AV Girls LAX - Varsity

Not sure what happened but I lost my notes for last night’s game. Maybe that’s for the best. It’s really hard to describe what occurred last night with all the emotion that surrounded the game. It wasn’t a perfect game, but it may have been one of the best for the Lady Dons. Out of the gate Amador took advantage of an official’s yellow card for an incident against Granite Bay in their previous match. Amador came out blazing and notched up three goals behind Johnson, Manos and Mayo to make it a quick 4-0 lead. Granite Bay has a very good team and Amador needed to make the most of every opportunity that they had. Amador struggled to maintaini possession and this would give Granite Bay the opportunity to claw back a few goals. The Grizzlies were definitely stunned by the pressure being exerted by Amador on both sides of the field. I’m sure the feeling was that they would roll right through the Dons considering the 14 to 9 victory they had on their home turf. Blake Guidice would go thermonuclear throughout the match and notch 11 saves in the cage. There were two saves in the second half that kept Granite Bay from sealing the victory in their favor. In addition to the saves her outlet passes were on point, giving the team a chance to go on offense. This was a spectacular performance for the senior goalie. Amador would go on a run to close the half at 10-5. Out of the gate Granite Bay began chipping away at the lead. They started capitalizing on fast break opportunities. Despite picking up draw wins the Dons couldn’t convert early opportunities at the net. The tension in the stadium amped up as the Grizzlies closed the gap to a 10-9 margin. Bella Mayo played smart and fast forcing Granite Bay into giving her opportunities at the penalty line. Mayo would give Amador a little breathing room with a free position shot with 14 minutes left in the half. Senior Captain Isa Clark would drive from the top of the 8 meter weaving past 2 defenders to pump fake and then let the rock fly into the net. Despite excellent defense the Grizzlies would regain the momentum with four consecutive goals to capture the lead, for the first time in the match. Amador didn’t buckle and would tie the game up again at the 5 minute mark with an incredible shot. Bella Mayo would drive to goal and be blocked off by three defenders. She would twirl her stick and shoot between her legs to knot up the game at 13-13. The shot was a bit of wizardry on Mayo’s part. Granite Bay’s goalie would execute a clean save of the ball. Her outlet was patient and would finally find their best player. The next release would be a 40 yard pass into the center of the 8 meter. The cutter would immediately turn and fire giving the Grizzlies a one-goal advantage, 14-13. Amador didn’t panic and began going to work with a patient offense. Bella Mayo would be rewarded with a penalty shot at the line. The crowd was on their feet. Her release would sing pass the goalie to tie the match at 1:14 left. The Dons couldn’t celebrate too quickly as there was plenty of time left on the clock. The Dons would win the critical draw and began to execute their offense. Catherine Murphy drove right baseline to center. Multiple defenders crowded her drive. She resisted every fiber in her to shoot as she wove right past the goalie. She rolled back through X and searched for someone to pass to. Her defender shadowed her back to her starting point. Murphy saw her defender slow her pace and made her move. Catherine accelerated past her lone defender. The rest of the Dons had cleared out the circle to reset their offense. Catherine found herself face to face with the goalie and took a clean shot to find the net. Dons take the lead with 40 seconds left!!! Pandemonium broke out in the stands and Amador sideline. Off the draw Catherine Murphy would scoop up the ball and the Dons would attempt to enter a stall. Granite Bay was not going to go down easily. The Grizzlies began to double team and pressure the ball. Amador surrendered the ball on a double team sideline trap. Bella Mayo bailed out her team in the midfield by checking the ball free and recovering the ground ball. Time finally expired and the Dons earned themselves a trip to the NCS Championship game against the San Ramon Valley Wolves. The game was emotionally exhausting for the players, coaches, and fans. Credit to Granite Bay for being fierce competitors throughout the match. Thursday’s NCS Championship match will be held at San Ramon Valley High School at 7pm. Sko Dons!!!

by Jake Bayani