Our outside defenders were sophomores Marissa Sion and Maddie Hitzeman. Our entire defense has become a rock of consistency, stability and excellent play in every game we play. Special kudos to all five Falcon defenders for having a fantastic game in yet another shutout. Our midfielders played well with their possession in the air and on the ground. Our inside midfielders were senior captain Melinda Lane, soph. Brittany Cartee, soph. Anna Payne, soph. Mary Lonhart and fresh. Serena Garcia. Our outside midfielders were junior Taylor Raymond, soph. Allie Carl and fresh. Mackenzie Wessell. Having a solid game with their play and spirit was Melinda, Brittany and Taylor. Our “Player of the Game” goes to Allie for scoring the winning and only goal in the game. Our forwards also played well putting relentless pressure on the Cardinals defense and making runs the entire game. Our forwards were soph. Audrey Liebenberg and freshmen Samantha Sion and Kaylee Craft.

I want to thank the Cardinals for the competition. We now have a roster of 3 seniors, 1 junior, 10 sophomores and 5 freshmen. I want to give praise to our 3 senior captains; Claire, Melinda and Darby for their leadership, wisdom, patience and unwavering support of their young teammates. Special recognition also goes to the chemistry, gamesmanship and sportsmanship our entire team has shown this season. Our Falcons have now scored 37 goals and allowed 18. Our 2013/14 season record is 10 wins, 3 losses and 4 ties. Our SCCAL record is 7 wins, 0 losses & 2 ties which have placed us in first place. We are currently ranked #1 in the Sentinel Girls’ Power Poll Rankings. We are ranked #480 in the Nation, #242 in the State & #29 in the CCS through MaxPreps Sports. Our next game will be another tough challenge, Thursday, Feb 13th, 7 PM, against Aptos High @ the Aptos Mariners Stadium. Please, come out and support our team.