Have you ever wondered why some people call the game football and others soccer, or why some call it a field and others a pitch?  Football is known as “soccer” primarily in countries that have their own versions of football – namely the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and Ireland.  While the terms “soccer field” and “pitch” are often used interchangeably, there is a subtle difference between the two as a soccer field can refer to any area where soccer is played, while a pitch refers specifically to the playing surface of a professional soccer game.  Interestingly, the term “pitch” is derived from another sport, cricket, as football games played in England in the 1800s were mostly played on cricket fields, and the pitch refers to the small patch of dirt or clay where the stumps are placed in the ground. 

This weekend, the JV Girls Soccer (aka Football) team continued their grueling road game schedule, this time travelling for a Tournament played on the Campolindo football field (aka soccer field aka pitch).  The Dons found themselves in the more difficult of the two brackets that included Miramonte, Carondelet, and Monte Vista, whose varsity girls teams are ranked #328, #5, and #63 respectively in the state according to MaxPreps.  By comparison, Acalanes is ranked #104.

In Game #1, the girls defeated Miramonte 5-2. The girls controlled the action for most of the game and also got from help from Mats who missed on a few opportunities, including one where ball was cleared to the Miramonte striker who missed the subsequent shot.  Dani Green scored two goals, the first on an assist from Nina Bundy and the second on an assist from Kate Uffelman.  Kate also scored a goal on an assist from Grace Eppinger.  The goal was originally not counted, but then the call was reversed as it was determined that the goalie was in the goal and caught the ball past the plane of the goal. 

The remaining two goals came courtesy of Grace Eppinger, one of which came on an assist from Elodie Jensen.  

The girls almost scored a few additional goals, including a shot from Julia Munter that just missed and a well-timed header from Grace Colaco off a corner kick.  The defense played well, including Ella Culbertson, who sacrified for the team on a collision near the goal.  Goalies Sophie Gold and Cate Mercier did a good job limiting the Mats to the 2 goals.

In Game #2 and Game #3, the team lost to Carondolet 3-0 and Monte Vista 2-0 respectively.  Both teams were very tough and physical.  The Carondolet team had several players that also looked like they would dominate on the volleyball/basketball court, and the Monte Vista team featured a number of players who play for the acclaimed Mustangs ECNL club team.  

The offense struggled to get good shots in both games, although Kate Uffelman had a free kick that just missed against Carondelet, and Dani Green had several good runs up the pitch against Monte Vista.  The defense and goalkeepers were tested in both games and shined.

The team aided by a couple Varsity players who came to help.  One of the Varsity players was goalkeeper Sara Tarnai, who made several great dives and great high point catch on a corner. 

“Get to know Coach”: Coach Alex’s favorite club soccer team is Real Madrid and National soccer team is Brazil.

Parents: Please visit our TeamSnap site (https://go.teamsnap.com/8816872/files) to access the full library of incredible pictures being posted by our team photographers. 

Fans: Please come out and cheer on the team as they play their first home game today at 5pm against Deer Valley