A motivated yet tired Lady Dons soccer team snatched a forceful 3-1 victory against the Valhalla Norsemen in Manchester Stadium Tuesday evening. Looking for redemption from last year’s semifinal loss to La Jolla in the CIF playoffs, the girls came out firing on all cylinders.

Junior midfielder Betsy Muirhead scored two goals early in the first half for the Dons. “We’re back and we’re hungry,” said Muirhead. “We were all really tired, but we pulled it off by putting the ball in the back of the net.”

In the first half, junior goalie Lizzie Stabile held off the Norsemen attacks as the Lady Dons took a 2-1 lead into the locker room at halftime. Karly Loberg took over the net for the second half, and along with the strong defensive play of Mauri Harrison and Alicia de la Rosa, refused to relinquish a goal to the pressing Valhalla offense. The final goal was scored by junior midfielder Brittany Eremita, to put the Norsemen at a two-goal deficit.

The victory improved the Lady Dons’ record to an impressive 7-2 for the season. Senior forward Jamie Schnieders commented, “We are the best we’ve been in a while. Coach has us work hard in practice, and it shows in our performance during the games.”

The Lady Dons hope to continue their momentum against rivals La Jolla and Coronado as they enter league play. Ready to prove themselves, the girls look to surpass the heights they reached last season. “Our goals for the season are to beat Coronado, win League and eventually win CIF,” says Muirhead.