Acalanes Boosters' Club

The Home of Acalanes Sports!

Lacrosse

2005 DVLL and NCS Champions

Date

Opponent

Time

Acalanes

Opponent

Season

DVLL 

Acalanes        12  9 -- 21
Clayton Valley  1  0 --  1

Scoring: A -- Claire Geisse 5, Annie McKinley 3, Jessica Hoffschneider 3, Molly Peterson 3, Rachel Ousley 2, Stephanie Welty, Lindsey Macfee, Lauren Tyburski, Rachel Zestar-Postrk, Emily Hook. CV -- Shannon Rolling. Assists: A -- McKinley 2, Hoffschneider 2, Welty, Macfee, Ali Ousley, Peterson. Saves: Sarah Ebe (A) 0, Kestrol Colomb (CV) 9.

Record: Acalanes 3-0.

Halftime: Acalanes 6, Menlo 3. Scoring: A -- Annie McKinley 4, Ali Ousley 2, Claire Geisse 2, Jessica Hoffschneider 2, Molly Peterson, Amanda Saribalis. M -- n/a. Assists: A -- Marie Dieden, Ousley, Lauren Tyburski, Hoffschneider. Saves: Sarah Ebe (A) 5, Shannon Chung (M) 6. 

Record: Acalanes 5-0, Menlo 2-1.

Halftime score: Acalanes 5, Amador Valley 2. 

Scoring: ACA -- Annie McKinley 4, Jessica Hoffschneider 3, Amanda Saribalis 2, Lindsey Macfee 2, Marie Dieden, Claire Geiss, Ali Ousley, Rachel Ousley, Emily Hook. AV -- Emma Bijesse 2, Kristin Hayashi, Rebekah Cunningham, Serena Madnick. Assists: ACA -- Hoffschneider 2, McKinley, Dieden, A. Ousley. AV -- Cunningham, Jessica Thomas. Saves: Sarah Ebe (ACA) 5, Jessica Starkey (AV) 7.

Records: Acalanes 7-0; Amador Valley 3-2.

Halftime: Colorado Academy 7, Acalanes 6. Scoring: A -- Annie McKinley 6, Molly Peterson 2, Ali Ousley. Assists: A -- Jessica Hoffschneider 2, Sarah deCrescendo. Saves: Sarah Ebe (A) 12. 

Records: Acalanes 8-1.

Halftime: Acalanes 7, Carondelet 4. Scoring: A -- Annie McKinley 6, 
Claire Geisse 2, Emily Hook, Amanda Saribalis, Ali Ousley, Stephanie Welty, Molly Peterson. C -- Lauren Witters 2, Lauren Dominguez 2,  Ashley Hemmen 2, Kerry Schlatter, Molly Sauer, Megan Dawe. Assists:  A -- McKinley, Marie Dieden. Saves: Sarah Ebe (A) 8, Lindsey  Hammergren (C) 12. 

Record: Acalanes 9-1, 5-0 DVLL.

==========================================

Prep girls DVLL
W L GB
Acalanes 5 0 --
Miramonte 3 0 1
Berkeley 2 0 11/2
Carondelet 1 1 21/2
Campolindo 1 1 21/2
Bishop O'Dowd 2 2 21/2
Las Lomas 1 2 3
Davis 0 2 31/2
Piedmont 0 3 4
Clayton Valley 0 4 41/2

• Annie McKinley, Acalanes girls lacrosse -- McKinley scored a  game-high six goals in the Dons' 13-9 win over Carondelet in a DVLL  game. She also had an assist to help Acalanes improve to 9-1, 5-0 in  league play.

The forward had a chance to tie Foothill on a free shot and send the game into overtime.

But her attempt missed the target, the game clock ran out and the Falcons escaped with the first NCS girls championship.

"It went wide," Ousley said. "I got a lot of comments about that afterward."  A season later, Ousley still cringes when she's asked about it, and although the Dons will play Foothill on April 19, she won't get a chance to redeem herself.

