2022 Women's Soccer, Season Recap
Folsom, CA - The 2022 Folsom Lake College, Women's Soccer team, led by Head Coach, Donny Ribaudo, began the season facing a tough non-conference schedule which included 6-of-8 of their opponents having reached the post-season in 2021. During this eight-game stretch, the Falcons went undefeated with a record of 6-0-2, scoring 23 goals while only conceding 3. "This team had been working so hard from day one and we were starting to see the result of their collective commitment. The thing I was most excited about, at this point, was how well their personalities meshed. I knew conference play would be tough, but if we could stay together and away from injuries, we could make a run at a conference championship," said Ribaudo.
On the opening match in the Big-8 Conference schedule, the Falcons set the tone with an important 2-1 victory against conference rival, Sierra College. That goal by Sierra College went on to be the last goal the Falcons conceded in 12 games and the only goal conceded against any Big-8 Conference opponent! The Falcons finished their conference schedule with a perfect 11-0 record and were crowned Big-8 Conference Champions after defeating Delta College on their home field, 1-0, in the Big-8 Conference Tournament.
With a record of 17-0-2, and the Big-8 Conference title, the Falcons earned one of two #1 seeds in the CCCAA State Championship field and made a deep run in the tournament. Unfortunately, injuries as well as an extremely tough Fresno City College team ended the Falcon's run in the state quarter finals with a 3-1 loss. When asked about the only loss of the year, Ribaudo said, "It's hard to have your only loss of the season be in an elimination game, but I was proud of the way the team played all year. We faced several significant injuries that could've changed the season, but the players continued to step up and fill the gaps. We really leaned on our defense all year and they stepped up in a big way."
The Falcons finished their season with a Big-8 Conference record of 11-0, a home record of 12-1-2, an away record of 6-0-1 and an overall record of 18-1-3. This success found FLC ranked #8 nationally and #3 in the state.
The Falcons' success on the field was recognized by the Big-8 Conference with a pair of individual awards, including Grace Filiau who was named Defender of the Year and Averi Pieri, Attacker of the Year. Filiau's impressive sophomore season featured 18 starts, 16 shutouts, and only 4 goals allowed. Pieri played in 19 games, scored 10 goals (3 game winners), and contributed 10 assists.
The accolades continued as conference, state, regional, and national organizations recognized the Falcons' outstanding year with the following:
Big-8, All Conference: Avery Pieri, Addisyn Barnum, Annette Medina, Miah Mullany, Grace Filiau, Makenna Jensen, Klaire Horton, Tiayiza Arredondo.
Big-8 Conference, All-Tournament Team: Avery Pieri, Addisyn Barnum, Annette Medina, Miah Mullany, Mia Ramos, Tiayiza Arredondo.
CCCAA, All State: Avery Pieri, Grace Filiau, Miah Mullany, Klaire Horton.
United Soccer Coaches, All West Region: Grace Filiau, Miah Mullany.
United Soccer Coaches, Scholar All American: Nyah Attaway, Kaitlyn Scoggins.