AV Girls LAX - Varsity

It was hard to gauge how good Sacred Heart Prep was prior to the game. Many of their opponents were out of state or CCS rivals. The first several minutes of the match looked to be exciting as both squads initially played well. However, we had several errors that just cost us opportunities. The initial goal was a patented Mayo drive from draw. The next series had a great defensive knock down by Grace French, but we immediately turned over the ball to an off-sides penalty. The Gators went to work offensively and despite good defensive stands, they were able to patiently put up three goals. The Gators must have had a conference with Davis because they slowed the tempo down and were very patient. Amador would work at a furious pace to throughout the match to score but the Sacred Heart goalie was very quick and stood like a wall against multiple shots on goal. Despite multiple saves by the Gators, the Dons crawled back to tie the game at 3-3. Out of a Sacred Heart timeout, Amador was able to force a turnover, but a sloppy pass sent the ball out of bounds. AV would false start at the draw giving the Gators another opportunity. Amador would then commit another transition pass turnover. Coupled with a very patient and accurate Gator offense, Amador would enter the break stunned with a 3-7 deficit. The half time rest wouldn’t slow the gators much. A blown defensive assignment allowed SHP another goal. Sophia Shiblaq would breath some home into the Dons with a successful penalty line conversion. The Dons would continue with turnovers. Thankfully, Claire Lemelin had a save of her own. Marley Diligent would pick up the ground ball and transition to Manos on a crease roll to bring the match to 5-10. Amador would threaten on the next attack. If we could just build some momentum our fast pace offense would take care of us. Unfortunately, a dropped ball turnover would send the Gators on offense. Defense would play fierce, but the Gators would just patiently keep scoring. The Dons offense would keep pace with the Gators in the second half but was never able to make ground on the large first half deficit. There were 19 shots on goal, but only 7 would find the back of the net. It was a tough match where too many mistakes were made. The Gators should be credited for making minimal errors, executing a patient offense, and having spectacular goalie play. This would be the largest losing differential in the last two years. Hopefully the Dons can bounce back quickly!