On Thursday, the JV girls soccer team returned home to close out the season, taking on the 8-3-3 Northgate Broncos team that beat them 4-1 earlier in the season. Undeterred by the driving rain and wind, the girls were able to flip the script, overwhelming the Broncos on the way to a 3-0 victory in perhaps their best overall performance of the season. It was also the second year in a row where the JV girls soccer team closed out the season at home against Northgate with a victory.
On offense, the Dons got on the board early. Caroline Tumility (#8) had a free kick that led to a shot and score by June Natal (#23), who was called up from the Frosh and the Furious team to fill in for Evelyn Lee (#9). The other goals came courtesy of Julia Munter (#15) on a nice shot in the corner, and Olivia Kemp (#5) on a high arcing shot from distance. The Dons had a few other good scoring opportunities. June scored what appeared to be a second goal on another free kick from Caroline where the goalie collided with Grace Eppinger (#22) on a 50/50 ball leaving an open net, but the Broncos were awarded a goal kick instead. Avery Titus (#2) had a nice cross to Julia that bounced just out of her reach, Madison Bernstein (#12) had a nice cross to Mila Ellis (#20), and Caroline had a few shots, one of which was blocked off the foot of the Bronco goalie. Grace Colaco (#7) had a couple shots in addition to her usual strong ball control and accurate passes.
The Dons defense pitched another shutout. Ella Culbertson (#3) rejoined the team after being called up to “the show” (aka Varsity) for the last game, and along with Helena McGinley (#4), Sierra Goyert (#10), Olivia Kemp (#5), and Olivia Bernier (#11) stifled the Bronco offense, When the occasional ball did get through, goalie Cate Mercier (#00) was there to make the play, including a nice play where she blocked a shot up and over the football field goal.
Game Photos: https://go.teamsnap.com/8816872/files/list/5299238
Get to Know Coach: Coach Jose started coaching in early 2019 and has coached at East Bay Eclipse, 3 seasons at Campo with the boys program, and now 2 seasons with the girls at Acalanes. His favorite soccer team (other than our team of course) is Club America from Mexico, and he thinks that either Spain or England will win the 2026 men’s World Cup.
This is now my 8th time writing an end of season article, and it still never gets easier. Why? Because it means that the players that bonded over the course of the season won’t be able to compete together again, and we won’t be able to watch them do it. I wanted to thank the players for all giving their maximum effort at every game, Coach Jose and the other coaches for all of their hard work getting them ready to compete, and all of you who took pictures, drove carpool, managed TeamSnap, organized activities, watched the livestreams, and showed up rain or shine to cheer on the team. Along the way, I hope I was able to provide you with a little entertainment in addition to the game recaps. Hope to see you all around town, and already looking forward to next season. Go Dons!
