The De Anza Dons hosted their biggest rivals on Tuesday in the West Valley Vikings. The Coast Conference North and South division leaders duked it out in a close game, leaving De Anza with a 2-1 victory.
The Dons overcame sluggish first-half play and team injuries to pull off a win. De Anza (10-1-2 overall, 5-0-1 conference) struggled offensively in the first half as West Valley controlled the pace. The Vikings drew first blood as Karyn Faria notched her ninth goal of the season. An impressive series of passes from midfield set up the score.
With all of the West Valley (8-4-3, 5-0-0) chances, it was surprising that their offense did not score more than once. The team was averaging 3.29 goals per game before their contest with De Anza.
In the second half, De Anza players began to seriously contest possession of the ball, outrunning their rivals and making more concerted offensive runs.
While the Dons made their comeback, members of the team were obviously limping between plays. According to coach Cheryl Owiesny, several team members play in every game despite injuries.
"That’s just the kind of players we have," the victorious coach said.
De Anza will travel tomorrow to Hayward for a game against last-place Chabot as they attempt to stay four points clear of their division foes.