The Acalanes girl’s frosh soccer team kicked off the season on Saturday with a day of double-header soccer on a beautiful and crisp November morning. Game one against Bishop O’Dowd felt evenly matched on both sides of the ball. Led by coach Peter Bonfanti, the Dons battled the Dragons in their quest to start off the season with a win. Alexa Wall started strong by holding down the defense and making runs up the middle with great touch. Goalkeeper Maria Statnikova showed off her strong leg often times kicking the ball past midfield. And the ball movement looked great as the Dons were moving the ball nicely up the field.
Acalanes was poised and ready to strike first, having multiple shots on goal early in the first half. After one such attempt, a ball rolled perfectly to June Natal, and she buried a shot in the upper right corner of the goal to give the girls their first lead of the season.
More shots were had by Ruby Coy, Hannah Hoover, and Avery Titus who sped out of nowhere to get a shot off to close a solid half for the Dons, and they went to break with a 1-0 lead.
The second half looked promising with multiple corner kicks and shots on goal by June Natal, blocked, and Svea Staino, just wide. Ashby Raher showed off some ball skills and broke down multiple defenders while doing so to help the offense move up the field. But as luck would have it, Bishop O’Dowd was able to secure a goal midway through the second half to tie the game at 1-1.
Although Acalanes had more chances to take the lead, including a goal that was taken away by rule, the game ended in a tie for the first completed game of the new season. Good job Dons!
After a couple hours rest the Dons were back on the field for Game 2 against Northgate. Although the pace was slow in the early moments of the match, things took a turn for the worse for Northgate as Acalanes scored a barrage of goals, led by the speedy Avery Titus. Her first goal was a short kick. Right place, right time. But her next two goals showed off her clear dominance in the run game. Breakaway goals and unmatched speed. And her foot did the rest. Both shots buried low and in the corners. If you don’t know the name Avery Titus by now, take note.
There were also 2 perfect corner-kick crosses by Ruby Coy that were each finished by Eva McGinley, who was perfectly placed at the far post. And let’s not forget June Natal, who scored again in the match, giving her goals in both the first two games of the season. The Dons dominated their second game with a final score of 6-1. Awesome job girls!
If today’s games were any indication of how this season will go, we’re in for a fun ride. After just one week together, this team is already starting to gel, and the scoring proves it.
Until the next match, practice hard and go Dons!