SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – The last day of the Surf Cup ended in a round of finals yesterday at the San Diego Polo Grounds.  Fatigue had set in deep all around as players were in their fifth game of the weekend  –  the cool ocean air swept into the pitch in the last hours of the tournament, but the victors of the day walked off the fields with more satisfaction than just wind on their faces.

Super U19 Boys – Pachuca USA 4, Slammers FC 3

This game saw the most spent players on the field.  It wasn’t only the last game of the event, but it was the longest.  When the excitement finished at 6 p.m., the air was beginning to chill and all the vendors had already packed up to go home.    

The U19 boys went into double overtime with a 3-3 tie and finally ended their match with a bout of penalty kicks.  

In the first ten, Pachuca USA’s Chris Makowski went down on the right wing at the nine after getting fouled with a slide tackle from behind.  This created a chance for Pachuca to take home the victory right then and there with a penalty kick, but Slammer FC’s keeper Federico Antonelli saved Nicholas Van Hollen’s shot down the middle.

The second ten was uneventful, the ball being passed back and forth on the pitch until the ten minutes was over.

It was the good hands of Pachuca’s keeper Seth MacMillan that sent Pachuca USA home with triumphant cheers.   Save for one penalty kick, Pachuca USA put in all of their balls to the back of the net.  MacMillan stopped two of the Slammer’s shots from going in.  

It was probably the most exhausting, yet satisfying victory of the day.

Super U17 Girls – So Cal Blues Dodge 5, Eagles Premier 4

Coincidentally, the ladies’ version of the Super U19 Boys game, the Super U17 Girls game, happened side by side on fields 11 and 12.  So Cal Blues and Eagles Premier went into double overtime with a score of 4-4 and resolved the game through penalty kicks.

The girls were done in and rare spurts of energy on the defensive ends of both sides kept the ball in the midfield.  

The tiebreaker round looked as if it too were going to end in a deadlock as player by player launched in their shots into the net.  It was on the fifth and last shot by Eagles Premier player Monique Pendleberry where So Cal Blues goalie Ashley Harris made a spectacular save to finally win the game.

Super U19 Girls – Real So Cal White 3, Vancouver Whitecaps FC 1

The two teams entered the halftime with a score of 1-0, Vancouver’s favor.  Vancouver Whitecaps' goal was sent in by Nicole Sutterland off an assist by Alyssa Bowen, a header goal inside the box.  

In the second half, Rita Hurbut one-timed the ball to Michelle Cruz who kicked in Real So Cal’s first goal.  

Real So Cal found their second goal with help from their goalie, Lauren Weaver who launched a free kick towards the Whitecaps’ goal that Ariana Martinez volleyed in.  

The final goal was from Michelle Cruz again off a header from a corner kick by Rita Hurbut. 

Super U17 Boys – Real So Cal 6, Pateadores Blue 0

Real So Cal trounced Pateadores Blue in a shutout game.  

The first goal was a header in from the corner kick by Andrew Tusaazemaja.  Israel Sandoval followed up with his own shot from the outside right corner into the back of the net.  Tusaazemaja pumped in Real So Cal’s third goal off of a reflection in the box.

Ericson Penate scored Real So Cal’s fourth and fifth goals.  Penate kicked in the first after receiving a pass from Tusaazemaja with a shot from the left wing outside the box.  His second goal was on a 1v1 break from the 18 to the 18.

Enrique Ruiz drew the death blow from inside the 18 on the left wing, kicking in a goal low to the far post.  

Super U16 Girls -  Mustang FC Rampage 3, Slammers FC 2 

Super U16 Boys - CDA Academy 2, Pateadores White 0

Gold U17 Boys – Gilbert Arsenal Premier 1, San Juan Lightning 0

This match seemed designed to head into a 0-0 draw when in the final moments a worn out Gilbert Arsenal prevented the overtime. This match started out with a couple early chances by Arizona side Gilbert Arsenal - Angel Luna sent in the first goal attempt of the day in the third minute with a shot one yard out that fell too wide.  Joseph Clemente followed with his own shot after running down the middle and kicking in a ball inside the box that the keeper slapped away.

The ball vacillated in the midfield as San Juan would gain possession but Gilbert Arsenal defense would retake possession.  Arsenal’s Bryan Suarez started out the first half with a few good tackles that helped Gilbert Arsenal become the attacking team.  

San Juan’s Michael Brixey played great defense on the right wing, stopping balls and forcing players to the line.  However, Northern California side San Juan Lightning had some trouble of their own by getting caught at the sideline and not being able to cross the ball to the space in the middle.

