So Cal Blues Season Review 1997-98

FOUR BLUE TEAMS WIN CERRITOS MEMORIAL DAY!

After a nice break from soccer and little practice for the younger Blues teams, it was off to Cerritos for the second straight season to find out if the girls could remember what the ball looks like. Last year the Blues attended the first annual Cerritos Memorial Day tournament and found success. This season's older Blues teams (U15, U17, U18) were all of course continuing their long season as this year's CYSA-South state champions and used the tournament as preparation for the Far West Regional tournament.

The younger teams faired pretty well in the tournament as the state champion U11 Blues swept through pool play, won their quarterfinal match, then lost to last year's state finalist Irvine Strikers 1-0 on a second half goal. Without a doubt, U12 Blues had the most fun of all Blues teams in the tournament. Coach Tad Bobak and other staff coaches guided the team throughout the weekend although in reality, the team guided itself. The team prepared for games on their own, players got to play different positions, and were substituting regularly as the team cruised to the championship game and a rematch of state cup finals against state champ Upland Celtic. This time the Blues were able to defeat the Celtic 1-0 thanks to an unbelievable series of saves from Goalkeeper Staci Sinkway (Left white T-shirt). With five minutes left in the game the Celtic were awarded a penalty kick. Stacey lunged to her left to save it then saved a second point blank shot on the rebound to preserve the victory and the championship.

U13 Blues lost in quarterfinals in penalties to the retooled MV Stampede as former Blues Goalkeeper Erin Clark saved two PK's for Mission. While the U14 Blues pulled major upsets en route to defending their Cerritos tournament championship winning for the second consecutive year by defeating CYSA-South state champion NHB 2-1 in the semis and state finalist MV Magic 2-0 in the final.

U15 State Champion Blues cruised all weekend, won the championship, and played great soccer, finding competition only in the newly formed Irvine U15 team who they met twice in the tournament. On the flip side, State Champion U17 Blues were in sad shape during the tournament with only 11 players throughout, managing two uninspired 1-1 ties and a 3-0 thrashing in the quarterfinals at the hands of the MV Mirage.

The weekend was capped off as the State Champion U18 Blues continued their winning ways taking the club's fourth tournament championship of the weekend, one better than last year. First prize for all the winners included huge team trophies and free fees to next season's Cerritos Memorial Day Tournament. Don't know about photos, Blues News is at the mercy of the parents.

BLUES GEAR UP FOR SEVENTH SEASON!

The slippers are off, no longer a Cinderella story, The Southern California Blues Soccer Club officially kicked off the new season by attending the prestigious San Diego Surf Cup in late July (youngers), and early August (olders). The following weekend the club competed in it's own back yard at the Mission Viejo tournament, and closed the tournament season by taking the show on the road to the Pleasanton tournament in Northern California. It would be fair to say the Blues through hard work and dedication over the past six years have established themselves among Southern California's and perhaps the country's most competitive club programs for girls.

Although the face of some of the teams may change, the club and it's philosophy will remain constant. The club will consist of 9 powerful youth teams (U10-U18) as well as the Adult Women's Blues team which goes by the same name and flys the same colors. All Blues teams will again be under the same direction and will play the unique Blues "ball possession" style vs the "win at all costs" methods so often seen in the competitive youth soccer environment.

The Blues will now also sponsor a brand new U17 team for the upcoming season in an effort to fill in all of it's age groups. When asked about the new team, U17 team coach Hugh Donald told Blues News he felt good about the outstanding response at tryouts for the new team. It was Hugh's opinion the Coast Soccer League's competition procedure for placement of teams was not handled well with their decision to leave the U17 Blues out of the premier division of the league. "Our exclusion from the premier may turn out to be a good thing, by the end of the season we will clearly demonstrate that the league made a mistake. They have their rules, they made their decision, we will respect it, but we will now work extra hard to prove them wrong."

Director of coaching Larry Draluck tells Blues News the Blues have something very special and unique. "By all objective measures, the Blues are extremely successful. Our graduating seniors are positive productive people who are well thought of, and who go on to study and play at some of the top universities in the country. This year's group of 1998 graduates are following in their predecessor's footsteps already being recruited by colleges, with more awesome graduating classes waiting in the wings." "Our players do well at the Olympic Development Level, with a good number of them representing our club at the district, state, regional, and even national level." "Every one of our teams is competitive in league and state wide competition." We have the top staff for girls in Southern California with coaches like Tad Bobak, Hugh Donald, Rich Manning, Skip Jarvis, and new staff additions Randy Dodge and Mary Naimie." "Lastly and most importantly, the players are constantly improving and they are having a good time doing it."

"I don't know how our teams will do in the early summer tournaments" claims Larry, "after all, we will only get a couple practices in before the competitions while many of our opponents have been training quite a bit." "The kids need to take a break from soccer for a couple of months, a chance to re energize and come back to their soccer with fun in mind."

U13 & U16 BLUES WIN SURF!

Congratulations to the U13 & U16 Blues teams who won the prestigious San Diego Surf Tournament on successive weekends.

The younger Surf Tournament saw the U11 Blues lose two games and win one which was not good enough to advance out of their group. As it turned out the two losses were to teams that wound up in the tournament final. The U12 Blues lost in a quarterfinal match to Mission Viejo in a narrow 1-0 upset victory while the U14 Blues were over matched 5-0 vs the eventual tournament champion Valley United Stars.

