The Placer United boys teams continued where the girls left off the weekend before as of five of our teams advanced to the semi-final rounds of the 2016 Davis College showcase.

The Placer United 2001 Gold, 2003 Academy, 2004 Academy and 1998 Black boys teams all played strong Davis teams in their quest to make the championship game, while our 2000 Boys were drawn against a tough Santa Clara Sporting.

In the 2004 Boys game, Placer trailed 2-1 at the half but the new look yellow submariners came out flying and crashed through the red sea to secure a great come back win of 5-2 and sail into their second consecutive Davis Showcase final.

Placer United 04 Academy – 2016 Davis Showcase Champions

Over on field eleven, the 2003 Boys were also dressed to impress in their smart looking new yellow kits and were involved in a thrilling back and forth affair. With Davis leading 1-0, the Placer 2003 boys scored two back-to-back goals just before the half to lead 2-1 at the whistle. Placer finished out the game 3-2 to advance to their second consecutive Davis Showcase final.

Placer United 03 Academy – 2016 Davis Showcase Finalists

The 2001 Boys, who earlier beat tournament favorites Galt FC in a dramatic quarter final PK shootout, couldn’t seem to find the much needed  energy to beat a Republic FC loaded Davis team, despite creating a few 1v1 opportunities. The boys never really controlled the game and lost 2-0.

In the 2000 Boys semi-final, Placer scored off a great free kick to take a 1-0 lead against Santa Clara. Placer then conceded an unlucky goal which tied up the game at one a piece at the final whistle. The team from Santa Clara Sporting  eventually won 4-3.

The surprise team of the tournament was the Placer 98 Boys Black team who had a very comfortable win over another Davis team. Our boys controlled the game from start to finish to win 2-1 and advance to their first Davis College Showcase final.

Placer United 98 Boys Black – 2016 Davis Showcase Champions

The final day was a super exciting one with three Placer United Boys teams all looking to take home first place silverware. The day started out with the 2004 Boys going up against a very skillful De Anza Force team. But as has been the story with most our their games in this tournament, the Placer boys looked very much like a Dortmund Jr team and never allowed the De Anza team to settle on the ball as their high pressure game forced the De Anza team into countless turnovers. Placer never looked in any danger throughout the game as they easily won 2-0 to take home their second Davis Showcase champion title. Great job by James Shepard on being named the Davis Showcase 2004 Boys MVP!

James Shepard – 2016 Davis Showcase MVP with Coach Paul O’Brien

While the 04 Boys were battling De Anza, the Placer 2003 Boys were in a dog fight with a very good Napa Academy team. With 70 minutes up on the clock and the Placer leading 1-0,  the referee  indicated that he was adding 3 mins, only to allow Napa to score in the 80th minute to tie the game and force an overtime period. 

In the first half of overtime play, Napa scored a long range bomb to lead 2 -1. In the second half, with their 2004 club mates sitting on the sidelines cheering them on, the 2003 Boys pushed for the all important equalizer. With only seconds remaining, the boys played a great combination to get open in the Napa box only to be tripped up at the last second and be denied what looked like a very clear PK. Unfortunately it wasn’t given and Placer lost out 2-1.

In the 98 Boys Final, Placer faced a very competitive CVU team. The boys had tied with this team earlier in their bracket game 3-3. So we all knew this was going to be a tough one. The game was back and forth with chances being wasted by both teams. At full time the scoreboard read 0-0 and overtime was now on. In the second half of overtime, the 98 Boys took advantage of their one chance to score and finished out their great weekend by taking home the Championship by a score of 1-0.

A great job by everybody and congratulations to all our teams on their very good performances at both the Boys and Girls Davis Showcase events.

Go Placer!

The 2005 Girls Gold team completed Spring League with a perfect 10-0-0 record having scored 47 goals while conceding 9.  The team played fast attractive attacking soccer coupled with aggressive defense, highlighted by Alyssa Savig’s full extended penalty save. The team was awarded the 2nd seed in this weekend’s Cross Regional playoff and opens play against Pleasanton Rage 05 Orange 1.

The 2004 Girls Gold team finished with a 8-0-1 record having scored 48 goals while conceding only 1 goal in their second to last game.  The team was balanced offensively with 11 different players scoring goals while recording seven consecutive shutouts.  The team will open Cross Regional play this weekend as the 3rd seed against Force South 04G 1.

Placer United U11B 06 Black – 2016 Davis Legacy League 1 Champions

Coach Pete’s Placer United U11B 06 Black gave their moms a huge gift on Mother’s Day by winning the U11 League 1 Championship at the Davis Legacy Tournament.

The boys edged out a tough Santa Rosa team in their opening game to win 5-4 and followed up with wins of 9-0 versus Galaxy Blues and 3-0 versus SDA to advance to the final.

