The Dons squared off against the Alhambra High School Bulldogs Wednesday night as the 6U LAMO teams joined the stands to cheer on the Dons. The game started as a defensive chess match before turning into a full-on scoring showcase.
The first quarter was a grind, with both teams battling for possession and testing the goalies who stood tall early with a string of saves. The breakthrough came when Jan Korzeniowski sliced in from the side and buried the first goal with just three minutes left in the quarter. From there, the momentum shifted quickly—Caleb Mason set up Jackson Tseng for another, giving the Dons a 2–0 edge. Alhambra managed to sneak one in just before the buzzer, keeping things tight after one.
From there, the Dons hit another gear.
Tseng opened the next stretch with a slick behind-the-back goal that got the sideline buzzing, but the Bulldogs answered immediately, winning the faceoff and scoring just 30 seconds later. That would be as close as they’d get. Tseng wasn’t done making plays—he threaded a perfect assist to Mason to extend the lead to 4–2. Korzeniowski followed with a strong unassisted goal, and defender Anthony Quinn got in on the action, proving the Dons were dangerous from everywhere on the field.
Alhambra tried to hang around, capitalizing on a turnover for another goal, but Tseng struck again to push the lead to 7–3. In the final 30 seconds of the half, Grant Condy delivered a sneaky pass to Curtis Sanders, who finished it off to give the Dons a commanding cushion heading into the break.
The second half was all Dons.
Mason capitalized on a turnover to up open the scoring. And then you’ve likely heard the phrase “the best offense is a good defense,” right? But what about the phrase, “the defensive is downright offensive!” (It’s okay if you haven’t, no one really says this. But that’s what happened on this night.) After Quinn’s D-goal earlier in the night, Leo Deignan scooped up a ground ball and fired a great strike into the net. Gavin Coupar added another fourth quarter goal from the defense when he snatch up a loose ball and converted it into a slick goal. As for the offense, the ball movement stayed sharp, with Tseng continuing to facilitate and keep the Bulldogs on their heels.
By the fourth quarter, it was a highlight reel. Logan Houston demonstrated strong physical force and Cade Korpita had some savvy play at midfield to keep the Dons in possession. Tseng notched his fourth goal of the night, followed by another from Mason. Luke Dafferner uncorked a rocket from 20 yards out that found the back of the net, and Korzeniowski added one more for good measure capping off a dominant, all-around performance by the Dons.
When the final whistle blew, the Dons had turned a tight early contest into a convincing 16–3 victory over the Bulldogs.
Senior night is Friday night. Let’s hear it for the boys!
