The Acalanes Dons came out strong in Tuesday night’s rivalry matchup, leading for most of the game before a late Miramonte surge edged them out 14–13 in a hard-fought thriller.
The Dons set the tone early in the first quarter. Reese Imrie opened the scoring off a clean assist from Meghan Churchill, who followed up moments later with her signature crease move to put Acalanes up 2–0. The defense made their presence known when Claire Zimmerman caused a turnover that shifted momentum back to the Dons. Emily Roberts capitalized, scoring on a quick feed from Churchill. Grace Colaco found Charlotte Gellman for a goal, and Catalina Liu added to the tally with an 8 meter just 30 seconds later. As the buzzer sounded, Stella Hamilton fired one more into the net, giving Acalanes a 6–4 lead at the end of the first.
Things slowed slightly in the second quarter, but the Dons maintained control. Midfielders Colaco, Imrie, Hamilton, Maya Stafford and Lucca Debiasse worked hard to gain possession for the Dons. Debiasse scored off a smooth pass from Liu, and Churchill notched another goal near the crease, sending Acalanes into halftime with an 8–7 lead.
The Dons came out of the break with continued intensity. Roberts got things going with a powerful drive to the net for her second goal of the game. Churchill remained dominant near the crease, scoring her third, followed by Liu, who completed her hat trick. Heading into the fourth quarter, Acalanes looked poised to finish strong.
But the Mats mounted a fierce comeback in the final frame, scoring five times to overtake the Dons. Despite relentless hustle on both ends of the field—including standout efforts from defenders Zimmerman, Reese Tierney, Kate Uffleman, Addie McShane and Grace Eppinger — the Dons couldn’t quite hang on. That defensive core, along with goalie Sarah Hession, worked tirelessly to slow down Miramonte’s talented scorers. Churchill added her fourth goal, and Hamilton scored her second, but it wasn’t enough to stave off the rally. Final score: Acalanes 13, Miramonte 14.
The Dons have a busy week ahead, starting with an away game on Monday against College Park. Let’s Go Dons!
