The Orchard Valley Spartans U10 boys soccer team, comprised of
players from both Gilroy and Morgan Hill, made sure the finals of
the Redwood City Coppa De Oro had all the drama and anticipation a
championship game deserves. The Spartans pulled out a nail-biting
4-3 victory over the El Dorado UTD Crew Azzuri to stake claim to
the crown at the tournament, which was held over the weekend of
Dec. 11-12.
REDWOOD CITY
The Orchard Valley Spartans U10 boys soccer team, comprised of players from both Gilroy and Morgan Hill, made sure the finals of the Redwood City Coppa De Oro had all the drama and anticipation a championship game deserves.
The Spartans pulled out a nail-biting 4-3 victory over the El Dorado UTD Crew Azzuri to stake claim to the crown at the tournament, which was held over the weekend of Dec. 11-12.
The Spartans had already earned silver medals in the Juventus Cup and the Mustang Stampede in 2010. But the Coppa De Oro was the Spartans’ last chance of the season for a gold medal, and they didn’t let the opportunity pass.
The Spartans, aided by early goals from Max Brown and Nathan Arnott, sprinted out to an early 2-0 advantage.
Despite a ferocious comeback attempt by El Dorado, goals from Jose Flores and Christian Dauphin kept the Spartans out of reach as they held the lead until the final whistle.
The team went into the tournament without the services of center defender Garrett Ellenberg and midfielder Marcus Holmes, but managed to overcome the short numbers.
In the first qualifying match against Burlingame United, substitutes Michael Corona and Ryan De Palma played their hearts out with an assist and a goal by De Palma to secure a 3-2 win.
In the second qualifying match against the very physical Newark Ta-Mohawks, Trevor Robledo went on a scoring rampage with help from Ryan Nave to beat the Ta-Mohawks 7-2.
A 1-1 tie with the Peninsula Eagles gave the Spartans enough points to advance to the finals.
Led by right fullback AJ Garza and left fullback Eric Nguyen, as well as goalie Joshua Moya, the defense played strong throughout the tournament.
