It was yet another very busy weekend of soccer for Placer United teams up and down California as the U16G Red, U18G Red and the U17B Red all travelled down to San Diego for the prestigious Surf College Showcase. With close to 400 college coaches in attendance at the Del Mar polo grounds recruiting for their schools, the pace of the games was fast and furious.
The U17B Red came out of the starting gate quickly with two consecutive wins in group play on the opening day against LIJSL of New York 1-0, and San Diego Surf Academy 4-0. Both teams had trouble dealing with Placer’s quick passing and 1v1 attacking play of Alex Walsh (scored 3 goals in both games) and Davis Showcase MVP, Diego Buenrostro. The 3rd bracket game against undefeated FC Dallas attracted a large crowd to the sidelines and the boys didn’t disappoint as they outperformed a very good Dallas side to win 2-1. Corban Anderson hit the first from 25 yds out and Nico Figuero volleyed in the 2nd just before halftime to keep the boys undefeated run going. The quarter-final game didn’t go has planned as the boys couldn’t get their game going against a organized counter-attacking team and they were defeated 1-0 by CV San Jose Gunners.
The U16G Red played really good soccer but just couldn’t seem to put the finishing touches on the final pass, especially in game three. In game one the girls outshot Surf Hawaii by a large margin but could not overcome a first half goal against them. In game two, the girls came out on fire and posted a 5-0 win over Pac NW of Washington. In game three, the girls went into halftime 1-1, but really should have been ahead by 1 or 2 goals versus Gilbert Arsenal of Arizona who reached the final on Monday. The girls peppered the Gilbert goal with shots trying to get the go ahead goal so they could advance out of the bracket, but got sucker-punched as the opposition scored on a counter-attack in the final minutes and won the game 2-1. The girls received tons of praise from the sidelines for the quality of their attacking play.
U18G Red Take 2nd Place at San Diego Surf College Showcase
The U18G Red had the best showing of the weekend of all the Sacramento teams at Surf as they reached the finals. The girls notched up three consecutive wins in group play. 2-0 over the Honolulu Bulls, 3-0 over Omega of Kansas and a 1-0 win over ECNL team, Heat FC of Nevada. In the semi-finals, the girls received some international soccer experience as they played a team from Germany. The ABC All-Stars of Germany had recorded some high scores in their early games and looked full of confidence in the early minutes. As the game wore on, the Placer United girls showed their true colors as they got their pass and move game going, as well as 1-2 strong tackles letting the German girls know they were there to play. In a very tense last few minutes the girls held on to their 1-0 score and advanced to the final. With the girls nursing some tired and bruised bodies from the early game they couldn’t raise to the same level and lost 2-0 in another physical battle to Crossfire of Oregon.
At the Pleasanton Rage Juniors Showcase, the U11G Red brought home the Premier Championship after posting two wins and one draw in group play. In game one, the girls defeated Bay Oaks 5-0. In game two they defeated CV Mercury 6-0. In game three the girls tied Milpitas 2-2 to earn a berth in the final. In the final the girls defeated the mighty Santa Rosa Thunder 3-1. This is the second consecutive championship for the girls at this event.
The U9G White took home the 3rd place trophy with two wins and one loss in group play. In the Gold consolation game, the girls recorded a 2-0 win over the Santa Rosa Avalanche. The U10G Red took 3rd place in the Premier division after posting a 1-1-1 record in group play. In the consolation match they defeated Walnut Creek 1-0. The U11G White had two wins and one loss in the Gold group play to reach the consolation game. In this match the girls were upended by the Santa Rosa Lightning 0-2. The U12G Red had a very difficult group finishing with two draws and one narrow defeat.
Also competing in the event was the U9G Red, the U10G White, U12G White, U13G White and the U14G White.
Wow! What a weekend of soccer! I’m exhausted from just writing the update. Stay tuned over the next few weeks for more exciting Placer United updates as the Summer Soccer weekends move along.
—Paul O’Brien, Director Of Boys Coaching
