Girls’ soccer: Team won’t make CCS but has improved season

The Falcons were unable to sustain their early momentum and didn’t to accumulate enough wins to qualify for CCS. With a current conference record of 3-4-2, the girls will be ending their season with their game today at home vs. Palo Alto.

The team lost 5-0 at Mountain View on Feb. 9, tied 1-1 against Los Gatos on Feb. 7, lost 2-0 at Homestead on Feb. 5 and tied 0-0 against Santa Clara on Jan. 31.

When the Falcons faced Mountain View, two important players were missing from their starting lineup: senior center midfielder Daphne Liu and sophomore center back Ellie Pickard.

The pair were unable to play due to injuries and illnesses, contributing to the lopsided loss. Pickard’s absence was costly because of her position as the last defender except the goalie.

In the game against Los Gatos, the Falcons’ goal was scored by sophomore forward Ananya Krishnan, who received the ball from junior forward Isabella Taylor, while the goal from Los Gatos was a penalty kick.

According to senior right midfielder and defender Allison Borch, the team had trouble finding the rhythm in passing the ball in the first half, but improved to come together in the second half. Because the game was the Falcons’ Senior Night, the team played with a lot of energy.

“Everyone was super hyped and aggressive and played good defense,” Borch said.

Pickard said the Homestead game, which had been rescheduled, was especially disappointing.

“The heat affected us, and we weren’t communicating well,” Sasha said. “We were more focused on future games.”

Liu didn’t view the game against Santa Clara as the team’s best possible performance, either.

“We weren't in rhythm with each other, which caused us to lose the ball a lot more than we should have,” Liu said. “Our team chemistry is good, but we have to work on connecting passes to be able to score.”

Even so, Pickard views the team’s progress in the season positively.

“We’ve played a lot better than we ever dreamed of at the start of the season,” she said. “The difference between our first few preseason games compared to now is astounding — the growth of our team as a whole and in the way we connect is so obvious and really exciting to all of us.”

Due to printing deadlines, the Falcon was unable to cover the team’s game against Palo Alto on Feb. 16.