The Varsity Girls Lacrosse team knew their first two games were going to be tough facing the talented Amador Valley and San Marin Teams.
The first game of the season on Wednesday night at home against Amador Valley was made even more challenging as they were down 7 players to the soccer NCS Semi Finals game being played the same night. Drawing on the energy and excitement of the first game, the Dons got out to an early lead with the first goal of the season from Junior Emily Roberts. Shortly after that, Senior Campbell Evans put one in the back of the net, taking the Dons up 2-0. Unfortunately, Amador Valley began to take control of the game from there. Junior Charlotte Gellman and Sophomore Grace Colaco each had one goal before the end of the half and Roberts scored her second in the second half, but it was not nearly enough to stop the momentum that Amador Valley had found and maintained the rest of the game. Juniors Reese Imrie, Gellman and Maya Stafford each contributed an assist while Colaco worked hard at the draw with 6 draw controls. They say ground balls win games, and while we did not win this one, Senior Claire Zimmerman and Roberts each had two loose balls controlled and Junior Christina Hageboeck and Freshman Maddie Obertello had one. Goalie Sara Hession worked hard in goal with 6 saves on the night. In the end, the Dons lost 22-5.
The Dons traveled to San Marin High School on Friday night for game two. It was a beautiful evening in Novato, and thankfully Acalanes had their full team back together, but it was clear from the start of the game that San Marin was a very polished, strong opponent. Goals were hard to come by in the first half, but Sophomores Cat Liu and Reese Tierney rallied and got us on the board with one goal each. The second half was more promising and while it was not enough to thwart the powerhouse of San Marin, it provided some momentum and motivation to keep playing hard. Senior Lucca DiBiasse scored, along with Junior Reese Imrie on a great assist from fellow Junior Charlotte Gellman. Liu scored her second goal of the night and Sophomore Stella Hamilton’s impressive speed came in handy as she sprinted downfield for a strong goal to keep the momentum going. Junior Emily Roberts scored on a fun give and go with Liu and the Dons finished strong with a goal by Senior Campbell Evans as the buzzer rang. The Second half also saw more draw controls and ground balls. Sophomore Grace Colaco worked hard with 3 draw controls and DiBiasse with 2. Ground balls were key as always in helping Acalanes gain possession and many Dons contributed, Hamilton and Roberts both had 2, and Claire Zimmerman, DiBiasse, Colaco, Gellman, Liu, Tierney and Addie McShane all had one. Dons lost 17-8.
Overall, while the outcomes were not what the Dons hoped for, they will take the energy and determination on display at the end of Friday’s game and continue to work hard to be ready for their next game on Tuesday at Monte Vista.
