Sobrato field hockey’s soon-to-be graduates were excited for
their Senior Day, but even more so for the chance to celebrate
their final prep game with a victory over Del Mar
MORGAN HILL — Sobrato field hockey’s soon-to-be graduates were excited for their Senior Day, but even more so for the chance to celebrate their final prep game with a victory over Del Mar.
“Playing the first-place team, that’s the way to go out. That made this game really exciting,” Bulldogs forward Brianna Sugimoto said.
With inspired effort, Sobrato held Del Mar’s offense in check Friday at Sobrato High, but the visiting Dons made the most of their limited scoring opportunities. Behind first-half goals scored by Megan Read and Tania Rojas, Del Mar clinched a second consecutive West Valley Division championship with a 2-0 victory.
“They’re a good team, but we knew we could beat them,” Sobrato senior Andi Lora said. “I think we showed that today. We made some good passes in the second half and kept up our intensity.”
The Bulldogs missed out on completing their first winning record in division play, but their 6-6 league mark is still a program best.
“We’ve improved each year,” said Amanda Priest, another fourth-year Bulldog.
“I think the team is going to be even better,” Sugimoto said when asked about the team’s younger players. “We’re going to miss a lot of them. We’re a very tight group. I’m really going to miss the team-bonding stuff.”
Sobrato sixth-year coach Niki Donaldson, who has headed the program since its inception, liked what she saw from each of her seniors Friday. Before the game Sugimoto, Priest and Lora were recognized along with classmates Briana and Kristin Wallash.
“Their leadership stands out the most to me. There were a lot of leaders in this group,” Donaldson said. “They helped this team get better.”
The Bulldogs controlled flow of the game for most of the second half. They nearly scored in the 57th minute, when Andrea Salem took two shots on goal from less than 15 yards out.
Salem, a junior, had another chance off of a short corner in the final minute. Katie Merten inbounded the ball, and Sugimoto tapped it to Salem, whose shot was stopped by traffic in front of the net.
“We had our chances,” Donaldson said. “It’s frustrating because we know we can beat teams like Del Mar in this league.
“Today’s game showed a lot about us.”
