Lady Dons Varsity Soccer 2012-13

Saturday the Lady Dons of Del Mar met up against the Eagles of Los Altos in round 2 of the CCS playoffs, and although the game ended in a 0-2 defeat, (the first defeat of the year for the Dons), it was a great game with solid play by the Dons, which showed why they had made it so far this season. The first half of the game was a complete draw, in fact from my “unbiased” eyes it seemed as if the Dons had the upper hand for the entire 40 minutes. The Eagles seemed to be on their heels playing defensively against the Dons aggressive offense. Only as the second half wore down did the Dons seem to falter. In fact at one point the announcer too seemed to foresee a stalemate as he announced the possibility of a tie and the process to resolve it. But in the final 15 minutes of the game the Dons began to show a bit of the wear and tear of a very hard fought game, as the Eagles snuck a slow roller by a diving Allison Hadidian for the first score of the game. The Dons tried to fight back but a few minutes later Los Altos again hit the net with their second goal and with only minutes left in the game this seemed to seal the fate of the Dons.

The game ended in a 0-2 defeat for the Dons, their one and only loss of the season. And although the season has now ended for Del Mar their dominant first half play against Los Altos was an indicator of the heart and soul of this team, and their drive to succeed.

With the end of the 2013 season, so ends the Del Mar careers of a great Senior squad. Del Mar Soccer will say good bye to #14 Allison Hadidian, #15 Emma Norman, #10 Keyanna Bradford, #16 Sandra Padilla, #4 Vanessa Valencia.

Congratulations Lady Dons on a GREAT 2012/13 season!!!

Lastly, as the parent of a Senior player, this year brings to an end my families time at Del Mar and our 7 year (2 players) association with Del Mar Soccer and Coach Ken Padia. I would like to thank Coach Padia for a great run. Both of our daughters had great experiences and success as part of the Lady Dons of Del Mar in great part due to Coach Padia and the effort he put forth in resurrecting the Del Mar soccer program. The Del Mar soccer program has taught our player what it is to be a “team” as well leaders and examples of good sportsmanship. Thank you again Coach Padia for a great season this year, as well as the 6 season previous. Go DONS!

The Lady Dons of Del Mar meet Aptos in round 2 of the CCS playoffs

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The Lady Dons traveled to Evergreen Valley High School on a beautiful Friday night to play their final regular season game of the year with the “goal” of preserving their undefeated streak for the 2012/13 season. The Cougars of Evergreen Valley were celebrating their “Senior Night” and held pre-game festivities to honor their senior players before a large home crowd, but that was all they were going to celebrate.

The game started with strong play on both sides of the field, Evergreen who Del Mar had defeated in the first half of the season 2-0 was playing very aggressively and looked to be a different team from the one the Lady Dons had met up against earlier in the year. The Lady Done struck first, but a quick response by the Cougars brought the game even at 1-1. However, that was short lived as the Dons minutes later got the goal back and went ahead 2-1. From that point on it was all Dons. By the end of the first half the Lady Dons had jumped out to a 4-1 lead and were not looking back.

The second half was no different, the Lady Dons had found an offensive “groove” which had seemed to be missing all year and continued on with their scoring streak, with Senior Sandra Padilla and Sophomore Katherine Schauer leading the way with two goals a piece. The Dons would eventually rack up 7 goals in all with Senior Keyanna Bradford, Junior Adriana Diaz, and Junior Leslie Fierro getting in on the scoring streak with one goal each. Senior Goalie Allison Hadidian also tried diligently to get in on the scoring barrage as late in the second half she came out of goal to play offense and had several great shots on goal, two of which were near miss headers off corner kicks by Bradford.

The Lady Dons finish their regular season with 16-0-4 overall record, and 11-0-3 in league play. They now wait to find out who they will meet next week in the first round of CCS playoffs.

CONGRATUALTIONS!! 2012/13 Lady Dons soccer on a great season so far, and good luck in CCS!

The Del Mar Lady Dons beat Oak Grove in their final home game of the season to continue their undefeated season. Player of the game: # 8 Sandra Padilla with an awesome 2nd half goal, Sandra lifts the Lady Dons to victory!

The final game of the regular season is Friday 2/15 against Evergreen Valley.

Tonights game was Senior Appreciation night, and the team recognized the 5 seniors who have been a huge part of this teams success. Congratulations on a great season, and Del Mar career: Allison Hadidian, Keyanna Bradford,Vanessa Valencia, Sandra Padilla , Emma Norman

Allison Hadidian Scores goal to send Del Mar to CCS

I the final minutes of a hard fought game between the Del Mar Lady Dons and Westmont Warriors, Allison Hadidian comes out of the goal to take a penalty shot, and nails it in the left corner, 5 minutes later she has a great diving save to prevent Westmont from tying it up. Del Mar goes on to will the game, and have now secured their spot at the top of the League Standings, and earn a birth in the CCS playoffs.

This is the 3 League Championship for the Dons in 5 years! Go Dons!

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• #8 Adriana Diaz – Junior
• #14 Allison Hadidian – Senior
• #6 Antonia Chijate – Freshman
• #2 Emily Bird – Freshman
• #15 Emma Norman    = Senior
• #19 Giselle Lopez    - Junior
• $25 Jade Joiner – Freshamn
• #24 Joane Lee
• #18 Katherine Schauer    - Sophomore
• #10 Keyanna Bradford    - Senior
• #9 Leslie Fierro    - Sophomore
• #11 Maria Huizache
• #20 Montana McMarrow    -
• #26 Sami Brinto    -
• #16 Sandra Padilla    - Senior
• #3 Stephanie Baca    - Junior
• #12 Stephany Poentes    -
• #4 Vanessa Valencia    - Senior

3 weeks ago the Lady Dons fell to the Willow Glen Rams by a score of 0-4 in the regular season opener. After facing several tough teams in close games over the past two weeks the Lady Dons opened up their second half of the season in style with a 2-1 win over the Rams. The game was physical and fast and the Rams kept the Dons goalie Allison Hadidian on her toes throughout the game. But Hadidian and the Don’s as a whole held tough. Senior Olivia Hadidian (#4) was responsible for both of the Lady Dons goals.

Its a great way to start the second half of the season!
View more photos from this and other games >>

The last couple of weeks the Lady Dons have had a bit of a rough time. In the past 6 games Del Mar has come way with a 0-5-1 record bringing their overall record for the season to 4-6-3. But their record is not a very good indicator of how they have been playing. The Lady Dons have faced some very good teams in Willow Glen, Leland, Santa Teresa, Live Oak and Leigh, and in each of those games the Lady Dons have played very well, and were always a threat to their opponent. The games against Leland and Santa Teresa were decided by a single goal and were very exciting to watch. This past Tuesday against Leigh marked the midway point of the regular season, and the Lady Dons will now face each team again starting the Willow Glen on Friday.

With the second half of the season comes a second chance. The Lady Dons have an opportunity to show how they have pulled their young team together over the past several weeks and get back to their winning ways. Go Dons!