“It’s everything you want to happen,” senior Kiera Gowers said.
With their 8–0 trouncing of the Saratoga High School Falcons, the Los Altos High School varsity girls soccer team ended their league season on a high note on Thursday, February 13. Not only did they pick up a massive senior night win, but they also finished first in their league.
“We were so supportive of each other,” senior Aoife Turner said. “Nobody was going out on anyone. Everyone was motivated to get each other goals and to win the game.”
From the start, Los Altos went out strong, putting immense pressure on the Saratoga defense. Ten minutes in, it buckled, with Kiera scoring to open the night 1–0. Just 12 minutes later, junior Anya Lin put the score up 2–0.
“It means so much,” Anya said. “Especially because it’s one of our last games with the seniors — this senior class especially, with so many people. I’ve been playing with them for three years now and it just means so much. It’s such a great victory.”
The Eagles continued to dominate throughout the rest of the half. Saratoga got no real chances to score, and Los Altos continued to give the Falcon defense a headache. With 10 minutes left, Aoife scored to put the Eagles up 3–0.
“We had lots of composure, we connected really well, we finished our opportunities,” Kiera said. “We were just having fun.”
Entering the second half, the first 20 minutes saw no scoring due to unlucky missed shots and a few Saratoga blocks. However, the Eagles quickly stepped back on the gas, dominating the rest of the game.
“A lot of high school soccer is learning to play together,” Anya said. “You don’t play with this team for most of the year, and when you play with them again, everything is a little bit different. Over the course of the season, we really developed team chemistry and learned to work together really well.”
With 17 minutes left in regular time, Aoife scored her second goal of the night, making the score 4–0. Less than 10 minutes later, senior Heidi Chang scored, and with a third goal by Aoife, a goal by senior Addison Krauss in stoppage time and a fourth goal by Aoife right after, the Eagles showed the Falcons who could fly higher.
“This is our last game all together, so it’s really nice to just celebrate all of us,” Addison said. “To end the season off with a goal is an amazing feeling.”
“It’s a fantastic senior night,” Head Coach Jacob Valadez said. “Two of our seniors who don’t see a lot of the field scored. Another senior got a lot of goals, up to 20 for the season. You can’t beat that.”
This finish to league play ended with the senior ceremony. Each of the 8 Los Altos seniors who were at the game were honored with flowers, tiaras and speeches from underclassmen.
“It’s a little bittersweet,” Kiera said. “It’s amazing to have all these supporters for you, but at the same time, it’s a little sad because you know it’s the last league game ever. The team is so bonded and we all love each other; there’s no beef. We all are just so connected, we love and support one another, and we want everyone to succeed.”
“I made a lot of friendships that I’ll have forever,” Addison said. “I also got to improve my skills, advance a lot, and try new things that I wouldn’t be able to in club. It’s been a great learning experience and I’ve met a lot of great people throughout.”
“Everyone on this team is so supportive,” Aoife said. “It was just amazing to hear the speeches. I couldn’t ask for a better team or better teammates.”
