Placer United Comes Up Lucky in Las Vegas
Posted On March 26, 2015 by PUSC
Placer United U16G 99 Gold
2015 Vegas Players College Showcase Champions
Five Placer United girls teams travelled to Las Vegas this past weekend to compete in the Players College Showcase Tournament. The U16G 99 Gold claimed a championship, and the U18G 98 Gold were runner ups.
It was the final event of the season for five Placer United teams. It was hot in the desert with temperatures hovering around the mid-80’s. There were over 400 colleges represented at the event as they scouted future players. The Placer United teams were placed in the highest divisions in the event and the college coaches packed the sidelines to watch. The U14’s and U15’s played a tournament format while the U16’s and U18’s played in a college showcase format. They played four games and the champion was decided on points.
Pre-game Visualization with Coach Bart
The U16G 99 Gold, coached by the legend, Gene Duchateau and assisted by Bart Morefield, had a great run through the event. The girls showed their class and poise maintaining a high level of possession based soccer. They opened up against the Austin Texans and won 4-0. They followed up the win with a 0-0 draw with Carlsbad. In game three, the girls beat the Slammers from Southern California, 2-0. Needing a win to claim the championship, the girls nipped Surf Hawaii 1-0 to cap off a great weekend. The team had 7 goals for and 0 against.
The U18G 98 Gold finished as finalists in the event with 2 wins, one draw and one loss. They opened up with a thrilling 3-2 win over FC Golden State. Moving into Saturday’s games, they faced the Eagles of Camarillo. It was a back and forth game with lots of scoring chances for each team but the Eagles capitalized on their chances and won 4-0. Looking to rebound in game three, the girls did just that with a 3-1 win over Heat FC. In the final game, the girls tied 0-0 with LA Premier and secured enough points to finish as the finalists.
The U14G 01 Gold had a tough draw but were excited for the competition. They started off very strong with a 1-0 win over the Fullerton Rangers. In game two, the girls battled to a 0-0 draw with Surf Hawaii. In game three, needing a win to advance to the semi’s, the girls ran into the Slammers, who were the eventual champions. It was an exciting game but the girls came up on the short end with a 3-0 loss. The girls finished group play with a 1-1-1 record and 2nd in their group. In the consolation game, the girls were up-ended by the local squad, Heat FC.
The U15G 00 Gold had a great showing at the event in a loaded group. The girls came out in game one on fire with a 3-1 win over Crossfire Washington. In game two, the girls battled MVLA in a great display of possession/attacking soccer. With 10 minutes remaining and the game tied at 1-1, the referee blew the whistle for a hand ball and the girls were defeated 2-1 on a penalty kick. In game three the girls matched up with a very athletic Slammers team and fell 2-0. In the consolation game, the team squared off against one of their Northern California NPL rivals, Santa Clara Sporting. Mid way through the second half, Placer scored and were able to hold on to a 1-0 victory.
The U18G 97 Gold played some very attractive soccer on the weekend but had some problems finding the back of the net. They opened up with back to back 1-0 losses to the Slammers and the So Cal Blues. In game three, the girls had a 0-0 draw against the Massachusetts State Champion, NEFC Elite. In their final game, the girls drew 1-1 with Wolfpack Blue out of Southern California.
Congratulations to all of the teams on a great season and showing our strength at a National event versus some of the top teams/clubs in the country.