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The Verdugo Hills Dons girl’s soccer team played their second home game of the winter season on Wednesday, as they hosted the Sylmar Spartans. The Dons entered this game 0-1 in pre-season play, while the Spartans came in 1-0. The game began with the Dons having the opening kick off as the home team. Throughout the entirety of the match the Dons were strong offensively, while the Spartans struggled throughout, leading to a 3-0 victory for Verdugo Hills. In addition to being strong offensively the defense of the Dons were strong as well.
In the first half of the match the girls for Verdugo Hills were not as vocal as they could have been. However, Dons Coach Matt Nicchita was constantly vocal and leading his girls into plays and assisting them in where to go and what to do. There was one goal scored from either side, and that was by the Dons. In the 10th minute of play, Sophomore Striker Callia Peterson-Henry found the back of the net for a 1-0 Dons lead. Peterson-Henry led the offensive charge throughout the match, as she was the one step ahead of the pack and leading her team.
Deep into the second half, regardless of the amount of time these girls had played, they still were playing at 100% effort and not letting up their pressure on the Spartans. As the match progressed, it was more and more visible that the Dons were in full control of possession. With the Dons not letting up possession, they were able to break through and score their second goal. In the 61st minute with Freshman Aolani Dominguez connected with a backwards header, which appeared to surprise the Spartans goalie. The Dons did manage to score another goal just 8 minutes later. In the 69th minute Senior Isabella Owen scored the 3rd goal of the match. The Dons never let up the pressure with continuous challenging passes and aggressively always challenging the opposition and not letting them have any time to think. Both teams finished with 6 attempts. The Dons had 4 of 6 on goal, while the Spartans had 3.
In the post game interview with Dons Coach Nicchita, when asked about what he saw with the team, he stated, “They worked well together, our chemistry was there, we were able to finish our opportunities and the defense was able to tighten up and mark better (than Monday)”. It is clear that the head coach leads and focuses on working together as a team and being strong as a team and not by individual strengths. Nicchita was also asked about what changes he made with his team going into the second half, “We made a few adjustments at half time,” he said, “we switched a few people around and gave people a little bit different responsibilities and they adjusted well and responded well, the two goals were a much needed help”. Next on the schedule for the Dons is a visit to South Gate High School on Friday afternoon.
