On Friday afternoon, the Dons welcomed the San Ramon Valley Wolves to the Heaston Aquatics Center. One never knows the outcome with these two teams. Last year, SRV took the win at the Acalanes Invitational, but a month later, the Dons took a 12-9 win in San Ramon.
The Wolves were ready for action and scored two goals in the first few minutes of the game. Junior Malin Stone got the Dons on the scoreboard but SRV snuck one more in to take a two-goal lead at the end of the first quarter. In Q2, the Dons had some great attempted shots and and several steals as well as great blocks from senior goalie Adelyn Horciza. The Wolves kept up their momentum and scored two more goals before the end of the half.
The Dons had a great halftime talk and were fired up to start the third quarter! SRV got one quick goal off the sprint but Acalanes shut them down for the rest of the quarter. On the next possession, sophomore Jayne Guiro sent a great pass to Malin Stone who scored goal #2 for the Dons. A stealthy steal from junior Lily Briones led to another ACA goal followed by one more from Malin. The fans were cheering and right before the quarter ended Jayna Guiro slid a goal in right under the goalie’s arm to bring the score within one!
The teams continued to battle during the final quarter. SRV scored a few at the beginning, but Acalanes came back with a great shorty from lefty Elinor Chen who sent the ball flying to the top left corner (see pic). Great defense from both teams included a solid field block from freshman Althea Topp. As the clock was winding down, the rare treat of eastching the goalies from each team battle it out in the field. Acalanes was able to score one more goal in the final second to bring the score to 8-10, but in the end, this game went to the Wolves.
Acalanes vs. Clovis North
Saturday morning, the Women’s Water Polo Team was back at the pool to host Clovis North Broncos. Clovis wont he first sprint, but Lily Briones stole the ball and sent it down to Elinor Chen who scored to get the Dons on the scoreboard. The Broncos got the ball down to their goal but Adelyn Horciza wasn’t letting anything past her! The Dons showed their great teamwork on the next possession when Elinor sent the ball to sophomore Lucy Kerr who sunk one in the twice to take a 2-0 lead. The Broncos battled back and earned one of their own but on the next play, Elinor Chen found Lily Briones who stuck one in the twine. The Broncos only managed to score one more goal before the quarter ended.
Quarter two started with a great goal by Jayna Guiro. The next few minutes looked like a swim meet with steals, field blocks and strong attempts on goal. Sophomore Maddy Maurer broke the dry spell with a sweet goal! Lucy Kerr got a great pass from Lily Briones and added one more notch to the scoreboard and Malin Stone finished off the quarter with two more goals to bring the score 8-2.
The Dons came back even stronger in the second half and Malin scored right off the bat! Clovis continued to battle, but on the next possession, Jayna Guiro found Elinor Chen who stuck another in the twine. Junior goalie Lucy McShane took over goal and deflected anything sent her way. Elinor Chen was having a great game and sent one more to the back of the net before the quarter ended.
The final quarter was full of steals from the Dons. The Broncos were tiring, but Acalanes kept up the heat. Elinor Chen got a great pass from Jayna Guiro and scored her 4th of the game followed by Emiko Kuniyoshi who scored a solid shot from right in front of the cage. Steals from Jayna and Lucy Kerr helped the Dons keep their momentum and the best shot of the day came from Maddy Maurer who scored a gorgeous goal from set!
What Next for the Dons?
On Friday, the Acalanes Women’s Water Polo Team heads to the Heather Carr Memorial Tournament in Davis. They will play two games on Friday and two on Saturday and still make it home for HOCO!