ATHERTON –  Wow!! What a finish. The Warriors took the wind out of the Sacred Heart Prep Senior Day Celebration by beating the Gators 3 – 2 in add time.

It really seemed that Lady Warriors were going to take it to SHP scoring just 3 minutes into the match as Anna Calderon picked up a ball on the backside of a foiled corner kick attempt and found Stephanie Bales who headed the ball for the score. The extremely well executed sequence did not daunt the Gators.

They were relentless challenging VC keeper Kendra Gillio who made two huge saves during the first half. One attempt a hard high shot which was deflected over the crossbar. The other a diving save to her left that was just inside the post, a certain goal.

Not to be outdone SHP Freshman Gianna Capovilla scored on a set play with just 3 seconds remaining in the first half. The Gators made their statement, “We are not going away!”

Sensing the shift in momentum the Lady Warriors discussed options during the halftime break. “We have to attack and score quickly,” pressed Coach Keel. The message was clear. At 5:52 in the second stanza Morgan Celaya took matters into her own hands when she dribbled the ball past 3 SHP defenders then pounded the ball past a diving Katie Denniston to regain the lead.

With 5 minutes remaining in the match SHP Senior Liz Papangellin was able to place the ball beyond the goal line for the equalizer. The Gators made their statement again, “We are not going away!”

Both teams exchanged possessions as time ran down. Then one final possession found the Lady Warriors an opportunity on a corner kick. Two minutes into add time teammates and best friends Emily Von Raesfeld and Macie McMillan combined for the dream finish winning goal.

Today’s victory puts Valley in third place in WCAL with one game remaining against St. Francis on Tuesday.