The Dons played an awesome game in their NCS opener versus Benicia on Tuesday evening. From the outset, the team displayed exceptional coordination with seamless passes and dynamic movement up the field. Things really heated up with a beautiful run up the field by Reese Tierney and Ella Thomason, but a Panther defender stopped it. However, Megan Yee’s precision corner kick found Alex Salazar, whose header found the back of the net, putting the Dons ahead 1-0.
Goalie Melisa Adatepe stopped a strong shot by Benicia. The pressure from Benicia kept coming, with Tatum Keely staying with her mark and Adatepe stopping the shot. Benicia then had a throw-in that led to a shot from the top of the box over the head of Adatepe, equalizing the game at 1-1. The Dons’ resilience shone through as they quickly regained momentum after Benicia’s equalizer. Stellar performances from players like Nicole Nguyen, Lucca DeBiasse, and Leila Hamidi kept the pressure on Benicia, but their goalkeeper stopped multiple scoring attempts. Center back Edie Berzansky and Yee collaborated effectively to halt Benicia’s offensive advances. Nguyen and Taylor Mikalis had a nice give and go that led to a shot by Mikalis that was blocked by the Benicia defense.
In the second half, both teams traded offensive pushes back and forth. Stella Hamilton threatened multiple times on offense but couldn’t find the back of the net. Adatepe saved a strong free kick set piece by Benicia. Berzansky played great defense on another run by Benicia and brought the ball into the Dons’ offensive third. Nguyen had another offensive push and shot, but the ball went high. Tierney stopped another strong offensive push by the Panthers. DeBiasse, Sisi Houston, Thomason and Tierney kept the pressure going on offense, but couldn’t find the go ahead goal. Finally Salazar sent a nice assist to Nguyen whose skill made her finish look easy, bringing the score to 2-1 in favor of the Dons. In the final minutes of the game, both teams kept playing hard, but the Dons ultimately prevailed, advancing to NCS Quarters!
The Dons will play their NCS Quarterfinal match at #1 seed Casa Grande High School in Petaluma on Friday at 7pm. Let’s go, Dons!