LAS VEGAS, Nevada – Ziad Khoury, the coach of the U15 Slammers FC girls, has a simple philosophy.

“I’m a firm a believer that if you make great plays – pass and combine and keep possessions, that something good will eventually come out of it,” Khoury said. “If you look at all the great teams, eventually something good comes from them playing together – whether it’s a great combination or a lucky play.”

The Slammers didn’t need much luck while proving their coach right in a 4-0 victory against Brentwood 95 Premier (Tennessee) on Saturday at the Las Vegas College Showcase.

After a half of trying to make good on several strong combinations, the Slammers finally broke through in the second half led by an opening goal from Mayra Almazan.

Almazan established that she was the best player on the field pretty quickly. The left-footed midfielder has a special quality to her game. She’s great at taking players on, is often impossible to turn back 1v1, and she has quick feet. Her biggest issue was that she often anticipated things happening quicker than her teammates responded to her.

“I’ve always played with boys and learned how to do a lot of moves so I’m used to playing fast and it helps my speed,” Almazan said. “We had been playing good soccer since yesterday but we couldn’t finish and (our coach) was telling us someone had to be determined to put the first goal in and more would come.”

So Almazan took the reins. She was joined by a potent starting lineup that included Ashlynn Harryman, Markie Henderson, Savannah Levin, Madeline Bauer, Savannah Levin, Monica Gomez, Nicole Porro, Shianne Mack and Arabella Andujar.

The Slammers are a truly entertaining team to watch and they play a brand of soccer that their coach implores.

Brentwood made the occasional counter attack – Morgan Key-Adams and Margaret Howard got good looks at goals – but could not sustain their pressure against such a loaded opponent. 

Oh, well. Neither can a lot of teams.

Major Gusts

Not uncommon during the Vegas Showcase, the tournament was hijacked midway through the day by intense gusts of wind. The difficult elements changed the course of the competition and clearly took its toll on every match. There were discernible advantages and disadvantages based on the direction each team was attacking in relation to the wind, and goals were much tougher to come by.

Other Observations

Trisha Tshudy made a sweet goal during the afternoon that sent her U16 FC Delco teammates into jubilation. The sight of the entire team sprinting in unison against the gale force wind was a memorable one … U17 Arizona Sting forward Alexandra Doller was among the hardest workers we saw during Day Two of the showcase. Doll was undaunted by the tough conditions, made great runs and continually fought for possessions. … U16 FC Dallas attacker Ashley Alonzo receives the tough woman award for the day. Alonzo sustained a bloody nose, that took a few minutes and few different attendants to stop, while competing against Neusport FC 94 Green but fought through it and showed little effects. … Alexandra Doody, of the U17 FC Stars of Massachusetts, was one of our favorite players during Day 2. She showed niftiness, speed and determination while creating chances for herself and her teammates.

Rewind

One performance omitted from Day One coverage of the Vegas Showcase was that of U17 Irvine Strikers player Izzy Pozurama. With great size and a powerful right leg, she recorded two goals in her team’s opening match – both on free kicks. She was able to bend in terrific shots in both instances.

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Day Two

U15

Eagles Blue (CA) 2, Central Valley YSL Chilipeppers (CA) 0

Las Vegas Premier 95 White 1, North Atlanta SA NASA 13 Elite II (GA) 0

Slammers FC G94 4, Brentwood 95 Premier (Tennessee) 0

Breakaway (CA) 2, Leahi SC Premier (HI) 0

Las Vegas Premier 95 White 2, Central Valley YSL Chilipeppers (CA) 0

Eagles Blue (CA) 2, North Atlanta SA NASA 13 Elite II 0

Slammers FC G94 3, Leahi SC 95 Premier (HI) 1

Breakaway (CA) 5, Brentwood 95 Premier (TN)

U16

NSA Premier Fury (Illinois) 6, Santa Clara Sporting 1

Chantilly SC Burn (VA) 1, Eastside FC 93 Red 0

North OKC OFC 94 (OK) 1, ASA Xtreme 94 Elite (GA) 1

Legends FC G93 (OK) 2, Real New Jersey SC Power 1

Santa Clara Sporting 93/94 3, Chantilly SC Burn (VA) 0

North OKC OFC 94 (OK) 3, NE Fury (IL) 1

Eastside FC 93 Red (WA) 1, Real New Jersey SC Power 0

Legends FC G93 1, ASA Xtreme 94 Elite (GA) 1

 

U17

Mountain View/Los Altos SC Avalanche (CA) 3, Hurricane FC 93 Shubert (OK) 3

De Anza Force 92 Blue (CA) 2, Penn Fusion SA 92 Gaels (PA) 1

Santa Clarita United Blazers (CA) 0, Bethesda SC Dragons 0

Arsenal FC (CA) 2, Syosset/FC Sting 92 Elite (NY) 2

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