It was round two for the Lady Dons and the Miramonte Mats this past Wednesday night. The Dons knew the Mats were coming to play with everything they’ve got after losing their game in 4 years to the Dons three weeks ago. The stands were filled with blue and white pom poms and clappers, but this time, the Mats came prepared with a much larger crowd and pompoms and clappers of their own! 

Senior Brooklyn Plomp scored the first goal of the game

At 6 p.m., the whistle blew and the girls were off! Miramonte won the sprint and headed down the pool but senior Sophie Hendrickson snagged the ball for a turnover and Aca headed to their goal. Senior Brooklyn Plomp sent a gorgeous lob shot into the twine and the Lady Dons were on the scoreboard! The swimfest continued as both teams tried to score but it wasn’t until 14 seconds remained in the quarter when senior Liv Hoppe was able to send one flying into the net and end the quarter with Acalanes leading Mira 2-0.

The Mats aren’t used to falling behind by two goals so they were fired up as the second quarter started. In less than 20 seconds the Mats were on the scoreboard. Sophomore Ella Del Rosario liked the two-goal lead and earned another tally mark for the Lady Dons, bringing the score to 3-1. The Mats scored two in a row to tie the game. Brooklyn Plomp was able to capitalize on the one and only 6-on-5 that the Dons got all night bringing the score to 4-3. Another exclusion was called on the Dons and Mira capitalized tying the game once again, 4-4. Sophomore Addison Dankworth got a great assist from Liv Hoppe to earn her first goal of the night which gave the Dons the lead once again. But the Mats kept fighting and the Dons kept getting ejected which gave the 6-on-5 advantage to the Mats who were able to score and tie the game. A penalty was called and Ella Del Rosario rocketed the ball into the net giving Aca the lead once again to end the half. 

The third quarter started with a goal for the Mats and another tie game. Another 6-on-5 lead to one more goal for Miramonte giving them the lead for the first time all night. Having the lead gave the Mats a little extra energy and they scored one more goal bringing the score 8-6. But the Lady Dons weren’t done yet, an outstanding save by goalie Adelyn Horciza, a steal by Sophie Hendrickson, and a goal by Brooklyn brought the Lady Dons within one as the 3rd quarter ended with a one-goal difference, 8-7.

Senior Sophie Hendrickson about to take her shot

It all comes down to the final quarter! The Mats won the sprint for the next several minutes the game looked like a swim meet. Lots of turnovers and blocked shots until Miramonte was able to sink one in bringing the score to 9-7 Miramonte. After a full timeout, the Lady Dons were ready to go and Sophie Hendrickson scored a gorgeous goal to keep that momentum going. After a great block by Adelyn Horciza, Freshman Finley Graff sent a beautiful pass to Ella Del Rosario who turned, scored, and tied up the game! With 40 seconds left on the clock, another exclusion was called against Acalanes and Miramonte was able to capitalize and gain the lead. Acalanes called a timeout and hoped to score with a Hail Mary, but it didn’t pan out. Miramonte gained possession and thought they could simply waste the clock, but the Dons weren’t done. Ella Del Rosario stole the ball and blindly shot knowing there were mere seconds left on the clock. Both teams fought hard and played their hearts out, but this time Miramonte took the win by a goal. The Lady Dons head down to Palo Alto for the NorCal water polo tournament where it’s very likely these two teams will meet again!

Let’s Go Dons!