The Amador Valley girls’ varsity soccer team came up short in their home opener against Foothill High School on Dec. 13 by a score of 1-0.

During the 2021-22 season, the Dons tied Foothill 0-0 in both of the games they faced off. The girls worked hard this offseason in preparation for the big game on Tuesday.

“We have been going to practice everyday and training really hard to beat Foothill,” said Julia Lindstrom (‘24). 

Many players participated in club soccer together and were confident in possessing the skills to succeed. They game-planned throughout the week about who they needed to stop on defense. 

“We (had) a good chance to win and we needed to make sure we didn’t get caught by a few of their players’ speed,” said Lindstrom.

Early in the first half, sophomore Maylen Montoya pushed the pace and had a good shot on goal in which the Falcons’ goalie deflected. Later in the game, a corner kick by the Dons ended up out of bounds resulting in multiple scoreless shots on goal.

“I think we can work on shooting, putting more shots on target, and building up from the midfield,” said Sydney Stimson (‘24).

Amador’s goalies played well in the first half, as senior Elizabeth Fineberg recorded three saves and sophomore Sydney Head made two saves in the second half.

“A key part of the game was our defense. Even though we messed up a little bit, we built out of the back well and we could’ve done better in the area,” said Stimson.

A turnover in the midfield and defenders not getting back late in the second half led to Foothill scoring a goal. Despite the final result, Tuesday’s game showed the Dons’ physical and emotional toughness as they look to improve throughout the season.

“I think we moved the ball better in the second half and had more intensity, but I think we could’ve played more simple (to have) more chances to score,” said Stimson.