At least not against the leader of the team that beat her.  Stu Brokowsky, Foothill's former coach, is now an assistant coach with the Dons. Brokowsky brings an impressive record, having not lost a match with the Falcons, going 16-0 and 21-0-1 in two seasons 
with the school.

"Of course I remember," said Brokowsky about the play. "But we haven't talked about it."

In fact, when the Dons first heard that Brokowsky would be helping out this season there was a little bit of disbelief and skepticism.

"It was kind of awkward at first," said Annie McKinley, who leads Acalanes in scoring. "We all thought it was a joke. We were like, "are you serious?"  Known for his rather stern demeanor on the sidelines, Brokowsky has pleasantly surprised the team that only saw him from afar last season.

"When I first met him I was so scared. But he's so nice," Ousley said. "He's the complete opposite of what I thought."  Brokowsky decided he wasn't ready to retire and so he took up Dons coach Meghan Jones on an offer that began as a shot in the dark.

"We were joking about it," Jones said. "Can you imagine what would happen if we joined forces? He was like 'no, no.'"  Then in November Brokowsky said yes, and brought a knowledge of the game to complement Jones and assistant coach Kelly Thorkilson.
Brokowsky's presence has spurned a new playing style which encourages creativity and gets away from set plays. The Dons are ranked No. 1 in the state by Laxpower.com, a Web site dedicated to lacrosse.

"It's a great honor for the girls, but with that its a lot of pressure," said Jones of the ranking. "Because we get everyone's best game. You can't come in under the radar."

Give and gos, individual spin moves, long drives down field; the  Dons can score in a variety of ways.

"They were so together," Berkeley attacker Haley Geller said of the  Dons. "Some of the things they were doing were flawless. I was in  awe."

Geller finished with five goals and Claire O'Shaughnessy added two  for Berkeley (4-1, 3-1), but it wasn't enough to handle all the  offense Acalanes was throwing at the Yellow Jackets.

Seven different players scored for Acalanes, four of which had two  or more goals. McKinley, who also finished with three assists, stood  out from the bunch.

"She has such a eye for the goal," Acalanes coach Meghan Jones said.  "She can make goals happen at any time."

Jessica Hoffschneider scored four times, Claire Geisse finished with  three goals and Sarah de Crescenzo had two goals for the Dons.

"I'm lucky that I have so many players that have incredible talent,"  Jones said. "They know each other so well."

It still didn't prepare the Yellow Jackets for what they  encountered.

Annie McKinley scored five goals, two in the first five minutes, and  the host Dons (10-1, 6-0) jumped out to a commanding 8-0 lead and  eventually put away Berkeley 18-9 in a DVLL match.

"In the beginning we were a little scared," Berkeley attacker Haley  Geller said. "But we can hang with this team."

Geller finally put the Yellow Jackets (4-1, 3-1) on the board with  an aggressive run with 8:12 remaining in the first half, putting the  ball past Dons goalkeeper Sara Ebe. Geller finished with five goals  and Claire O'Shaughnessy added two, but it wasn't enough to handle  all the offense Acalanes was throwing at them.

Give and gos, individual spin moves, long drives down field; the  Dons can score in a variety of ways.

"They were so together," said Geller of the Dons. "Some of the  things they were doing were flawless. I was in awe."

Eight players scored for Acalanes, four of whom had two or more  goals. McKinley, who also had three assists, stood out from the  bunch.

"(McKinley) has such a eye for the goal," Acalanes coach Meghan  Jones said. "She can make goals happen at any time."

Jessica Hoffschneider scored four times and Claire Geisse and Sarah  de Crescenzo each had two goals for the Dons.

"I'm lucky that I have so many players that have incredible talent,"  Jones said. "They know each other so well."

Scoring: A -- Annie McKinley 5, Jessica Hoffschneider 4, Claire  Geisse 3, Sarah de Crescenzo 2, Ali Ousley, Marie Dieden, Amanda Saribalis. B -- Haley Geller 5, Claire O'Shaughnessy 2, Laura Dale,  Rachel Hamburg. Assists: A -- McKinley 3, Ousley, Dieden, Lindsey Macfee, Hoffschneider, Saribalis. Saves: Sarah Ebe (A) 5. Emily Kung  (B) 13. Robyn Brown (B) 2.

