Friday night, the Acalanes JV Women’s soccer team traveled across town to Campo for the start of a 2-day pre-season tourney. After warming up watching a very competitive match between Las Lomas and Campolindo, the Dons took an early command of the field against Miramonte. We definitely dominated possession from the start, with multiple crosses & shots by Sisi Houston & Livi Foster, a terrific shot attempt by Reiney Fish, a corner kick by Sisi and solid shot attempt by Dani Green before Livi goofy-footed our first goal into the right back corner of the net. More highlights included another shot attempt by Dani thanks to a great pass from Lily Polkinhorn, a solid shot on goal by Zoya Acuna, terrific defense by Katelyn Weiss, before Reiney received a clean pass from Sisi to score the Dons’ second goal. 

The second half continued in the Dons’ favor. Solid ball handling and defense by Sofia Cerruti & Lidia Stahl, just to mention 2 standout players, helped the Dons continue to control the game. Lily Polkinhorn executed a beautiful kick scoring our third goal of the night. More solid play by the Dons included a spot on pass by Elodie Jensen to Dani Green who scored an almost 4th goal just as the ref called off sides. Once again, our keepers Sophie Gold and Sara Tarnai secured a Dons’ shut out. The Dons closed out their fourth win in a row, defeating the Mats 3 – 0.

The Dons’ second tourney game was a soggy Saturday slog against the also undefeated Berkeley JV Yellowjackets that ended in a 0-0 tie. Maybe the best place to start is to commend our keeper tonight, Sophie Gold, once again, for allowing no goals against this very competitive team. Our JV Dons played their hearts out, easily dominated possession, and had several excellent shots on goal compared to only one by the Yellowjackets. Lily Polkinhorn, Zoya Acuna, Reiney Fish, & Sisi Houston all had terrific shots on goal.

Based on the results of the first two games, the JV Dons advanced to the championship game. The Dons squared off against powerhouse Monte Vista in the finals amidst the pouring rain. The Mustangs dominated the competition in their earlier match-ups but found a much more formidable opponent in the Dons. The Dons defense played tough, led by several tackles from Edie Berzansky and strong goalie play from Sophie Gold, and went into the half down just 1-0. Monte Vista controlled the ball for much of the second half though and were able to add a goal near the end of the game to finish with a 2-0 victory over Acalanes, giving the Dons their first defeat of the young season. The Dons finished strong with a second place finish in a loaded tournament bracket, with Berkeley taking third and Las Lomas finishing fourth.

Next up for the Dons (4-1-1) is a road game at College Park on Tuesday at 5:00pm