The Orchard Valley Storm joined a host of Northern California
teams in the third annual Silicon Valley Cup played over the Labor
Day weekend and took home the tournament title.
The Orchard Valley Storm joined a host of Northern California teams in the third annual Silicon Valley Cup played over the Labor Day weekend and took home the tournament title.
The Storm opened play with a 3-0 victory over the DeAnza Force White. Tula Urban and Janessa Garcia both assisted on a pair of Taylor Slattery goals. Garcia got a goal of her own on a nice assist from Molly Cuevas.
In Saturday’s second game, the Storm beat the MVLA Fusion 4-1 behind a goal and two assists from Cuevas and a beautiful score on a cross from Amber Thomas to Monica Luna. Michaela Swensen and Tori Gulla put shots on goal and the Storm pressured the Fusion throughout the game.
On Sunday, the Storm had to overcome both terrible field conditions and a spirited Tracy United team hoping to take the top spot in the flight. The bumpy field put a great deal of pressure on the defense to keep the ball in front of them.
Sydney Barker and Emily Kyle played strong in the back while keepers Sarah Lewis and Rebekah Inouye pounced on any loose balls.
The Storm scored the game’s only goal in the second half when Paige Menage scored off a Luna corner kick.
Later on Sunday, the Storm beat the Benicia Arsenal 2-0 on goals from Luna and Kyle and a great defensive effort from newcomer Ana Garcia.
The Storm was matched up against the Almaden Ice in Monday’s championship game. Though the Storm retained possession of the ball for much of the game, the Ice’s strong play along the back line limited the Storm’s scoring opportunities.
Finally, with a little more than five minutes left in a scoreless game, Kyle found Slattery breaking free along the right side. Slattery took the perfect pass in stride and calmly beat the keeper for the winning goal, capping a perfect Labor Day weekend for the Storm.
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