Records: Berkeley 4-1, 3-1 DVLL, Acalanes 10-1, 6-0.

Halftime: St. Ignatius 9, Acalanes 6. Scoring: A -- Annie McKinley 5, Ali Ousley 3, Lindsey Macfee 2, Jessica Hoffschneider, Molly Peterson. SI -- Dobbs 5, Lapping 2, Barulich, Fredericks, Watts, Clifford. Assists: A -- McKinley. SI -- Dobbs 4. Saves: Sarah Ebe (A) 3, Eligo (SI) 7.

Records: Acalanes 11-1, St. Ignatius 8-2.

Halftime: Acalanes 5, Foothill 1. Scoring: F -- Nicole Matli 3,  Kristen Brophy 2, Chelsea Gill, Lyssia Porter, Hayley Saxton. A --  Annie McKinley 4, Lindsey MacFee, Molly Peterson, Ali Ousley.  Assists: F -- Saxton 2, Nicole Matli. A -- MacFee. Saves: Jaimie Lee  (F) 8, Sarah Eloe (A) 7. 

Records: Foothill 7-4, Acalanes 11-2.

Halftime: Acalanes 12, Piedmont 1. Scoring: A -- Annie McKinley 5,  Sarah de Crescenzo 3, Marie Dieden 3, Jessica Hoffschneider 2,  Lindsey Macfee 2, Molly Peterson 2, Amanda Saribalis, Stephanie  Welty, Ali Ousley, Rachel Zestar-Postrk, Rachel Ousley. P -- Olivia  Stutz. Assists: A -- Hoffschneider, de Crescenzo, Macfee, A. Ousley,  Peterson, Krissy Rich. Saves: Sarah Ebe (A) 2, Ilana Yarkin (P) 12. 

Records: Acalanes 13-2, 8-0 DVLL; Piedmont 0-7 DVLL.

McKinley seizes moment for Dons

By Ricardo Sanchez Jr.

Prep roundup
On a night when every senior on the Acalanes High School girls lacrosse team was honored, it was only fitting that a senior and the school's all-time leading scorer would deliver the goods.  Annie McKinley scored the eventual winning-goal on a free shot with 12:31 remaining and the Dons held off a strong second-half performance by visiting Miramonte to earn a 7-6 win on Thursday in the Diablo Valley Lacrosse League's regular-season finale.

"We played well as a team. A lot of our shots were not going in," McKinley said. "They stayed with us. It's not something we like to see."

McKinley netted the first two goals of the match -- one unassisted, the other on a give-and-go with Amanda Saribalis -- to put the Dons (15-3, 9-0 DVLL) on the board. Claire Geisse followed with a goal on a pass from Marie Dieden to make it 3-0 at 13:20 in the first half and Acalanes appeared to be rolling along.

But goals by Michelle Alvarado and Kate Palmer chipped away at the lead and Elena Garcia's goal with 25 seconds remaining brought the Matadors (12-4, 8-1) to within 5-3 and gave them momentum going into the second half.

"They're a strong second-half team," Acalanes coach Meghan Jones said. "I knew it wasn't going to be easy."

After Geisse scored again to make it 6-3 three minutes into the second half, Lindsay Chan made a key steal on a errant outlet pass by Dons goalkeeper Sarah Ebe, ran it back and shot it passed Ebe for the goal.

"Defensively we stepped it up in the second half," Palmer said.Palmer took it from there. Using a technique similar to a post player in basketball, Palmer backed down her opponent twice, made a quick fake to each side, before getting her shot off on goal. She scored twice in a four minute span to tie it 6-6.  But after McKinley put the Acalanes back up, the Dons played keep-away the last two minutes to seal the win.

Scoring: A -- Annie McKinley 3, Claire Geisse 2, Molly Peterson, Sarah de Crescenzo. M -- Kate Palmer 3, Michelle Alvarado, Lindsay Chan, Elena Garcia. Assists -- Amanda Saribalis, Linsdey Macfee, Marie Dieden. Saves: Favienne Howsepian (M) 12, Sarah Ebe (A) 5. 

