The Dons Varsity boys soccer team finally got on their home turf with two matches this week.  On Tuesday night, the San Ramon Valley Wolves were on the field for only a few minutes before Acalanes’ midfielder Colin Sohn was upended just outside the penalty area then subsequently hammered the direct kick into the upper left corner of the goal. However, the Wolves rallied with two second-half goals to eke out a 2-1 victory. Ryan Rho-Baity was awarded the “Man of the Match” honor for his efforts on the back line.   

Acalanes then hosted the Archie Williams Falcons from San Anselmo on a crisp Thursday night.  The Falcons’ entire roster sported bright bleached-blonde hairdos and brought a tenacious offensive attack to Lafayette. The Dons again opened the scoring about 20 minutes in when junior Ben Pecci dug a ball out of the left corner and launched a beautiful cross through the penalty area while senior forward Lucas Dissman swooped in from the right wing to bury the ball into the goal.  However, the blonde bombers from Marin put consistent pressure on the Dons defense by repeatedly lobbing corner kicks and throw-ins into a dense pack immediately in front of the goal.  Late in the first half, the crush of Falcons nudged a high-arcing throw-in into the goal to knot the score. The Dons were down to only 12 players due to a variety of absences so played with only one substitute.  Nevertheless, the Dons defenders battled on and consistently squelched the offensive attack while goalkeeper Evan Sverak made a few dazzling saves in the second half to end the game in a 1-1 tie.  One of the main contributors to the Dons stout defensive effort was sophomore Omri Noiman, who moved to center back from his usual midfield spot with the team shorthanded and was honored as the Dons “Man of the Match.”

The Dons hit the home pitch again on Saturday when they host Pittsburg at 3pm then hit the road again on Tuesday in an evening tilt against Benicia.  Come out and enjoy some great soccer and support your Dons!