Girls Soccer: Alhambra's Effort Leads to Reward

Alhambra 1 Acalanes 0

The Star: Alhambra freshman goalkeeper Gabby Vinco had eight saves in the shutout win.

The Turning Point: With less than ten minutes remaining in the match, Vinco stopped a shot from Acalanes' Kaitlin McGee with a spectacular save

The Quote: "Maria Gonsalves really stepped-up at the forward position in place of Natalie Smith in the second-half," Alhambra head coach John Badger said.

What's Next: The Lady Bulldogs will tune-up against non-league opponent Arroyo before playing in the Tri-Valley Soccer Classic.

Bottom Line: Amidst personnel and experience questions to start the season, Alhambra is finding ways to win as they establish their team personality.

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Sometimes in sports, things have a way of balancing themselves out. One week ago, the girls soccer team faced rival Miramonte and came away with an unlikely win. Tied at one mid-way through the second half, the Lady Matadors misplayed a ball and deposited it past their own goaltender, which was the difference in Acalanes' 1-0 win.

Flash forward to Wednesday night at Knowles Field in Martinez, and it was  who took advantage of an own goal by Acalanes, helping propel the Lady Bulldogs to a key Diablo Foothill Athletic league victory.

Alhambra, taking advantage of an extended home stand to start the DFAL season with three straight games in Martinez, came out and dominated the ball possession with its aggressive play in the neutral zone, ultimately leading to more offensive opportunities.

However, Acalanes goalkeeper Brook Balfrey was strong in the net as she faced Alhambra's front line of Katherine Tottle, Natalie Smith and Serena DeChristofaro, but the Lady Bulldogs couldn't catch the break they needed.

Alhambra head coach John Badger also utilized an effective tactic, periodically changing forward offensive formations and combinations at the Dons throughout the contest.

Badger's team also applied pressure in the defensive zone, disrupting Acalanes and preventing them from establishing extended tempo.

"We really tried to establish our offensive rhythm but never seemed to adjust," Acalanes head coach Tom Ginocchio said. "We kept trying to find it, but never seemed to reach that comfort zone."

Alhambra came out to open the second-half and earned several scoring opportunities in the first 15:00 minutes. Substitute Maria Gonsalves was a spark, seemingly able to get open at will. But Balfrey made terrific saves to thwart the Gonsalves effort, and keep her team in the contest.

Gonsalves was inserted into Natalie Smith's spot for the second-half. Smith, one of the key offensive threats for the Bulldogs, was sidelined with a minor injury.

"Maria really emerged from her shell in tonight's game," said Badger. "She came in up top at the forward position and helped us keep the offensive pressure on."

Somewhere in the middle of the physical play near the Acalanes net, the tables turned on Acalanes, as the ball bounced off  a defender and crossed the goal line, giving Alhambra a 1-0 lead to Alhambra with 28 minutes to play in the second.

Offensively for Acalanes, the front line tandem of Kaitlin McGee and Katelyn Rader were effective, as they managed to apply pressure on the Bulldogs defense. Rader set-up McGee four times for high-quality shots on goal, but Vinco was able to answer with solid saves. The fourth and final shot was perhaps the game-saver, which came at the 31:52 mark of the second-half.

"We worked but couldn't take advantage of any opportunism we had," said Ginocchio. "The cold, wet, slick field made it harder to capitalize on those advantages."

 For Alhambra, Badger was impressed with the play of two of his standouts.

"You can't forget about the efforts of Serena (DeChristofaro) and Anne (Whipple). They are impact layers who are doing what they need to do to make us successful," Badger said.

Vinco has been absolutely stellay on the season, with three shutouts in five games, and sporting a 0.60 goals against average.

"I have been around this game for a while, and I feel that with the proper coaching and desire, Gabby can play college soccer," Badger said proudly of his young goalkeeper.

Vinco is ecstatic about the how the season has gone for Alhambra.

 "When I tried-out for the team, I was nervous because I was only a freshman. But the more I played well gave me more comfort. It was a real surprise that I was named the starting goalkeeper for the team."

Alhambra 1, Acalanes 0

Halftime: 0-0

Scoring Summary:

2nd-Half, 12:18, Al – Own Goal by Acalanes

Shots: Al -- 7, Ac – 10

Corner Kicks: Al -- 3, Ac – 3

Penalty Kicks: Al -- 0, Ac – 0

Saves: Al – Vinco 8, Ac – Balfrey 5

Records: Alhambra (2-1-2, 2-0-1 DFAL), Acalanes (3-3-0, 1-2-0 DFAL)