All posts by PUSC

William Jessup Welcomes Mitch Pingree

WJU Coach Robbie Handy and Mitch Pingree

WJU Coach Robbie Handy and Mitch Pingree

“I am proud to announce I have committed to William Jessup University! I am beyond excited to play collegiate soccer! I chose WJU due to the small campus size and the opportunity to receive a private education where I can truly get to know my professors and classmates.

All of my appreciation goes out to my family, friends, and amazing coaches I have had throughout my soccer years. I would first like to thank Coach Jason Gantt. Thank you for pushing me every day to become the player you knew I could be. I have learned so much these past few years and I am very grateful for the opportunity I was given on your team. Your experience and dedication showed me how I needed to play to be able to compete at the next level. I would also like to thank my high school coaches, Matt Scammacca and Dave Shiro. I also can’t forget my LYSC coach of many years, Manny Fajardo, as well as my very first soccer coach, my Dad. Without your coaching and guidance in my younger years of the game I would not have the opportunities granted to me now. I would also like to thank my parents for driving hours upon hours each year and always supporting me. And a special thanks to my sister, Macie, for always supporting me and pushing me to do my best.

These few years at Placer United made me a stronger, smarter, and more competitive soccer player. I am thankful to all of the people that made my dream of playing college soccer possible. To my team, we went out with a bang and I wish you all the best of luck in the future.”

—Mitch Pingree

Placer United Girls ’03 Red and ’00 Red Reach Norcal Cross Regional Playoffs

The Placer United ’03 Red and ’00 Red girls have qualified for the Norcal Spring League Cross Regional Playoffs this weekend in Davis.  The ’03 Red finished in first place with a record of 7 wins and 1 loss.  They will square off against Peninsula Velocity Blue on Saturday in the quarter-finals.  The ’00 Red finished in second place with a record of 7 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw.  They will play Pleasanton Rage on Saturday.

Congrats to all teams that participated in the Spring League!

Austin Burrows Commits to Macalester College

(l-r) Hunter Seman, Coach Jason Gantt, Austin Burrows

(l-r) Hunter Seman, Coach Jason Gantt, Austin Burrows

“I am honored to announce that I have committed to Macalester College, a NCAA Division III school in St. Paul, Minnesota. Macalester and Coach Gregg Olson offered me the opportunity to play at the collegiate level while studying at one of the top-ranked liberal arts colleges in the country to pursue my goal of becoming a physician. I can’t wait to join players from all over the country, as well as players from around the world, as we try to get Macalester back into the NCAA tournament for the twelfth time.  

Soccer has been part of my life since I was four years old. I am grateful to my Placer coaches, Jason Gantt and Kelcey Chaidez, for always expecting me to play at the highest level. I would also like to thank my first coach, Paul Devereux, as well as my family, for coming to all of the games and tournaments over the years. I couldn’t have done it without you!

I look forward to joining Coach Olson and my teammates this August for the 2013 season. Go Mac Scots!”

— Austin Burrows

“Bok” from Coach Matt and Cody in Croatia

Photo_Cody Sundquist_Croatia_01“Bok” (Croatian greeting) from Zagreb, Croatia. As some of you may know, Cody Sundquist and I (Matt Bernard) are currently in Croatia with the Under 14 Boys National Team.

This has been quite the adventure thus far. Cody and I flew out from San Francisco on Sunday May 19th and arrived in New York City later that evening where we met up with rest of the players and staff. From NYC we flew to London where our flight was delayed for one hour (because they were waiting for us to get through customs). There is only one flight from London to Zagreb per day and thankfully we made it. Unfortunately not all of our luggage got on the flight with us.

We arrived in Zagreb with 99% of our luggage. Unfortunately our airline (who shall remain nameless) didn’t think it was important to send our soccer balls, bibs or cones on our flight. Regardless, we adapted and N.K. Spansko, the club where we were training, was nice enough to allow to use some of their equipment. The rest of our stuff has since arrived.

The team trained several times in preparation for our first game against Slovenia. We travelled to Slovenia for the match which is about a one hour drive . In reality it’s less than 40 miles but because Slovenia is a member of the European Union and Croatia is not (until July 1, 2013) we have to pass through the border crossing, making the trip longer.

