The Dublin High School Varsity Girls Soccer Team battled back from a 1-0 halftime deficit to forge a 1-1 draw in their season finale at Dougherty Valley. Izzy Liu scored the equalizer, while goalkeeper Karmina Mora Gaytan made a pivotal diving save in the final minutes of the match to preserve the tie in front of a spirited crowd that went on the road to watch the team’s final match.
Dublin finishes the year 2-1-2 overall, but in a feat perhaps even more impressive produced three clean sheets (shutouts) over the course of the season. The Gaels blanked Granada (0-0), Livermore (2-0), and Foothill (1-0) while allowing a mere 3 goals in the team’s 5 matches. In addition, the squad boasted one of the highest numbers of student-athletes who will be playing at the next level with a total of six seniors who will continue their soccer careers: Karmina Mora Gaytan (Indiana Tech); Jaeden Nelson (Idaho), Alyssa Williams (Indiana Tech), Alyssa Burdusis (Delta), McKenna Masinter (Las Positas), and Grace Wittenberg (Point Loma Nazarene).
Despite losing so much talent, the Gaels will be returning 11 players next season including 3 freshmen (Gianna Masinter, Alana Albarran, and Kate Phelps) who earned significant minutes, so the future is definitely bright in the coming years as Coach Shawn McHugh looks forward to his first full offseason at the helm under “normal” conditions to build the program.
