Swerving through Lynbrook defenders in a home game on Jan. 14, sophomore left wing Claire Chen avoided the opposing sliding goalie, scoring the team’s last goal and widening the lead to six. The Falcons ended up winning 7-2.
The Falcons entered the game with a record of 1-0-1 while the Vikings were 1-1.
The game started off for the Falcons, as they were able to capitalize on two scoring opportunities within the first 20 minutes.
“We came into the game confident, knowing [Lynbrook] is one of the better teams in the league,” Chen said. “We prepared like normal, but we couldn’t let our confidence get to us and we still had to play our best.”
Halfway through the first half, the Falcons were leading 2-1 when they tore through Lynbrook’s defense with aggressive offense. After Lynbrook’s goalie attempted to kick the ball away, junior striker Keatyn Spendlove fought for the ball by kicking it over the goalie, who had fallen down, slotting it straight into the goal. Switching on and off, Spendlove and sophomore midfielder Katherine Lu took turns scoring each goal. After Spendlove brought the score to 3-1, Lu ended up scoring the 4th goal.
The Falcons started the second half with a lead of 5-1 after Spendlove scored yet another goal, ending the first half. Lu ran toward the half line while Spendlove gave a pass to Lu behind the defense. Lu dribbled toward the goal and slotted it past the goalkeeper for an easy sixth goal for the Falcons.
Courtesy of Veo
Lu outruns two defenders after receiving a pass from right field and scores a goal.
With three minutes remaining, the Falcons maintained a 6-1 lead and pushed one last time on the offense. Senior position Madison Kerner layed off the ball to Lu who sent a pass to Chen. Dribbling toward the goal, Chen avoided the goalie who attempted to slide the ball away. This left the goal unattended, allowing Chen to score the team’s last point with ease, making the score 7-1.
Courtesy of Ariia Blanco
Chen evades the goalie and finishes a goal.
“Even though we were leading by a lot, I tried not to let it get to my head so I could focus on the goal,” Chen said. “I was pretty excited about scoring.”
The Falcons took home a 7-2 win, bringing their record to 2-0-1, which places them second in the El Camino league.
“I’m really excited [about the upcoming games],” Spendlove said. “I think we have a really good squad here and we have good chemistry and good team bonding.”