Following our game with Slovenia we play against Croatia and Hungary. These matches are the first international matches for the Under 14 Boys National Team. We have 20 players in our roster including Cody and three other players from Northern California.

I hope that everything is going well at home. Congratulations to all the teams who competed and represented Placer United at the Placer United Cup last weekend.

—Coach Matt

Julia Beck Commits to UOP

College Bound_Julia Beck_2013“I am very excited to announce that I have verbally committed to the University of the Pacific.  I’m grateful for the opportunity to play Division 1 soccer at such a prestigious academic institution.  After visiting the campus and meeting with the coaches and team, I’m confident in my decision and know it’s the perfect fit for me.  Keith Coleman and Carmen Padilla have been great to work with and I can’t wait to play soccer under their direction at UOP!

I want to thank my parents and family for always being so supportive and helping me reach my dream.  I would also like to thank my previous Boca coaches; Melissa Cavitt, who instilled a never-ending quest to be the best player I could be; Antonio Sutton, who inspired my crazy love for the game;  and Berhane Anderberhan, who taught me to be a technical, team player.

I would also like to recognize and thank my new coach, Ron Benjamin, for believing in me and being invaluable in the last steps of this process. I’m very grateful for your efforts and can’t wait to compete with my new Placer U18 Red team!

Finally, thank you to my incredible teammates, past and present, for always pushing me to the next level, on and off the field. You guys are some of my best friends and I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Go Tigers! — Julia Beck

Placer United Alumni Travel to Brazil

Placer United alumni and current University of Nevada Reno players: Melanie Bertrand (93), Kellyn Morning (94) and Marlo Smith (93), are currently in Brazil training and playing three friendly matches as they prepare for the 2013 season. Bertrand, a goalkeeper, and Smith, a forward, played for the Placer United 93 girls. Morning, a back, played on the Placer 94 squad.

Follow their journey on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/University-of-Nevada-Soccer/147450912539

Billy Baker Head to Lesley University

College Bound_Billy Baker_2013“I am pleased to announce that I have committed to Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where I will be majoring in psychology. It is very exciting to be able to continue my soccer career on the east coast. On my visit to Lesley, I immediately knew it was the school for me. The atmosphere of both Cambridge and Boston were surreal and unlike anywhere that I have ever been. After meeting the players and coaches I was reassured that I was making a good decision.

I would like to thank my parents for their huge commitment they have put into my soccer. With out them I would not be the man I am today.” — Billy Baker

Chandler Roselli Commits to Dominican University

College Bound_Chandler Roselli_2013“I am very pleased to announce that I will be attending and playing soccer at Dominican University next year. First I would like to thank my dad and family for everything they have done for me throughout my unpredictable soccer career. I wouldn’t be in this position if it weren’t for their love and support. Secondly, I would like to thank Jason Gantt for giving me the opportunity to play on such a prestigious team such as Placer United. Lastly, I thank every one of my teammates for pushing me to great lengths and always having my back when things got rough out on the pitch. I am honored that I will be representing Placer United at the college level and I will do my best to carry on what I have learned over the years with Placer. Thanks again to everyone who has supported me throughout my career and I look forward to what the future holds for me.” — Chandler Roselli

Ryan Longley Commits to William Jessup University

College Bound_Ryan Longley_2013“It is with great pride and gratitude I announce I will be attending William Jessup University in Rocklin in the Fall. Going to college was very important to me as is my love of soccer and being able to pursue both at WJU is an amazing opportunity. My educational goal is to obtain a degree in Public Policy or Business while expanding my personal growth. Under Coach Handy, I am very excited to begin a new chapter of soccer and realizing my dream of playing college ball. I want to sincerely thank the Club and extend my appreciation to Paul and Jason for their coaching and leadership. Without their ‘calm and understated’ encouragement on and off the field, I would not be the same player. During my three years with Placer, teammates have become friends and I look forward to continuing to play with those also going to WJU!” —Ryan Longley

Maria dela Cruz Minds the Net in 6-0 Victory over Iran

Maria dela Cruz, Placer United ’94 alumni, played all 90 minutes in goal for the Phillipines Women’s National Team opening qualifier. The game ended 6-0 with a victory over Iran at the Asia Cup qualifiers in Bangladesh.

Follow Maria and the Asia Qualifiers on Facebook “Malditas (Phillipines Women’s National Team).

Alumni_Maria dela Cruz_05_2013