The Orchard Valley Youth Soccer League U12 boys 12U Pumas team
defeated the Santa Rosa Rangers 4-0 in the first game of the State
Cup preliminaries on Saturday.
CASTRO VALLEY – The Orchard Valley Youth Soccer League U12 boys 12U Pumas team defeated the Santa Rosa Rangers 4-0 in the first game of the State Cup preliminaries on Saturday.
With their star midfielder Bruce Ocana on the DL, the Pumas received strong play from Anthony Velazquez. Velazquez’s control in midfield helped the Pumas dominate the entire 50 minutes.
Derek Majjasie in goal stopped the one shot he faced. After 11 minutes, Velazquez scored when the ball deflected out off a defender from a corner kick.
The Pumas had many opportunities in the first half by Robert Adam, Noe Rivera, Jeremy Valdez and Phillip Thrappas. At half time the score remained 1-0.
In the second half, Valdez crossed from the left, and Adam beat the goalie to push the ball into the bottom left corner.
Defenders Peter Guenther, Derek Wang and Ben Stuart gave up only one corner kick in the game.
In the 41st minute, the Pumas pressured the Santa Rosa defense again with a through ball in the middle to Noe Rivera, who beat one defender and then the goalie Rivera to put the ball in the net for the third goal.
Right midfielder Eric Sanchez, who was the top scorer in the Pumas unbeaten run to the final 16 last year, gave the Pumas a strong effort, and Rauley Cambra controlled the left.
Phillip Thrappas was particularly strong as stopper helping control the Santa Rosa forwards and mounting the counter attack.
Peter Guenther collected the ball from a Santa Rosa forward, beat one player before placing an accurate ball through to Adam on the left. Adam controlled the ball and then hit a blistering left-footed shot wide of the stranded keeper. Substitutes Dakota Hoskins, Jordan Schaefer, Jorge Montano and Alex Pineiros also gave the Pumas a solid outing.
In the second game on Sunday, the Pumas pounded the Modesto Storm 7-0.
The Pumas scored their first of seven in less than two minutes into the game when center striker Rivera took a strong shot high and wide of the keeper. Rivera’s second goal came after 15 minutes when he collected the ball 10 yards outside the penalty box, ran 12 yards and slotted the ball firmly past the advancing goal keeper.
Modesto built some attacking drives and managed to get a shot on goal, but Majjasie was able to clear the ball inside the goal area.
Three minutes before the break, Adam made it 3-0 when a partial clearance from a Velazquez corner bounced behind the retreating Adam.
With his back to the goal and just inside the 18-yard box, Adam hit a solid overhead kick over the keeper’s head.
The second half brought no relief for the besieged Modesto defense. Rivera, now playing stopper, collected the ball and took a powerful toe shot from the 18-yard line, beating the defense for his hat trick and the fourth Pumas goal.
At this point, the Pumas coaches moved offensive players into defense and midfield and pulled some key players in an attempt to keep the score down.
However, even with players out of their normal position, the Pumas scored a fifth goal after a goal mouth scramble ended with Valdez pushing the ball into the back of the net at the 38 minute mark.
In the 45th minute, Eric Sanchez, with a strong run, beat the defense on the right.
His curling cross caught the goalie off guard. Schaefer was able to finish on the far post for goal six.
The Modesto team mounted a few counterattacks and forced two corners in the second half but weren’t able to break down the solid Pumas defense.
The final goal came from Jorge Montano with a few minutes left on the clock. Montano picked up a stray ball just inside the penalty box.
Off balanced, Montano pivoted and drilled the ball high into the top of the net. Sanchez, Stuart, Pineiros and Thrappas all threatened to score but were stopped by the Modesto defense which played tough to the very end.
With 42 teams eliminated in this first round, the Pumas now move on to play in the final 16 with a game in Morgan Hill on Feb. 15 at 10:15 a.m. against the winners of Group J (teams from Mt. Hamilton, Burlingame, Napa or Sacramento).
The tournament is now sudden death until an outright winner earns the state U-12 boys title.
