25 Jan De Anza High Girls Net Seven Goals, Earn Shutout on Senior Night

The De Anza Dons celebrate one of the seven goals on a chilly Tuesday evening in Richmond.

Story and photos by Joe Porrello

The De Anza High girls’ varsity soccer team celebrated senior night by winning their third consecutive game and scoring seven unanswered goals against Vallejo High on Tuesday in Richmond.

With the victory, the Dons keep their unbeaten streak in TCAL- Stone league play intact. They have won 18 straight and have not lost in almost two years. 

Dons sophomore midfielder Alinah Aguilar said she is particularly glad that some of her fourth-year teammates notched a goal “to give them this moment to remember.”

The seven seniors making up about half of De Anza’s roster are part of the reason the team has scored more than double the goals they have allowed this season. In five of their last seven games, the Dons have scored at least six goals.

 

Recent matchups between the Redhawks and De Anza have been particularly one-sided, and that trend continued. Vallejo High is now winless against the Dons in their last six meetings, being collectively outscored 33-3.

Both teams took a while to get going on offense Tuesday, though. Neither put a shot on goal in the first 15 minutes. De Anza High finally struck first with two goals in three minutes, both on effective lead assists in transition.

First year Dons head coach Joseph Aguilar said the team’s passing ability helps break the lines of defenders and is a key to their success: “playing simple, playing with each other, moving the ball faster instead of trying to dribble through players.”

The Dons used passing to hold possession most of the game. Alinah Aguilar said her teammates’ confidence with the ball enabled them to keep constant offensive pressure.

Right before the midway break, De Anza High padded their lead with a third goal.

 

About midway through the back half, De Anza tallied their fourth — and second bittersweet — goal. Two Dons players exited the game due to injury after colliding with the Vallejo High goalie on their individual scores; another De Anza High player who made contact with the goalie received attention before remaining in the contest.

 

Netting three more goals in the final 20 minutes, the Dons completed a 7-0 thrashing — their second largest margin of victory this season and their fourth shutout.

Senior Dons defender Sayonara Chavez noted the team’s connection with each other as the reason for allowing zero goals in one-third of their games played.

“”I think our team bond has a lot to do with it because we’re able to communicate from the back to the front,” she said.

Communication that was not as productive took place postgame; the Redhawks head coach yelled on the field at referees about what she viewed as one-sided whistles and was given a red card.

 

“I just feel like that’s bad sportsmanship,” said Alinah Aguilar. “If you lost, you lost — take it and learn from it; don’t try to start a fuss.”

De Anza beat Vallejo earlier this month 6-0, and the Redhawks haven’t beaten the Dons since 2018.

It is familiar territory for the Redhawks, who have been shut out in all but two of their games this season, have allowed over seven times as many goals as they have scored, and have yet to win a game.

 

Aguilar said his seniors’ maturation is something he’s proud of.

“It’s sad to be seeing them leave, but they’ve stepped up,” he said. “They’re showing their younger teammates how to play the game we’re trying to teach here.”

That style of play has De Anza High atop the TCAL- Stone standings — the only team yet to lose in league play. 

Leading by example when it comes to work ethic, Aguilar also leads the junior varsity team — with no assistant on either staff.

 

The Dons are poised to have their best back-to-back seasons in 20 years. In their next matchup, De Anza High travels to play another winless team in John Swett High on Thursday — their last regular season game.