Placer United Teams Make their Mark in the Red Group at Norcal State Cup Championships
Posted On February 16, 2015 by PUSC
Placer United U13 Boys 02 Gold
2015 Red 2 Diamond 1 Norcal State Cup Champions
The U13 Boys 02 Gold had a rocky start to the event in September with a flurry of injuries but bounced back as they advanced through the tournament. In the first round the boys had a win versus Cap FC but two defeats to RCU and Sagebrush. In the second round, Placer had a 0-0 draw versus Blues and then had a convincing 3-0 win over Santa Rosa AC Milan. In the final game, the team came up on the short end of a thriller, 1-2 to Atletico Santa Rosa. Placer then moved on to the Red 2 Diamond 1 Championship bracket. In the quarter-finals, the team had a solid 3-1 victory of DeAnza Force Silver. In the semi-finals, the boys upended DeAnza Force Black, 5-3. That placed Placer in the championship game yesterday versus a very solid PAC San Jose squad. The game was back and forth and neither team could find the back of the net. With eight minutes remaining, Placer United converted a scoring chance and sealed the 1-0 victory!
The 2014 State Cup Champion, U12 Boys 03 Gold, made quite a run through the Red Group. In the first round, Placer scored 25 goals and conceded zero to take first place in the group. They had an 11-0 win over Cal Blues, 8-0 win over Inter Rage and a 6-0 win over Davis Legacy. In the second round, the goal was to reach the Top 8 in the State. The boys defeated Ethos 3-0 and then followed that up with a 1-0 win over Central California Soccer Alliance Black. The boys needed a win in game three to advance to the Final 8. In a game that saw the boys miss a number of scoring chances against Cal Odyssey, the boys conceded their first goal of the tournament and the game ended in a 1-1 draw. Unfortunately, Placer was tied in points after the three games and the boys lost out on overall goal differential. The team moved into the Red 1 State 2 Playoff. In the quarter-finals, Placer beat Evergreen United 1-0. In the semi-finals, the boys tied with San Juan Blue after a barrage of shots and chances but could not break the 1-1 deadlock. The game went to penalty kicks and the boys came up on the short end. In their final game for 11th place in the State, the boys bounced back with a 1-0 victory over DeAnza Force Silver. Placer ended up with 33 goals for and only 2 against in the State Cup. Outstanding!
The U13 Girls 02 Gold also had a tremendous run through the Red Group of State Cup. In the opening round, Placer rattled off three straight victories, 1-0 over Delta, 4-1 over Bay Oaks Bombers and a 3-0 win over Livermore Fusion. The girls landed in a very difficult Round 2 group. In Game #1, despite having multiple chances to blow the game open, they fell 1-2 to Mustang Blast. In Game #2, the girls bounced back, needing a win, with a 2-0 win over Union City Premier. Needing a win to advance to the Final 8, Placer faced one of the top teams in the State, Juventus Ragazze. It was a back and forth match but the girls ended up on the short end, losing 2-1. The girls moved into the Red 1 Premier 1 Cup Championships. Placer opened up the quarter-finals with a 2-0 win over Sacramento United Red. In the semi-finals, the girls won a nail biter, beating a very athletic San Francisco Vikings team 1-0. The championship game was versus the San Mateo Stars. Both teams had a few chances to win the game but the defenses stood strong and the game was scoreless after regulation. The teams battled through two 5-minute overtime periods and the game remained scoreless. The game was then decided by penalty kicks and the girls came up on the short end. Congratulations on finishing up #18 in the State!
Placer United U12 Girls 03 Black qualified for the Red Group of State Cup and ground their way through the tournament. In the first round, the Placer had a narrow 0-1 defeat to 49er United. In Game 2, the girls were up ended by Boca 1-4. The team bounced back with a 1-1 draw with Rocklin. In the second round, the girls opened with a great result versus Sac United Red, 0-0. In Game 2, they met up with Manteca and lost a thrilling game 2-3. In Game 3, the team fought back from a 3-1 deficit and drew 3-3 with Cal Odyssey South Earthquakes. The team then moved into the Red 2 Diamond 2 knock out round. In the quarter-finals, the girls had another great game, defeating Atletico Santa Rosa, 3-2. In the semi-finals, the team had a dominating 3-1 win over Tahuichi Academy. The win placed the girls in the championship game versus Walnut Creek Earthquakes. It was a very good game and both teams had opportunities to find the back of the net. Down 2-0, Placer fought til the end but came up a bit short.
Next weekend, the U11 Boys 04 Gold and the U11 Girls 04 Gold will also be playing in their final cup matches of the year. The U11 girls made it to the top group of State Cup and will be playing in the 7th/8th place game! They will square off versus the winner of San Juan and Mustang. The U11 boys defeated Tahuichi, 4-3 in the semi-finals on Saturday to reach the Red 1 State 2 Final. They will play the winner of Turlock and Sac United Reds. Both games will be held in Modesto this Sunday.
Congratulations to all of our teams on a great run through the State Cup!