Dons Finish Season with Win Over Chavez

Friday afternoon was the final match of the 2022 regular season for the Dons, and they hosted the Eagles of Chavez High School. This was another rescheduled match for Verdugo Hills from early January. It was also a short turnaround rematch as they visited Chavez last week on February 2nd.

The match started quickly, as the Dons managed to score in the 5th minute of the match. The goal came from Calia Peterson-Henry, with an assist from Isabella Owen. Owen managed to center the ball from the left side and Peterson-Henry was able to put the ball into the back of the net for the first goal of the match. For the remainder of the first half it was almost a mirror match of the first bout between these two teams - physically tight. However, Chavez managed to get a hold of the ball more offensively this time and managed to force the Dons onto defense. Verdugo Hills struggled throughout the half. The Dons struggled to finish opportunities and struggled to communicate much as a team, which has been a problem they had throughout the year, but is becoming more prominent as they are swiftly approaching the playoffs. Chavez had the same exact gameplan from their last match as they continued to kick the ball into the air and have it seemingly be a kickball match. The Eagles would also kick the ball out of the playing field as a defensive tactic. This frustrated the Dons, as they would be on a breakaway, or have a slight upper hand, and the Eagles would kick it out. The first half ended with a score of 1-0 in favor of Verdugo Hills.

The Dons needed to regroup quickly during halftime and be able to put the pieces together for a more successful second half. As they rested at halftime, and had their team huddle, they spoke on what needs to be done and had their new mindset. The second half began and it became evident that Chavez was upset from the last match they played and from the score of this match. The Eagles began to play more physically aggressive, taking advantage of the referees calling little to no fouls in the match. This did not manage to make the Dons change much in their play. In the 60th minute. Angie Garcia Cortave managed to slip between two Eagles defenders up the middle of the field and scored the second goal for her the Dons. This was the final goal of the match, making the final score 2-0 in favor of Verdugo Hills. The remaining 20 minutes of the match went on to be a very physically aggressive affair, as Chavez was visibly and verbally upset. The improved second half for Verdugo Hills was the performance they were looking for, and much better than in the first.

The final whistle was blown and thus came to a conclusion the 2022 regular season for the Dons. Playoffs will begin on Tuesday for Verdugo Hills. The brackets, divisions and first opponent for the Dons will be announced in the afternoon on Saturday, February 12th.