Under the lights at Las Lomas on Thursday night, the Acalanes JV boys soccer team displayed incredible resilience to avenge an earlier season loss. The match began with a sense of urgency from the Knights, who capitalized on a chaotic scramble in front of the Acalanes net to score just ten minutes in. Trailing 1-0 and dealing with a roster thinned by mid-season injuries, the Dons were forced to get creative.

The game was a physical battle from start to finish, with both teams fighting for every inch of turf. Just before the halftime whistle, the Dons’ persistence drew a crucial foul in the box. Acalanes converted the resulting penalty kick, sending the teams into the break deadlocked at 1-1 and shifting the momentum firmly toward the visitors. 

The second half saw Las Lomas ramp up their offensive pressure. While the Knights managed to find shooting lanes, their efforts were either off-target or swallowed up by a steady Acalanes keeper. As the clock ticked down, the physicality of the match reached a boiling point. In a play that felt like a replay of the first half, the Dons pushed deep into the Knights’ territory and drew another foul in the box. Luca Ginnocio stepped up to the spot, slamming the ball home in the final minutes to put the Dons up 2-1.