In their fiercest competition yet, our Dons braved frenemy territory, tundra conditions, and fascinating game adjudication to come up even in the end.
Acalanes controlled the opening minutes, but it was Campo with the first shot on goal, just wide. Some smart playmaking from Audrey Tseng (#4), Courtney Hamill (#10), Casey Lerch (#11), and Alexa Wall (#22) elevated the momentum and set up a tremendous rocket by ??? that slammed off the crossbar. Let’s call it a combination of the fog, age, and frozen retinas, but none of us in the bleachers could confirm the mystery shooter.
The end of the first half was action-packed – Audrey had consistently effective attacks, Avery Titus (#3) with an almost there shot to force a corner, which she took solidly. Finally, a great long ball shot by Casey just over the goal with less than two minutes to go.
And half with nothing on the board and visibility decreasing by the minute. Quick note, a lot of these players – Dons and Cougars – have played LMYA and Club soccer together since they were tiny. It was a joy to watch them on the field, see their families in the stands, and witness their evolution as athletes and young women. Cue tears (aaaand now they’re frozen to my face).
Allie Schofield (#12) kicked off the second half by being All. Over. The. Field. including going 1:1 with the Campo goalie. Avery had a beautiful corner kick, which we couldn’t quite convert. Then Liv Kemp (#5) was served a yellow card. Two observations from the cheap seats: 1) If anyone deserved a yellow for a feather touch, a butterfly kiss, it was Liv. 2) Why the sendoff? Isn’t the yellow the punishment? This was followed by Audrey off with a minor injury, a gorgeous Brook Lewis (#0) save, and a free kick m a s t e r c l a s s by Averly Ammerman (#19) for our first goal of the night – Dons 1-0!
Campo answered quickly with a breakaway goal to equalize and the Dons tried to keep themselves in order as the hybrid sideline/center ref wore many hats and shouted many things. Hannah Hoover (#2) came roaring in, promptly got (not earned) a yellow card for doing her job as a striker, and was sent off. That girl burns bright like the sun.
And that was game, y’all. Let’s GO Dons!
If you’re down for a road trip, join us this Saturday afternoon in Windsor, where our JV Dons take on the local High School at 3p. Fun fact: Windsor was originally home to the Southern Pomo people, who called it “Tsoliikawai,” meaning “blackbird field.”