AWHS girls varsity soccer played their first game of the Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) season Tuesday, Nov. 30. The Falcons were undefeated in the preseason heading into the game, with wins against Ukiah and West County. They were able to keep their undefeated record after a 4-0 win against San Rafael High School.

The Falcons played on the front foot for all of the first half and held possession of the ball for the majority of the game, resulting in multiple opportunities to score. With one of these opportunities, senior midfielder Ellie Casey shot into the back of the net, scoring the first goal of the game. 

AWHS doubled their lead following a foul committed in the 18-yard box by a San Rafael High defender. Then, Ellie calmly put the penalty kick into the bottom right corner of the goal for her second goal of the first half, giving AWHS a 2-0 lead.

 AWHS made the necessary defensive plays and did not let San Rafael High have consistent possession in the offensive third of the field. The Falcons went into halftime continuing their 2-0 lead.

“We played really well defensively, and I was pleased with how calm our back four was when they had the ball at their feet,” said girls varsity soccer coach Jeff Mahaney.

The AWHS girls carried their momentum from the first half into the second half. 20 minutes into the second half, the Falcons added to their lead with a goal from sophomore midfielder Samantha Gerner, who shot from just inside the 18-yard box and curled the ball into the bottom left corner. 

“I was very happy to score a goal tonight, and was happy with how the team played throughout the whole game,” Samantha said.

The Falcons kept up constant pressure, increasing their opportunities to score. Freshman attacker Phoebe Morf gained possession of the ball in the 6-yard box and passed to her fellow freshman attacker Mari Rode, who shot the ball into the back of the net to give the Falcons a 4-0 lead, which ended as the final score. 

AWHS plays Alhambra High School in a non-league game on Thursday, Dec. 12. Alhambra, along with AWHS, is undefeated heading into the game on Thursday, so each team will fight towards maintaining their record. 

“Alhambra is a much tougher opponent than the team we played tonight,” Mahaney said, “I have faith in our girls though to go out and play good soccer and get a win.”