Records: Acalanes 15-3, 9-0 DVLL, Miramonte 12-4, 8-1.

"What does this position do? Where do I stand? What happens now?"  Not long ago, the sport of lacrosse was a novel idea at Acalanes High School. Most of the girls who came out for the team four years ago had picked up a stick only once or twice, if that. Everybody was learning on the fly.

The mere thought of those days makes Dons coach Meghan Jones chuckle.

"They all played different positions and were always telling me how scared they were to go out there," Jones said. "We've got some great stories to tell."

From the looks of things, this season's journey will be right at the top of that list.  Acalanes is enjoying one of its most dominant seasons in the program's brief history. That dominance goes way beyond the Dons' 8-0 start in the Diablo Valley Lacrosse League, though that in itself says plenty. According to laxpower.com, Acalanes is currently the No. 1 team in the state, a ranking the squad has enjoyed for the bulk of the season.

The Dons are novices no more.

"We're all really proud of how well the other teams think of us," senior Annie McKinley said. "We're sending a message to other teams about what we can do. We earned (the No. 1 ranking) and felt all of our hard work was being realized."

Of course, there is still plenty of work to be done, as McKinley will tell you. These girls have their sights set on the North Coast Section playoffs, which begin May 17. The Dons advanced to last season's section final but fell to Foothill in a hotly contested battle, 12-11.  They'd like nothing better than to get another shot.

"We're so excited," McKinley said. "We can't wait to get to NCS and see how it goes. That's been one of our goals the whole season."  Acalanes won its first eight games of the season, outscoring 
opponents 134-27 in that time. The Dons even picked up a 12-11 win over perennial power St. Ignatius-San Francisco last month.

"They've been in the shadows of Foothill and St. Ignatius for a long time," Jones said. "Getting this opportunity is great for them and it gives them confidence. We could have beaten those teams before, but when it came down to it, they had the composure of knowing they were going to win. Now we have that. We know we can do it."

Jones said the team's rising confidence is largely due to its nine seniors: McKinley, Ali Ousley, Lindsay Talbot, Claire Geisse, Lauren Mutch, Jessica Hoffschneider, Amanda Saribalis, Rachel Vestar and Sarah de Crescenzo.

McKinley and Ousley lead the Acalanes' attack, which is often bolstered by Geisse, Hoffschneider and de Crescenzo.  Junior Sarah Ebe moved from the center position and into the goal this season. While Ebe is new to the position, Jones now calls her one of the best goalies in the league.  Mutch and Vestar help solidify the defense.

"They all complement each other," Jones said. "When they're in sync, I don't think there is anyone that can stop them. And I don't want to give anyone a reason to try."

Halftime: Acalanes 5, Davis 2.  Scoring: D -- Stone 4, Bistue 2, Hassid, Wegener. A -- Annie McKinley 4, Lindsey Macfee 2, Molly Peterson 2, Ali Ousley 2, Jessica Hoffschneider. Assists: D -- Bistue. A -- McKinley, Ousley. Saves: D -- Taueri 9. A -- Sarah Ebe 6. 

Record: Acalanes 16-3.

Thursday's championship: No. 2 Miramonte at No. 1 Acalanes, 7 p.m.

Halftime: Acalanes 5, Miramonte 3. Scoring: A -- Annie McKinley 5, Lindsey Macfee 2, Claire Geisse, Amanda Saribalis, Ali Ousley, Stephanie Welty, Marie Dieden. M -- Kate Palmer 3, Libby Poor, Lindsay Chan. Assists: A -- McKinley, Macfee. M -- n/a. Saves: Sarah Ebe (A) 7, Savienne Howsepian (M) 9. 

Records: Acalanes 17-3, Miramonte 13-5.

Women's Lacrosse NCS Playoff Schedule

First Round- 5/17/05:

No. 8 Davis (11-6) at No. 1 Acalanes (15-3), 7 p.m.
No. 5 San Ramon Valley (14-4) at No. 4 Foothill (12-5), 7 p.m.
No. 7 Carondelet (11-7) at No. 2 Amador Valley (15-4), 7 p.m.
No. 6 University-San Francisco (16-2) vs. No. 3 Miramonte (13-5), at Kezar Stadium, 3:30 p.m.

