AV Girls LAX - Varsity

Less than a week removed from the annual rivalry match and they were back at it again. We had a feeling that this second matchup would prove to be tighter as the Foothill squad did not have their best showing last Friday. Amador needed to find the right adjustments on defense as Grace French will be out for the rest of the season.
Amador would come out of the gates strong as Bella Mayo would find Kalenna Johnson in the low right post. Johnson would slide underneath and score point blank. The Falcons would benefit from a draw violation and start rolling their offense. Defense would hold for a few sequences before Foothill rolled X for an equally good look at the net, 1-1. Mayo with the draw would hand off to Lily Manos. Manos’ shot from distance would be deflected. Amador would retain the ball and begin to circle. Mayo would drive from the high right and weave past not one, but two defenders to retake the lead. Mayo would follow up with a strong drive from the top for another goal. Foothill’s initial attempt to counter would result in an excellent save by Blake Guidice. Blake would send a clean outlet, but the midfield transition would falter on a dropped ball. An offsides against Foothill would gift Amador the ball. Mayo would draw shooting space but another save by the foothill goalie. Both sides started having trouble maintaining possession. Foothill would break the stalemate by swiping an interception inside the 8 meter and drive an attack. Amador initially held the Falcons back but eventually gave up a goal, off a free position shot. Defense struggled the next two sequences due to penalties. Each time the penalty shot would sail into the net and Foothill would lead 3-4. Mayo would charge the center but her shot would pipe. A fortunate bounce saw Mayo retrieve the ball and get pushed from behind. Her penalty shot would be good. Bella Mayo would draw a yellow card on what appeared to be simple jostling for the draw. Foothill took advantage of the penalty and found an open cutter for goal. On the very next sequence Amador draws a second yellow card violation for dangerous contact after the draw release. This could have been disastrous for the Dons. Foothill had a two-man power play for about ninety seconds. The Amador defense stepped up strong. The remaining players began furiously sliding from the handler to their adjacents as Foothill attempted to probe for a weak spot. Alexis Bayani even forced one shot high as she was able to block off a shot attempt. If Amador ever needed the defense to shine it was during this moment. The defense picked up a turnover as the first yellow expired. Within thirty seconds the team was back at full strength and Catherine Murphy would receive a pass in the low post. She would drive right to left and get off a clean shot to tie the game, 5-5. Murphy would follow up with another drive, that would slip by a defender, and send a strong shot into the net. Foothill would be forced to regroup during a timeout. Once again both teams would have good back and forth defensive stands. Amador would have two attempts at goal. Unfortunately, both Lily Manos and Mayo would be denied by the goalie. Foothill would break through the defense to knot the game back up. Amador had a chance to go up, but another incredible save would deny Mady Sweeny a penalty goal. It would be 6-6 going into the half.
Amador would enter a patient offense off the first second half draw. Manos would eventually drive from the top and score, to grab the lead. The Falcon goalie was phenomenal and would save out a Murphy shot. Defense would hold back the attack but a miscue would see the low post defender beat out and a good shot sent into the net. The Dons would turnover a draw win. Luckily good defense would force the ball out of bounds for a Falcon turnover. Amador would transition clean. Manos would roll X and release a sharp pass, from the low left post, to Mady Sweeney inside to put the Dons on top, 9-8. The Defense again began to step up, but then surrendered a push during a double team. The Falcons would pipe their penalty shot and Amador would go on the attack. Catherine Murphy would roll to her strong side and receive a pass. The catch was clean and she charged into the center for another point blank goal. Amador would come away in control and multiple set plays were denied by the Falcons. Isa Clark would receive an excellent pass as she attempted to drive in but was walled off. Finally, Johnson would sneak into the middle and receive a pass from the top of the 8 meter. She would execute a crisp reception, spin, and shoot for goal, 11-8. This may have been where the Dons could have entered a stall, for victory, as 7 minutes were left on the clock. But where is the fun in that? Amador would win possession and Mayo would get to the penalty line. This high percentage goal would again be denied by the Falcon goalie. Foothill would capitalize and get to their cutter, 11-9. Again, with time on their side, Amador would send a shot early and be saved out. The Falcons would transition, and their star midfielder would drive for goal to narrow the lead to 11-10. With the lead narrow, and 3:32 left on the clock, the fans were tense. A gasp from the Amador fans went out as Foothill took the draw. What appeared to be a yellow card against Mady Sweeney was actually a broken stick exchange. Blake Guidice would have her most important save of the season on the next penalty shot. Amador would pick up the rock and break through a tough transition. The crowd was chanting PANDA!!! (this was code for hold the ball and let time expire, from Pride LAX days). But again, where is the fun in that? Catherine Murphy, who had been clutch all night, would drive from the right baseline and once again score face up with the goalie, 12-10 and 1:25 left. Amador would win the next draw and get Mayo to the line. Would she would pull back and let the clock expire? Nope, where is the fun in that? Mayo is not just a good penalty shooter, she is an excellent penalty shooter. The ace gets the green light and sends a heater into the net, essentially sealing the win. Amador would win the draw and Manos would add on, with another penalty shot. The final score would be 14-10.
Amador would advance to the semi-final round for the first time since 2015. That year they would advance to the finals and be defeated by Novato. If Amador can get by a very good Granite Bay team, the sky’s the limit. The last matchup against Granite Bay resulted in a 14-9 loss. The Dons did not play their best during that matchup. There have been plenty of improvements and adjustments that give Amador a very good chance. It will be a contest that you do not want to miss! See you all Tuesday May 14th at 7pm as the Amador Valley Don’s host the Granite Bay Grizzlies at Walker Stadium.

by Jake Bayani