On Friday January 19th San Dimas Lady Saints faced their league rivals, Charter Oak. Through a consistent group effort, the Saints conquered the Chargers in a well deserved 5-1 victory. 

The Chargers kicked off to start the match, but were immediately challenged by the Saints’ high press and found it difficult to dominate consistently. San Dimas maintained possession of the ball throughout the entirety of the game and were precise with their passes allowing them to swiftly move the ball around Charter Oak’s defense. It’s notable that the Saints recently transitioned to an inverted backline in order to give them an offensive advantage in the middle of the field, this formational adaptation gives them the ability to switch the ball with precision and effectiveness. 

This structure allowed them to connect across the field, and find Senior Captain Reagan Parkhill who then connected a beautiful ball assisting Freshman Samantha Duenes on the Saints’ first goal of the match in the middle of the first half. The Saints ended the half with a 4-1 advantage after goals from Junior Captain Riley Tsonas, Senior Captain Reagan Parkhill, and Senior Amaya Gonzalez. 

The Saints had recently defeated Charter Oak in a 2-1 victory at the beginning of their league season, however through hours of dedication, they found themselves much better prepared this time around. Parkhill stated that, “as a team we did well staying on top of our game and not slacking off knowing we were winning by a lot.” She felt as though they maintained their composure by, “playing simple and still creating good opportunities.”

In the second half of the game, they were able to lock down Charter Oak’s defense in order to secure and protect their lead which left them sweeping the Chargers with a goal differential of 4. This win moved the Lady Saints up the bracket and if they are victorious over Diamond Ranch this upcoming Wednesday, they will be first place in their league and even better prepared for a long CIF run.