Placer United U17 and U16 Boys Advance to the Nor-Cal Finals

Posted On April 15, 2010 by PUSC

Congratulations to Placer U17 and U16 as both teams advance to the Nor-Cal finals for the second year in a row on May 8th.

The U17 Boys beat out a strong Walnut Creek team in the quarter final game 2-1, but suffered a huge blow as goalkeeper Luca Liccardi picked up an injury which ruled him out of the semi final game against a highly fancied Morelia team that put 4 past a good San Jaun team.

The boys were already missing some key players due to spring break and injuries, but with the help of some U16 players, Benedict twins, Grant and Kyle, as well as, Sam O’Brien, and with field player Noe Romero standing between the sticks, Placer beat Morelia 1-0 and advanced to their second straight Nor-Cal final which will be played May 8th.

Over the two days, Placer had strong performances from all players, especially Eddy Arreola, Ben Steiner, Brian Ramanis, Paul Villa, and Connor Puhala, to name a few.

The U16 Boys won their quarter final by the score of 5-1 against Tri Valley United who had a player red carded early in the game. The boys did a good job of being patient with the ball and taking their chances at the right time, especially as Tri Valley was coached by the former US Mens National Team, and MLS coach Lothar Osiander. Goals from Gio, Danny, Bert and Swifty sealed the win, and moved them into the semi’s which they won 3-1 against the Aztecs who beat a surprised Marin the day before with a 3-1 victory.

The game was played in heavy rain and gale force winds which affected the short passing game of the Aztecs who couldn’t deal with the high pressure game of the Placer team in these conditions. Coach Jason Gantt praised the overall team performance against two strong teams and takes the boys into the Nor-Cal finals for the second straight year.

Again congratulations to both teams.