Battle Ends in Tie

The Falcons traveled to south Sacramento on Tuesday for a non-conference match with sister college Cosumnes River in what was a rematch of last year's epic battle in the first round of the state playoffs.  Yesterday's see-saw match ended in a 3-3 tie as the rivals again appear to be evenly matched.  All three of CRC's goals were scored by sophomore standout Erica Lim, who gave the Hawks an early 1-0 lead with her goal in the 16^th minute.  Falcon freshman Andrea Martinez knotted the score in the 26^th minute with a goal off an assist from sophomore Sami Thomas.  CRC's Lim answered right back with another goal 4 minutes later for a 2-1 CRC lead.  The score stayed that way until early in the 2^nd half when Falcon sophomore Sam Madsen tied it up on an unassisted goal.  Two minutes later, the Falcons struck again when Madsen found Thomas for a 3-2 lead.  CRC didn't stay down for long, though, as Lim scored her 3^rd goal of the game in the 56^th minute.  The two teams battled back and forth over the final 34 minutes with neither team able to break the tie. 

"We definitely missed having Chayney (Mata) back there to solidify our defense," remarked head coach Donny Ribaudo, referring to his center-mid who was out with an ankle injury.  "She is such a physical presence and vocal leader." 

Red-shirt freshman Tori Pearson took on the assignment of guarding Lim over the final 30 minutes and successfully shut her down.  "She really did a great job of stopping one of the best players in the state," noted Ribaudo.  He also mentioned that Sam Madsen earned "Player of the Game" honors with one goal and one assist. 

The Falcons are off until September 11, when they'll take on Hartnell College at Falcon Stadium at 6:00 pm.