DEL MAR, California – The Surf Cup finals concluded with six declared champions on Monday in the perennially sunny San Diego.  Today was a bout of hard-fought matches, good plays and also a fair share of drama. 

U13 Girls - West Coast FC 0 Arsenal FC 2

When the West Coast FC and Arsenal FC squared off at the San Diego Polo Grounds, they were reviving a Surf Cup rivalry.  This was to be the third time that these two teams were to face off in the finals.  Arsenal FC emerged as the victor in the two times these teams matched up in the past and they held on to that legacy today.  The final score was 2-0 with goals from Maribell Morales and Mayra Pelayo-Bernal.

Arsenal FC set a brisk pace from the start with an early chance by McKenzie Taylor.  In the first few minutes of the game, Maribell Morales slid in Arsenal FC’s first goal after the goalkeeper got faked out to the left. 

Arsenal goalkeeper Charlee Pruitt played tough defense and wouldn’t let anything get past her all day long.

The remainder of the half featured good action from both teams, with Arsenal FC in particular getting the advantage by winning balls in the air and moving forward.  West Coast FC had good chances too with their big plays in – their long throws and corner kicks opening up opportunities for goals.

Ten minutes before the half was over, Mayra Pelayo-Bernal launched a header into the goal and won Arsenal’s second goal.   

In the second half, Arsenal player Hanna Armendariz shone all around but especially in her ability to win the ball in the 1v1 and to get the ball down the line to the open player.  Both teams gave it their all but no goals were scored for the rest of the game.  

Key players in this game were Arsenal FC’s Mayra Pelao-Bernal and Hanna Armendariz.

U15 Boys – Fram CQ Vipers 2, Albion SC 1

It was Albion SC’s Dominic Chavez who skimmed in the first goal of the game after receiving a corner kick one yard out from the goal but it was Fram CQ Vipers that took charge of the rest of the game by creating a number of early chances.

The Fram triple threat on the right – Sebastian Cortez, Kendal Olvares and Elvis Payeras, led by Sebastian, put in combinations of pass-and-go throughout the entire game to consistently push the ball to the goal.  Juan Aguiano was their creator on the left side who opened up plenty of opportunities for the threesome to pass to for a goal chance.

Juan Aguiano shot in a good ball into the net and it was only the leaping one-handed save by Albion keeper Colin Webb that stopped the ball from going in.  A few seconds later, Aguiano used his skill and running ability to fire in Fram CQ’s first goal over the goalkeeper’s fingertips and into the net.

Albion SC had some trouble getting the second touch.   Fram CQ Vipers played dynamically the rest of the half, dictating the game by good use of space.  The half ended in a 1-1 tie.

The first half was the precedent for the rest of the game.  The Vipers entered the second half creating a number of early chances.  Mario Ortiz delivered a good corner kick and Sebastian Cortez received it and sent a shot that was destined for the back of the net.  Whether Juan Aguiano's final touch was necessary for the final goal, somebody else can decide.  The score was now 2-1.

The field was more balanced out as Albion SC showed more ability to bring the ball into the midfield away from the Vipers’ strong side and improved in connecting passes in the second half.  However, it was the Vipers’ ability to put in 70 minutes of excellent running as fatigue set in toward the end that clinched the game.

Standout players in this match were Fram CQ Vipers's Sebastian Cortez and Juan Aguiano.

U14 Girls - MLVA 1, San Diego Surf 2

This was the second time the Surf defeated the U14 MVLA team at the Surf Cup this year, their first victory coming from bracket play on Sunday, but this still was a closely matched game.  No goals were scored until near the end of the first half.  MVLA player Caitlyn Wong headed in the first goal of the game with only a few minutes to go in the first half.

MVLA's strengths were in their free kicks and set pieces.  

San Diego Surf got their first goal when player Abigail Callahan crossed the ball to Caroline Jensen who flicked it into the net. They sealed in their victory when Abigail Callahan kicked in Surf's second goal off of a throw in.

U15 Girls -  Arsenal FC 1, So Cal Blues 3

So Cal Blues put in two goals in the first half.  The first goal was a connecting pass into the box with So Cal Blues player Kelly Fitzgerald sliding it into the net.  Sydney Zuccolotto, who was a key player for the Blues throughout the tournament, brought in their second goal with a header off of a corner kick.

In the second half, Kelly Fitzgerald glided in So Cal Blue's third and final goal past the goalkeeper.  Danielle Fitzgerald prevented the shut out by scoring Arsenal FC's only goal of the game bringing the score to 3-1.  

U13 Boys - Real So Cal 1, LAFC 5

The journey to the finals was a difficult one for LAFC.  Their sweeper was given a red card in a previous game and so was out of commission for the finals.  This posed a defensive challenge for LAFC in the game against Real So Cal.  LAFC's Jordan Cabrera also suffered an ankle injury and was unable to play in today's game.

The 5-1 victory was a combination of factors: the match was hard fought by LAFC to make up for the players they had lost throughout the tournament.  They also brought with them their experience as the #1 team in the nation in their age bracket.  And lastly, one parent commented, "The boys really wanted to do it for Jordan because he couldn't play today.  He was their inspiration."

 A true heart warmer, LAFC took home the trophy.   

U14 Boys - West Coast FC 2, Diablo FC 1

If the U13 Boys game was the heart warmer of the tournament, the game between West Coast FC and Diablo FC was probably the most dramatic game of the finals.  Both teams became fired up as the action progressed with spectators on both sides feeding the flames.  

The game was a 0-0 tie until a questionable call by the referee earned West Coast FC's Christian Carillo a goal off a penalty kick.  

Diablo FC's Juan Velasquez responded in kind with a goal off of a corner kick.  West Coast's goalkeeper blocked the shot once, but couldn't recover in time to stop Velasquez's ball into the net.

Steven Ortiz won the game for West Coast in the tie breaker with an assist by Christian Carillo.  

In the excitement over their victory, West Coast's celebration soon turned into what seemed like a bout of taunting.  Tempers flared and Diablo players, parents and coaches were enraged.  Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed and a couple parents and referees to broke up what might have been a potential fight.