Halftime: Acalanes 6, Davis 2. Scoring: D -- Bistue 2, Evoy-Mount, Perry. A -- Annie McKinley 3, Jessica Hoffschneider 3, Claire Geisse, Stephanie Welty, Amanda Saribalis, Ali Ousley, Molly Peterson. Asssts: D -- Bistue. A -- McKinley, Geisse 2, Saribalis. Saves: Taheri (D) 9, Sarah Ebe (A) 6.

Record: Acalanes 18-3.

=========================================

Prep girls NCS playoffs
Tuesday's first round
Acalanes 11, No. 8 Davis (11-7) 4
Foothill 6, No. 5 San Ramon Valley (14-5) 4
Amador Valley 10, No. 7 Carondelet (11-8) 8
University-San Francisco 12, No. 3 Miramonte (13-6) 10

Thursday's semifinals
No. 4 Foothill (13-5), at No. 1 Acalanes (16-3), 7 p.m. No. 6 University-San Francisco (17-2) at No. 2 Amador Valley (16-4), 7 p.m.

Saturday's championship At Acalanes, 1 p.m.

It was Foothill that beat Acalanes last season in the NCS final and was the only team in the area this season to give the Dons (17-3) a loss.

"It's the first time we ever beat them," said Acalanes coach Meghan Jones of a streak dating back four years. "I think (the girls) were nervous in the first half."

Foothill (13-6) went up 3-2 with 16 seconds left in the first half when Nicole Matli slipped a shot past Acalanes goalkeeper Sarah Ebe.  McKinley jump-started the Dons offense by scoring three goals less than three minutes apart in the second half. 

Lindsey Macfee followed with an assist from McKinley and Acalanes led 6-3.  Matli scored twice after that and Hayley Saxton added two late goals for the Dons.

Halftime: Foothill 3, Acalanes 2. Scoring: A -- Annie McKinley 4, Lindsay Macfee, Claire Geisse, Molly Peterson, Stephanie Welty.  F- Nicloe Matti 3, Hayley Saxton 2, Lyssia Porter, Kristen Brophey.  Assists-  A -- Jessica Hoffschneider, McKinley, Peterson.  Saves -- Jaime Lee (F) 13, Sarah Ebe (A) 8.

Record: Acalanes 17-3.

In the first half, the offensive performance of Lindsey Macfee and Molly Peterson gave everyone a glimpse of the future as the juniors proved that the No. 1 seed Dons will continue be a force next season.

The second half showed how Annie McKinley, Ali Ousley and the rest of the nine graduating seniors helped the program reach such prominence in the first place.

Acalanes dominated University-San Francisco 13-4 to become the second NCS girls lacrosse champion. Foothill won the inaugural title last year.

"We had goals this season; win the (Diablo Valley Lacrosse League), win NCS and be number one," Macfee said. "This is icing on the cake."  Macfee scored four of her five goals in the first half, all but one of which came on "one-timers," a shot that is made after a player catches a pass and shoots in the same motion while cutting toward the goal.

"I don't do that much, but I kind of busted it out today," Macfee said. "I thought I came out strong for our last game."

Peterson followed Macfee's lead and scored twice to help the Dons (18-3) build a 8-1 lead in the first half, surprisingly without any offensive output -- outside of an assist -- from McKinley, the team's leading scorer.

"We wanted to win it so bad," Macfee said. "We were so pumped up."  The Red Devils' Avery Masters scored twice and was the only threat for University (18-3).

McKinley bounced back, scoring twice in less than a minute in the second half to finish with 100 goals on the season. Jessica Hoffschneider added a goal and an assist in her final game.

Ousley, who will play at Cornell next season, chipped in with two goals and two assists.

"The seniors knew this was our last game so everyone played well, especially the juniors, they really stepped up," Ousley said. "I'm kind of in shock it's all over. It went by so fast. We definitely worked for it, it wasn't easy being No. 1."