{mosimage:300}There were a few rousing moments on the side of Gilbert Arsenal.  Joseph Clemente created an exciting moment when he ran down the line battling past his defender to get inside the box to slide in the ball to the far post – goalkeeper stopped the ball.  Another time, Bo Bechtel kicked in a chance inside the box off of a throw in and 3 of his teammates caught his deflection and pumped in a few goal attempts of their own before San Juan Lightning was able to clear it out of their goal.

Arsenal’s forward, number 17 Bryan Suarez, had a good first half, using his speed to distribute the ball.  San Juan’s 17, Maxwell Flye, was also a key player for his team – he played the ball wide and created opportunities in the middle.  His long throw ins were a threat to Gilbert Arsenal.

Arsenal saw most of the goal chances early in the half, but San Juan Lightning began settling the ball more after having some trouble losing possession of the ball in the air.

San Juan Lightning was the bigger and more physical team of the day, but Gilbert Arsenal showed good ability in using space and spreading the ball out.  The half ended in a stalemate.  

San Juan’s Mohammad Navad started the second half with a chance when he headed in a ball off of a free kick that was repelled by the keeper and kicked out of the space by Arsenal’s Brian Hoyt.

It looked like San Juan’s Lysander Graves was going to have a breakaway as he ran the ball down the middle.  Graves was about to launch in a shot inside the box when Ryan Holt used his speed to trail Graves and side tackle the ball out.

As the clock neared its end, both sides were firing in chances.  In the end, it was Gilbert Arsenal’s superb passing ability and teamwork that settled the game.  In the 68th minute, Gilbert’s Brian Hoyt was able to slide in the ball inside the nine past the keeper’s fingertips with an assist from the midfield by Bo Bechtel.

The game ended 1-0.

Gold U16 Girls – Oregon Rush 4, West Coast FC 1

Oregon Rush held onto control of the game through the entire 70 minutes of play.  Kristen Parrs launched in Rush’s first goal on a breakaway.  McKayla Madison drove in the second on a cross from Tatum Randall.  The score was 2-0 going into the half.  

The second half started with another goal in by Kristen Parrs – this time a 2v1 drive down the middle.  McKayla Madison created an ABAB pattern with a goal in from the corner with an assist by Gabriella Vasquez – the first chance bounced off the keeper, but Madison slid it right back in.

West Coast FC’s McKenna Marmelstein prevented the shutout by sending in a goal after receiving a pass off her knee from the corner inside the box.

Gold U17 Girls – Neusport FC Green 1, Emerald City FC Green 0

This was a fairly evenly matched game.  Fatigue wore down both sides, but it was Neusport with more of the chances throughout the game.  

In the 30th minute, Neusport won the game when Indiana Mead passed the ball in the upper 90 to Bethanie Skelton who shot it inside the box off the right wing into the side of the net.

 
Gold U19 Girls – Sonoma County Alliance 2, Boulder Co Force Red 1

Seven minutes into the first half, Boulder Force’s Meghan Stuart released a ball into the goal inside the box but Sonoma County goalkeeper Ashley Luis beat it out.  Cassidy Larson caught the deflection inside the 18 and kicked it in past the keeper’s fingertips to the far right post.

Just a couple minutes later, Sonoma County Alliance’s Natalee Simon received a corner kick in the box and shot in a diagonal ball into the back of the net to bring the score to 1-1.

The rest of the game was scoreless and the two teams headed into overtime.

Boulder Force had the first couple chances in overtime, the first being a corner kick by Anna Evans.  Molly McGuigan had a free kick at midfield and her ball was went long and straight into the keeper’s hands.  

Sonoma County’s Colette Bohen finished the game with a diagonal kick at the right wing to the far post, sliding a goal in past the goalie’s fingertips.      

Gold U16 Boys – Players SC 3, Notts Forest 2

Notts Forest had the 2-0 advantage going into the second half.  Notts Forest’s first goal was off a penalty kick by Spencer Williams.  Their second was from Tyler Perez after Player SC’s goalie pushed up and Perez had a look into the empty goal.  

The second half happened quick with a brisk response from Players SC – two plays in a row of 1-2-3 breakaways from Edgar Nava and Irvin Gijon gave Players SC the tie with Notts Forest.  

Irvin Gijon gave Players SC their 3-2 victory off of a penalty kick.

Gold U19 Boys – Santa Clara Sporting 1, Inter FC 0

In a heart-breaking finish, Inter FC’s Austin Morris headed in a ball into his own goal off a deflection after Santa Clara Sporting played it down the line and kicked in a goal chance on the right wing.  This was an evenly matched game, but Santa Clara Sporting had possession for most of the game.  They maintained control even when Inter FC pushed five forwards up.  

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