On Wednesday February 26, the Acalanes Dons players, coaches, and a ton of family and fans traveled to Pleasanton for the Division 1 NCS Semifinal match versus the Amador Valley Dons. It was a battle of the Dons! This year’s team went further than any other team that came before them at Acalanes. Yes, they are Co-Champions of DAL, but no prior team has ever made it to Division 1 of the NCS. And, this team did an AMAZING job of fighting all the way to this Semifinal match!
From the initial kickoff, it was a battle that would set the tone for the night. The Amador Valley Dons showed they were a very talented and physical team. But, the Acalanes Dons were ready. They matched the speed and intensity very well. The Aca defense was tested often, but the back line of Tatum Keely, Edie Berzansky, Cassidy Smith, and Tori Hiatt protected their ever-ready goalie, Melisa Adatepe who ultimately made 5 saves on the night!
Acalanes got some strong offensive work from the usual suspects of Lucca DeBiasse, Nicole Nguyen, Alex Salazar, Stella Hamilton, and Taylor Mikalis. But, the Amador Valley defense was very strong and limited Aca to only 5 shots on the night. Reese Tierney, Lily Polkinhorn, and Leila Hamidi held strong in the midfield, and Livi Foster and Sisi Houston played some strong minutes subbing in on the front line.
The Dons sideline (and the stands) were very loud as they cheered on Aca. The sideline of Sara Tarnai, Elodie Jensen, Danica Green, Kate Uffelman, Sofia Cerruti, Avery DeMent, Reiney Fish, Grace Eppinger (JV call up), Ella Culbertson (JV call up), and Evelyn Lee (JV call up) were led by Captain Demi Woods, staying ready and were amazing in cheering on their team! Unfortunately, Amador Valley proved to be victorious and our Aca Dons fell, 0-2.
This was an amazing tight-knit group of players who stayed bonded and close throughout the season. Every player gave their best at practice, in the game, and on the sideline through times of injuries and illnesses to make this team very successful. They were led by first-year head coach Alex Avelar and Jose Diaz Mercado. This was a great season and a great night that made AcaProud!! Thank you Varsity Girls Soccer!