Halftime: Acalanes 8, University 1  Scoring: A -- Lindsey Macfee 5, Molly Peterson 2, Annie McKinley 2, Ali Ousley 2, Jessica Hoffschnieder, Claire Geisse. U-- Avery Master 2, Isabelle Smith, Kristen Merlone. Assists: A -- McKinley 2, Ousley 2, Hoffschnieder, Stepahanie Welty. U -- Emily Wendell. Saves: Molly Cahen (U) 12; Sarah Ebe (A) 4.

Records: Acalanes 18-3, University 18-3.

Mo Huber (Cross Country/Track):

Cross country, track and field Huber won the North Coast Section Division III cross country championship race and had the fastest time in the region at the NCS championships (18 minutes, 5 seconds for the 3-mile course). She also finished sixth in the California Interscholastic Federation Division III state race and won the Diablo Foothill Athletic League title. In track and field, Huber finished second in the 1,600 meters and 800, and fourth in the 3,200 at the DFAL championship meet. In the area track leaders list of meets through May 14, she ranks fourth in the 800 (2:20.16), third in the 1,600 (5:08.39) and third in the 3,200 (11:11.56).

Annie McKinley (Lacrosse):

McKinley scored an astounding 98 goals, controlled 77 ground balls, had 32 forced turnovers and dished out 18 assists this season, helping the Dons reach the North Coast Section title game for the second straight year. The senior ended the season as the Dons' all-time scoring leader with 153. McKinley scored a school-record eight goals this season in a game against La Jolla. She also was named the Diablo Valley Lacrosse League's offensive MVP.

With nine seniors ready to say goodbye to high school lacrosse, the team already has begun to look toward the future. This is when ideas of rebuilding or reloading tend to creep in. But based on how Acalanes ended its season, it appears the latter option will win out. And that has Dons coach Meghan Jones breathing a bit easier.

"Any time you lose nine seniors, that's significant," Jones said. "It makes you wonder about next year. But there's so much talent here."

Acalanes put a huge exclamation point on the season by winning the NCS title with a dominating 13-4 victory over University-San Francisco and finishing with an 18-3 overall record. This was just the second year an NCS crown was awarded in the sport. Foothill beat the Dons for the title last year.

Acalanes was clearly on a mission this time around, though. It showed, as the Dons mounted an 8-1 first-half lead. Macfee scored four of her five goals in the first half, and Peterson added two
more for good measure.

"I don't think we expected to pull ahead by so much, but it's just the way they've been all season," Jones said. "After we beat Foothill in the semis, I didn't want them to think, 'OK, we beat Foothill. That's great.' I reminded them this is what they worked for."

Chances are Jones didn't have to say much. After all, this is a team that spent the bulk of the season ranked No. 1 in the state by laxpower.com.

Acalanes did it with a balanced offensive attack and a stingy defense. Not to mention the leadership coming from a senior-laden squad, which includes Annie McKinley, Ali Ousley, Claire Geisse and Lauren Mutch.

McKinley and Ousley were a nightmare for opposing defenses all season long. After being held scoreless in the first half against University, McKinley scored two goals, tipping the 100-goal mark on the season. Ousley added two goals and two assists in the final.  Losing such high-caliber players as McKinley and Ousley may hurt, but Jones said having others such as Macfee, Peterson, Stephanie Welty, Marie Dieden and Sarah Ebe around next season should help make the transition easier.

"Losing players like Annie and Ali, that's huge," Jones said. "But I really feel confident with this group. I don't think we'll be a pushover. Every year, I'm like, 'I don't know about this year.' And I'm always amazed."

Second Team
Elena Garcia (Mir), Haley Geller (Ber), Claire Geisse (Aca),  Juliette Jardim (Ber), Ally Gorian (Piedmont), Ashley Hemmen (Car),  Molly Abramson (LL), Fiona Lundy (Bishop O'Dowd), Meg Waltner (Ber), 
Sascha Atkins-Loria (Ber), Natalie Pukatch (BOD), Meighan Lafferty 
(Car).

Date

Opponent

Time

Acalanes

Opponent

Season

DVLL