Falcons' season ends with tough 3-1 loss to Fresno

The Folsom Lake and Fresno City women's soccer teams have a long history in the CCCAA playoffs with overtime matches and PK shootouts, but this year there would be no such drama.  In front of a packed Falcon Stadium crowd on Saturday evening, the Rams defied all odds by scoring three goals against a Falcon defense that had only allowed one goal since September 2.  After both teams surprisingly scored in the first ten minutes of play – the Falcons' goal was a beautiful header by Klaire Horton off a perfect centering pass from Avery Pieri in just the second minute of play  - the teams played nearly 70 scoreless minutes.  The 1-1 tie looked like it would result in overtime again until the Rams got a breakaway goal in the 79th minute.  With the Falcons suddenly in desperation mode, the Rams struck again just three minutes later for an insurmountable 3-1 lead.  

These two teams have now met in the playoffs each of the last three seasons (there was no soccer season in 2020) with Fresno advancing by virtue of PK's in both 2019 and 2021.  For the Falcons, it was their only loss of 2022 as they finished at 18-1-3, despite limping through their last several games with a depleted squad due to injuries.  Still, this team can hold their heads high after a season that included an 11-0 run to the Big 8 Conference title, the program's sixth conference championship.

Congratulations on a great season, Falcons!