Recreational League Girls 10U Yellow Jackets 1, Cheetahs 4
Amy Townsend had a terrific game and scored two goals for the Cheetahs in the first half of the game. A strong defense by Katie Machado, Danielle Horning and Samantha Robbins helped keep the Yellow Jackets to just one goal. In the second half, Paige Menage and Alyssa Jimenez each had goals to extend the lead to 4-1.
Some great plays by Kaeli Johnson and Melissa Garman rounded out the solid performance.
Orchard Valley 10U
Blue Cheetahs 2, Red Demons 0
A left footed goal by Amy Townsend set the tone for a strong win by the Cheetahs. April Robbins played terrific as goalie stopping five shots on goal and letting in no scores.
Catherine Dedsaren, Briana Arzate and Jennifer Schwegier all had great plays and hustle on defense. Paige Menage scored right before the second half to make the game 2-0 Cheetahs.
In the second half Shanley Sullivan had a beautiful shot on goal stopped by the Cheetah’s goalie. Strong defense again by Danielle Horning and Katie Machado held the demons to no goals.
Competitive League
Boys 14U
The Orchard Valley U14 Boys’ Class I soccer club finished this past weekend’s District Cup tournament with a 2-1 record – just missing the consolation match.
By virtue of the team’s 19 points, the Stingrays finished fifth out of 16 District 2 teams entered in the tournament.
Stingrays 2,
Tarascos 0
The Stingrays earned their first shutout of the season, defeating the squad from Division 2, with two second-half goals. Although the Stingrays controlled play, and had nine shots on goal, they could not find the net in the first half. The game marked the return to action for (previously injured) Spencer Razouk and Sheldon Steenhuis – who helped the Stringray attackers and mid-field with their aggressive play.
Early in the second half, Ricardo Plata scored a goal, with a nice assist from Noel Vera. Late in the contest, the Stingrays drew a corner kick, and Plata blasted one to the center of the box. After a wild scramble, Brendant Palomo headed the ball into the net for the extra margin the Stingrays needed. The Stingrays defense of Eric Miller, Matt Altamirano, and Casey Mott helped goalkeeper Kevin Grove record the shutout.
Stingrays 2, Fury 3
With both teams having won their morning games, this match decided the pool winner. The Stingrays broke on top early, as Steenhuis took a lead pass from Danny Nelson, and deftly placed the shot past the Fury keeper. The Fury responded with a goal to even the score midway through the first half. However, mid-fielders Bryan Faulk, Gerardo Murillo, Blake Presar, and Nelson continued to play ball possession, and their transition of a lead pass found Noel Vera on the left wing unmarked.
Vera dropped the pass to striker Plata, who found right winger Murilo Almeida for the go-ahead goal. Leading 2-1 at half-time, the Stingrays could not respond to the energy of the Fury in the second half. A penalty in the box gave the Fury a penalty shot – which went off Grove’s hand and into the back of the net. Shortly thereafter, the Fury scored the winning goal, and with most of the second half to play, the Stingrays couldn’t score the tying goal.
Stingrays 1, De Anza Force 0
In the rubber match of their three-match series over the last three weeks, the Stingrays defeated De Anza with a second-half goal and outstanding saves by Grove in net.
The Force controlled the first half, as they had nine shots on goal compared to just one for the Stingrays. Replacing normal fullback Altamirano was Myles Downing, who worked real hard and shut down the left winger of the Force. The move allowed Altamirano to return to the right wing position, and he scored his second game-winner against the Force in two weeks.
The goal was setup by Plata and Nelson, with a one-two combination to evade the defense. With just a 1-0 lead, Grove made a diving save on a blast from the top of the box, and stopped all 13 shots he faced for the shutout.
10U
Toros 1, Force 0
Team moves in to tie for second in Class 1 Division
Orchard Valley Toros U10 Girls Class 1 competition soccer team faced the DeAnza Force head on Saturday in league play that was the toughest they have encountered all season.
Coach Kevin Dunwoodie and Asst. Coach Bill Cambra were thrilled with the defensive performance of the team and how the team demonstrated their tenacity by scoring in the last ten minutes.
“The girls played awesome, they never took the pressure off and that was key,” Dunwoodie said.
The evenly matched game was dominated by the Toros’ defense. Goalie Chelsea Hill was kept very active throughout the game. She braved many shots by the Force with a total of 12 saves. Equally impressive were fullbacks Serina Sandoval and Dani Hemeon who redirected the Force momentum and kept them from making shots.
Excellent teamwork and passing kept the Toros strong in the second half. Midfielders Megan Rauschnot and Sara Sauceda, and forwards Breanna Rose and Jennae Cambra, dominated the field with solid offensive strategies. Shots on goal were made by Taylor Pencer, Katelyn Nebesnick, Sauceda, Rauschnot and Cambra. With 10 minutes to go in the game, the Toros were able to capitalize on the Force’s weak coverage when Rose made a beautiful cross shot to Rauschnot who shot left-footed into the left corner of the net for a solid goal. The Toros came out on top 1-0. The team now is tied for second in the class 1 division.
