The Falcons, 10-3 overall, beat league powerhouse Clayton Valley 9-7 last Wednesday in Concord, improving their league record to 3-0. As of Tuesday the team was tied for first place with Carondelet.
Freedom got into early foul trouble against Clayton Valley and trailed 4-3 at the half. The offense came alive, however, in the third and fourth quarters to clinch the two-point victory and keep the team's perfect league record in tact.
"We had to be very careful on defense after that first half," said head coach Steve Lynn. "But the girls played well. I was proud of them."
Whitney Bell scored four goals, Shannon McNally scored three and Heather Bacon and Teiryn Decker each found the back of the net once.
Earlier this season, Bell, a senior driver, tore a ligament in her right shoulder. She continues to play despite the nagging pain. "She got the OK from her doctor to play but she's still in a lot of pain," Lynn said. "She's really tough, though. She's just going to stick it out."
Senior goalie Marlene McDonnell is suffering from a jammed left thumb, but just like Bell, continues to play through it.
McDonnell's ability to anticipate and block shots helped her earn second team all-tournament honors at the recent Sierra Shootout. The Falcons took sixth at the 33-team tournament, winning three of five games. Bell earned first-team all-tournament honors and sophomore Jennifer Henry joined McDonnell as a member of the second team all-tournament.
"That was a good tournament for us," Lynn said. "We played well against some very tough teams."
Freedom enters the toughest portion of its league schedule in coming weeks. The team hosts Deer Valley this Wednesday and then travels to play Liberty the following Wednesday. Games begin at 3:30 p.m.
"The next couple of weeks will be big for us," Lynn said. "Deer Valley and Liberty will both be tough games. I'm excited to see what we can do."
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