The Acalanes Invitational started at 10 am on Friday morning with 24 teams from all around the Bay Area. The Lady Dons were excited to start the tournament with a lunchtime game at 1 pm. The bell rang and the students grabbed Jamba Juice smoothies and filled the bleachers to watch Acalanes play Amador Valley.
Game #1 Amador Valley High School
The stands were filled to the brim as the first whistle blew for the battle of the Dons! Acalanes came out strong and kept the momentum up throughout the game. The offense was led by junior Ella Del Rosario with five goals, senior Levand Koopah scored four goals, and freshman Malin Stone scored two goals. In addition, junior Sara Williams, junior Olivia Whipple, and freshman Lily Briones added to the board with a goal each. The defense prevented Amador Valley from scoring thanks to sophomore goalie Adelyn Horciza with five saves and freshman goalie Lucy McShane with three saves. The strong teamwork helped the Acalanes Dons beat the Amador Valley Dons with a score of 14-3.
Game #2 Sacred Heart Prep
At 4 pm, Acalanes was back in the pool to face Sacred Heart Prep Gators. Everyone knew this would be a battle as the SHP Gators have a very strong team this year. Sacred Heart got on the board first and kept a commanding lead throughout the game. The Dons were able to get on the board with two goals from Ella Del Rosario and one goal from Sara Williams. In the end, the Gators took down the Lady Dons 12-3.
Game #3 Davis Blue Devils
On Saturday morning, the Lady Dons were carbed up and ready for day two! Their first game was against the Davis Blue Devils. Malin Stone set the tone by easily winning the sprint and taking possession. Ella Del Rosario ate her Wheaties for breakfast and scored five goals throughout the game. Levand Koopah started her morning off with a hat trick, and junior Sara Williams had another great goal. Freshman Lily Briones had a great game with three steals and a goal, and sophomore goalie Adelyn Horciza had a great game with four amazing saves.
Game #4 San Ramon Valley
The final game of the tournament was against the San Ramon Valley Wolves. The game was for 5th place in the tournament and the teams consisted of many club team friends. The fans were cheering and the Lady Dons came out fired up! Acalanes kept control of the game from the get-go and didn’t let up once. Ella Del Rosario scored four goals, Sophomore Finley Graff and Levand Koopah each scored a hat trick, and Olivia Whipple and Malin Stone each added a goal of their own. In addition, the defense was strong, the passes were good, the Lady Dons stole the ball nine times from the Wolves and Sophomore Adelyn Hociza wasn’t letting anything in the cage! The final score was 12-3. A great ending to the tournament!
