Falcons open Big 8 tournament with win over CRC

The Falcons hosted Cosumnes River on Friday afternoon in the opening round of the first-ever Big 8 Conference Tournament and came away with a solid 3-0 win over the Hawks.  The Hawks, seeded 6^th in the 8-team tournament, were no pushover and made the Falcons work hard for the victory.  The Hawks' defense kept the match close and didn't allow a Falcon goal until the 35^th minute, when Luci Gulbransen took a pass from Taylor Curtis and sent it past the Hawks keeper.  The score remained 1-0 well into the second half, until Falcons' leading goal scorer Avery Pieri scored in the 65^th minute on yet another assist by Taylor Curtis.  With a 2-goal lead, the Falcon attack appeared to get more selective, instead preferring to control the ball and limit their turnovers. Still, Curtis found Gigi Hall for one more goal just minutes before the end of the match.  Freshman goalkeeper Grace Filiau was outstanding once again, recording yet another shutout, her sixth of the season.

The Falcons (13-1-3 overall, 7-1-1 in Big 8) will return to the site of last week's loss – Sierra College – for a semi-final rematch against the Wolverines (14-2 overall, 8-1 in Big 8) at 3:00 pm.