In a tense game against the Notre Dame Knights at home on Dec. 10, the Falcons clinched a 3-2 victory, putting their pre-season league record at 3-0 after defeating King’s Academy 3-2 at home on Dec. 7 and Harbor 5-3 at home on Dec. 3. The Falcons will advance to the tournament’s finals, playing Nueva or Crystal Springs at home on Dec. 14.
The Falcons’ strong defense and tight midfield for the first quarter of the game quickly kept the ball primarily in their possession. Patient ball movement by the defensive line and wingers, including several combo passes — notably between two sophomores, attacking midfielder Katie Lu and left winger Claire Chen — helped the Falcons advance into Notre Dame’s 18-yard box. Junior striker Keatyn Spendlove received several crosses from Chen, taking several mid-air shot attempts on goal.
In a setback, senior attacking midfielder Anisha Rahut landed wrong and sprained her ankle. She was unable to return to the field. The Falcons often played out from the back line, the ball constantly moving between senior center backs Hillary Gonzalez and Anika Kapasi. Accurate and powerful long-passes by Gonzalez helped the team move up the field and poke holes in the Knights’ defense.
Additionally, Chen and Lu had several steals, weaving through defenders and connecting passes across the field. With their clean ball control, the Falcons looked comfortable in their style of play and the Knights had yet to advance within 15 yards of the Falcons’ goal.
Lu also got past several defenders with her impressive dribbling and when she found herself near the 6-yard box, she was fouled and the team was given a penalty kick. With a careful shot aimed at the bottom right of the goal, Lu placed the ball in the back of the net, putting the Falcons ahead 1-0.
Shortly after, Gonzalez made a promising drive from the defensive line, advancing over 50 yards and following her run with a long shot from the penalty box that hit the crossbar.
With two minutes left on the clock, another knee injury took sophomore defensive midfielder Emma Merill out of the game. Gonzalez scored the free kick given by Merril’s foul, putting the score at 2-0. After regaining possession from the Knights’ kickoff, Lu scored once again, crossing from the right of the penalty box, after dribbling through three defenders.
However, a minute before the second half ended, the opposing team took advantage of the Falcons’ disorganized positioning in the defensive line and scored with a fast on-the-ground through ball past senior goalie Sofia Cintra.
“I think our momentum died down a bit because Notre Dame scored on us just before halftime,” Spendlove said, reflecting on the team’s performance following the game. “This also allowed them to come out flying in the second half because they had the mentality that they were still in the game.”
Contrary to the dominant performance by the Falcons in the first half, the second half saw a more back and forth in possession. The Knights had numerous breakways, with several shots either on target or narrowly wide. Although Chen slotted the ball into the back of the net, an offsides call nullified a goal that would have put the Falcons up 4-1.
After continued attacks by the Falcons, with Spendlove taking her fifth strong shot on the goal, another goal looked likely. However, with eight minutes left in the second half, the Knights scored on a corner kick as the Falcons’ miscommunication on the field left a runner open in the middle of the box. With Notre Dame tightening their game, both teams fought aggressively until the shrill final whistle finally rang out across the field with the Falcons still ahead 3-2.
“The game went pretty good overall, but it’s always hard when you go from having a big lead to finishing 3-2 when playing so well,” Spendlove said.
