This past Friday night the Acalanes Women’s Soccer Team traveled to Petaluma to take on the Casa Grande High School Gauchos. We knew this second round NCS match would be tough, not only because we were facing the #1 seed among the Division 3 teams, but due to various illnesses and injuries, we played this game with our shortest roster of the season.
The Dons came out strong, but just two minutes in, the Gauchos snuck the ball past our backline and scored. Acalanes responded on offense with a nice shot on goal by Alex Salazar, followed by a great cross and back to back corners by Megan Yee, but sadly no goal. Avery DeMent and Tatum Keely were solid on defense, while Leila Hamidi and Lucca DeBiasse worked the midfield in their usual tenacious style. After Keeper Sara Tarnai went down blocking a shot attempt, Tori Hiatt stepped in to prevent completion of a Gaucho goal! Stella Hamilton, Ella Thomason and Taylor Mikalis kept up the offensive fight, Hamilton stealing the ball from a Gaucho, Thomason sending through balls to multiple teammates and Mikalis sending a beautiful cross to Shannon Crane who took a close shot on goal. At the 18-minute mark, Casa Grande managed to put another ball in the net to bring the score to 2-0. Despite Hiatt, Keely, and DeMent guarding the back line and multiple saves by Tarnai, Casa Grande scored a third goal to close out the first half.
Acalanes started the second half with multiple attacks on goal by Salazar and Thomason, solid midfield play by Hamidi, and more relentless defense by Keely, DeMent, & Crane. Sisi Houston joined the midfield fight, taking on multiple Gauchos to win back the ball. Tarnai had another save, and Crane outran a Gaucho to prevent another Casa Grande score. On offense, Zoya Acuna did her part to move the ball forward, and Salazar took another couple of shot attempts. Houston held the midfield pressure and contributed to the Dons’ defensive effort. Livi Foster had a nice downfield drive but was unable to turn that into a goal. Hamidi stole the ball from a Gaucho allowing Salazar yet another drive and shot on goal, followed by a Dons’ corner kick and a beautiful free kick by Houston coming dangerously close to the net. As the game drew to a close, the Dons kept the pressure on with multiple attempts by Acuna and Salazar, and with Yee blocking the final shot attempt by Casa Grade. In the end, the Dons’ consistent teamwork allowed no more Gaucho goals in the second half, but were unable to get on the board themselves. Final score: Casa Grande 3, Dons zero.
Proud of these women for a hard fought season! Huge congratulations and a bittersweet goodbye and good luck to our amazing graduating seniors: Zoya Acuna, Shannon Crane, Avery Ives, Ella Thomason, Kailee Van Handel, and Megan Yee!