Their opponent in the final was a very strong Peninsula SC. Placer United led 1-0 at halftime in a very tight encounter as both teams created a ton of chances in an entertaining back and forth game. In the second half, Placer scored three late goals to secure the win to the delight of all the moms who gave up their champagne brunch plans to support the boys in their first big final of the year.

A special mention to Eric McGuire who also received a “Player of the Tournament” award.

Congratulations Coach Pete and 06B Black!

Jessica Santos will begin her international soccer career this summer for the Guamanian Women’s National Team. The ‘Masakada’ had tryouts and an ID camp in June of 2015 in which Santos was identified and ultimately selected. Santos, a 2011 graduate of Rocklin High School, starred for her college team, Notre Dame de Namur out of Belmont, CA. In four seasons with the Argonauts, Santos compiled 21 goals, 11 assists for a total of 65 pts. She started in 67 of 68 games in her collegiate career. Next up for Santos is the East Asian Football Federation Round 1 Qualifiers. Guam (GFA) has been selected to host this event from June 27-July 5, 2016. If the Masakada advance to Round 2 of Qualifiers, Jessica will head to Taipei, Taiwan November 5-18 where the event is hosted.

In the meantime, Jessica is the Assistant Coach for the Rocklin High School girls soccer team.

Congratulations Jess on a great collegiate career and good luck this summer!

Placer United alum, Daylon Schiffel, follows his sister Madelyn into the professional game signing with the UPSL Santa Clarita Storm. Daylon graduated last year from the University of Arkansas and is back in his native California playing the beautiful game.

“Daylon is a midfielder with an excellent passing accuracy and what appears to be a natural ability to distribute to the open players,” said Storm Head Coach Oscar Moreno. “He seems to have a great ability in knowing where his teammates are and where the ball should be. He’s got good vision of the game and we’ve seen that right from the start. He seem to fit right in. When someone stands out you know he is playing with confidence and when a player plays like that, that is what catches your eye”.

Daylon has played at the Premier Development League level and with the University of Arkansas, so the high level of competition in the UPSL will be what Daylon is used to playing. For upcoming games, follow the Storm on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/futbolclubsantaclarita

Good Luck Daylon! Go Placer!

by Steven Wilson, Sports Editor – The Press Tribune
photo Brent Robken Photography

Placer United Goalkeeper, Ryan Kelly

February 16, 2016 — Four days after Rocklin High student-athlete Trevor Wildberger lost his battle to cancer this past August, Roseville High’s Ryan Kelly slipped a fluorescent green bracelet over his wrist and it’s been there ever since.

Scribed on the soft rubber is Trevor’s full name and the date of his passing, August 25, 2015, which serves as a reminder for Kelly to keep the game of soccer in perspective and cherish each day he gets to take the field.

“Everyone loved him,” Kelly explained. “He was really nice and he was a goalkeeper like me, so we trained together. I got really close to him in just the month and a half that I knew him. When he passed away, everyone was devastated.”

Toward the end of 2013, while playing goalie for Placer United, Wildberger was injured in the process of making a save. The injury resulted in a hospital visit and, although the ensuing x-rays came back negative, they revealed a mass in his adrenal gland. Two months later, he was diagnosed with Stage IV Neuroblastoma Cancer.

“As soon as he passed away, I started playing each game for him,” the Roseville High senior added. “I’ve tried to use his same mentality and that’s really helped me.

“He was always a happy person. No matter how bad his cancer was, or how sick he was, he would always come out to our practices, try as hard as he could and even if he made a bad play, he would (forget about it) and move on to the next play. He was just always happy.”

Utilizing a similarly positive mindset, Kelly saw an improvement in his play and became a dominant force on the field. Not only did he earn six shutouts for the Roseville Tigers varsity team this past season in the cage, but he’s been a standout goalie for Placer United as well.

Kelly’s outstanding play on the pitch this past year helped him earn a scholarship to Sonoma State, where he will join the men’s soccer program and fight for playing time at goalkeeper.

“It’s pretty much a dream come true,” he confessed. “I’ve always wanted to play college soccer, so to play at Sonoma, where it’s not too far and I can also come home after soccer season, it’s just a perfect location for me. I also love the school, the coach is really nice, so I feel like it’s a perfect fit for me.”

Although he’s moving on to the Division II level, Kelly will continue to honor Wildberger and plans to do so for the foreseeable future.

“Before our games, we say, ‘Trevor is here with us,’ so he’s still an inspiration for all of us,” Kelly said. “I’m definitely going to continue that.”

During his speech at Placer United’s signing ceremony last Wednesday, Kelly brought up Wildberger’s passing and shared his fondest memories of the young goalkeeper. Afterwards, he spoke of his close friend and his will to persevere through tough times.

“If someone is struggling that hard, you should be able to persevere through anything you’re dealing with,” Kelly concluded.