The Dons (4-4 overall, 4-4 Santa Clara Valley League) defeated Hillsdale (4-8 overall, 4-5 SCVL) in a 13-6 blowout in the Santa Clara Valley League Tournament.
Six Dons contributed to the goals, including junior attacker Liam O’ Sullivan who made four shots and senior captain and attacker Daniel Hillman who put away one goal.
The Dons dominated Hillsdale in the first quarter, scoring five goals in the first ten minutes. The Knights had a difficult time retaliating against their opponents, only taking a few shots, none of which resulted in goals.
In the remaining quarters, Hillsdale managed to make major gains, creating 19 opportunities and executing six goals. Aragon’s progress began to slow when Hillman and sophomore defender Joshua Sefanov both received penalties. Despite Aragon’s defensive errors, junior goalie Dylan Graf managed to make multiple saves. Aragon remained in the lead, scoring eight more goals by the end of the fourth quarter.
“During practice, the players get a lot of shots in, so I get a lot of good practice out of keeping the ball from the goal,” Graf said.
The 2018 season was a tough season for the team, as they had several losses, ending with a final record of 4-13 overall.
This year, players are focused on helping the underclassmen adjust to playing at varsity game speed.
“For most people on the team, the expectation ceiling is pretty high,” Hillman said. “I’d say we’re underperforming at the moment.”
Fundamentals and basic skills are going to be main priorities for the rest of the season, and some players feel this will require additional individual preparation outside of practice.
“Some guys are going to need to put in extra work outside of practice, which can be hard to enforce,” said junior attacker Charlie Austin.
Despite initial setbacks, the team remains confident about improving their cooperation and cohesion.
“We were off to a good start [and] then hit a rough patch, but it’s still early in the season, so we can learn from all of the hiccups that we have faced,” said senior attacker and midfielder Matthew Gee.
Hillman is confident in the composition and potential of this year’s team.
“Every player is notable whether it’s their existing talent, leadership skills, initiative, or plain effort they’re putting in for the good of the team,” Hillman said.
The Dons play against Saratoga (3-8 overall, 1-7 SCVL) on April 18.
