On Tuesday, the JV girls soccer game vs Alhambra was rained out. However, never missing an opportunity to have fun in the rain, players from both teams got together and decided to make the best of the situation, diving headfirst into the massive puddle that formed on the sideline. Not to be outdone, Coach Jose also got into the action. On Thursday, the 7-4-1 Dons hit the road to battle more rain and the 7-6-2 crosstown rival Campo Cougars, completing the season sweep with a convincing 2-0 victory that unfortunately left the Cougars with several injured players.
The defense was stellar in this contest. Led by the starting unit of Sierra Goyert (#10), Olivia Kemp (#5), Olivia Bernier (#11), Michaela Barbano (#18) and holding midfielder Evelyn Lee (#9), they kept the ball out of harm’s way for goalie Cate Mercier (#00), who the team welcomed back with open arms after a long road to recovery from injury. Helena McGinley (#4) had a great clear on a Cougar corner kick. The only near goal for Cougars came off a free kick where the left footed striker banged a shot off the crossbar, preserving the shut out for the Dons. Michaela also got involved in the offense with a nice shot on the goal that sailed just over the crossbar. Evelyn had a shot over the crossbar, and had a couple nice steals, including one that led to a dribble up the field, through pass, and corner kick.
On offense, the Dons welcomed back Grace Eppinger (#22) who was called up to Varsity against Las Lomas. She made an impact right away, scoring the Dons first goal on a great shot with 32 minutes left in the first half. She also had several other shot attempts that just missed. Avery Titus (#2) played a great game. She sacrificed her body a number of times on hard kicked balls, and also scored the second goal on a great play after splitting defenders on the dribble. Caroline Tumilty (#8) had a couple big shots as usual, including a free kick from 35 yards out that sailed over the crossbar, and also made a great pass after falling to the ground.
There are so many shout outs to be handed out for this game. First and foremost, shout out to the team for completing the season sweep against Campo! Also big shout to Coach Jose for coaching these girls to victory and participating in the fun in the rain on Tuesday. Shout out to Dons fans for showing up in the rain (see picture below), especially Rachel who was celebrating her birthday. Shout out to Brian for bringing the tent into the stands to keep us sheltered. Shout out to James for MacGyver-ing a solution with a ziploc bag to keep his camera dry so he could still take pictures. Shout out to Anna for organizing the end of season party. Shout out to another parent who said I wasn’t giving enough shout outs to my own child. And lastly, shout out to whoever installed the nets behind the goals as it led us depth perception challenged fans to believe that we scored way more goals than we actually did. Go Dons!
Game Photos: https://go.teamsnap.com/8816872/files/list/5296289
Get to Know Coach: Coach Jose’s favorite ice cream flavor is Pistachio
The girls continue the road trip taking on Miramonte today (2/8) at 11am
