FLC, Hartnell battle to 0-0 tie

After having two matches cancelled due to bad air quality, Falcon head coach Donny Ribaudo found a match against one of the best teams in the state, Hartnell College.  The Panthers entered Thursday afternoon's match in Salinas with an 8-game winning streak and had outscored their opponents 28-2 over those 8 games.  Victims of Hartnell's win streak included four top-20 teams in California (Sierra, Ventura, American River, and Clovis). 

From the opening whistle, it was evident the two teams were evenly matched.  Hartnell put several shots on goal, but freshman goalkeeper Grace Filiau was up to the task.  Meanwhile, the Falcons' Avery Pieri had a near-miss when her shot from the top of the box was barely deflected by the Panther goalie's outstretched hand.  With just minutes remaining and the score still knotted at 0-0, forward Jasmine Alvarez thought she'd scored the game-winner, only to have the goal called off by a questionable offside call.  With the tie, the Falcons are now 5-0-2 for the season and will open Big 8 Conference play on Tuesday against Modesto at Falcon Stadium (3:30 pm).