The U13 final was an exciting match against the Claremont Stars, a team the Blues had tied earlier in group play. The Stars took a 1-0 halftime lead on a hard shot from outside. The second half was spent in the Stars half as the Blues threw everything at the Claremont goal, hitting several goalposts and being denied by the Claremont goalkeeper. With 30 seconds remaining the Blues corner kick was knocked down in the small box and Tessa Baker was there to roof the rebound into the net to send the game into OT and eventual PK's which the Blues won with goalkeeper Stacey Sinkway's heroics.

The following weekend the older Blues rolled into the San Diego Polo Fields and again made quite an impact. The U15 Blues were eliminated in the quarterfinals 3-1 by eventual finalist FRAM when they gave up two goals on two corner kicks. The U19-U17 team played hard and gave it their all but were outgunned in the end losing two games and winning one, therefore, failing to get out of group play. This was a team made up of last year's U18 team, along with several U17 Blues. Fearing injuries, a few of the Blues' future college coaches did not give their blessing to having their Blues players participate in the tournament. Thanks to the U17's for filling in, hanging in there and allowing the club to fulfill it's commitment to the tournament.

The U18 Blues clearly demonstrated why they may be the most talented team in Southern California this season. Their games were heavily attended by the college recruiting crowd and soccer wise they didn't disappoint them. The U18 Blues were eventually upset in the quarterfinals in PK's, going down to the Michigan Hawks.

With U16 Blues coach Rich Manning at the U19 National Championships in Arizona, coach Larry Draluck stepped in and supported the team en route to the tournament championship. One of two plays of the weekend came in the Blues 1-0 semifinal win vs the host Surf team when after midfielder Megan Abbamonto's defensive effort, the ball squirted to midfielder Whitney Jones who collected the loose ball and rifled a left footed shot from 30 yards out into the side net on the far side of the goal. The other play came in the 2-1 final victory vs the Fury from Colorado. With a first half direct kick from about 25 yards out, stopper Nicole Swanson hit a laser beam shot through the crowd into the side net again on the far post. Ashley Clift scored the winner in the second half on a Brittany Oliveira assist.

1997 MISSION VIEJO TOURNAMENT RESULTS

BLUES FIND SUCCESS IN THEIR BACK YARD!
STAFF WRITER KRISTIN LYNCH (U15 BLUES)

Improving slightly in results from last season, during the Mission Viejo Tournament, the Blues club cleaned up the neighborhood having six of nine teams entered reach the semifinals, five in the finals, and walked away with three tournament championships. Playing in the U19 bracket, the defending state champion U18 Blues were still able win the tournament without much resistance. They won their bracket, defeated the Alberto Bru led LV Blazers 5-1 in the semis, and held on to a narrow 2-1 lead to clinch the championship over the feisty Jusa Storm.

The surprise of the tournament was the everyone is telling us it can't be done never say die U17 Blues (now that is a long team name). They found a way to make things interesting as leading by two goals in the semis, they gave up two second half goals before sealing the victory with two minutes left in regulation on a dramatic third goal off a corner kick header. The team then ran out of gas going down fighting 2-0 to the Santa Anita Sting. Though the defending state champion U16 Blues were never defeated in group play, they failed to make it to the second round. Getting off to a good start with a 4-0 win over Orchard Valley, they tied their next two matches 1-1 leaving them short of points to advance.

The U15 Blues won an exciting game vs state champion NHB in the semifinals. With the Blues ahead 1-0 with five minutes to go, coach Larry Draluck was ejected from the game after arguing an offsides call with officials which led to the game being tied. The game went into PK's which featured Southern California's two U14 ODP goalkeepers on either side; NHB's Sarah Lombardo, and the Blues own Nicole McCarty. The shootout went 10 deep to sudden death until McCarty shot and scored the winning PK. The Blues then lost in the finals to the So Cal powerhouse San Diego Surf by a score of 3-1. Although the U14 Blues got off to a good start getting the max points vs West Coast Breakers and Rancho Santa Fe, they lost two games the following day to Irvine and Santa Anita leaving them short of points to advance.

En route to taking claim to being the top team in the club, the U13 team won their second straight tournament of the season beating the San Diego Surf 3-1 in the championship game. The state champion U12 Blues have had a rough going this summer, and failed to advance out of their group. They lost their first two games and although they tied and won the next day, it was too little too late. The up and coming U11 Blues showed they would be a team that is in the thick of competition in Southern California. After a tie in regulation, they lost in the semifinals in PK's to a powerful Mission Viejo. In competition for club bragging rights are the upstart U10 Blues led by new Blues coach Mary Naimie. The team won their second straight tournament championship going undefeated and not allowing a single goal. In the final Leslie Schotz scored the lone goal with two minutes remaining in OT to give the Blues the 1-0 victory over Surf.

BLUES 1997-98 CSL STANDINGS

Blues teams were again impressive in Coast Soccer League play with 78 wins, 22 losses, and 25 ties overall. The Southern California Blues completed the league season winning three coast league championships (U13, U15, & U19 Premier) and took two CSL cup championships (U13, U18). Favored to win a lot of games it was a challenge to match 1996's incredible Coast Soccer League results.

TEAM	WON	LOST	TIED	CSL	CSL CUP	STATE CUP
UNDER 10 U11 BRONZE S	7	3	4	THIRD	U11 GROUP	ROUND OF 32 (U11)
UNDER 11 GOLD	8	2	4	THIRD	QUARTERFINALS	QUARTERFINALS
UNDER 12 GOLD	9	3	2	THIRD	QUARTERFINALS	SEMIFINALS
UNDER 13 GOLD	12	0	2		U13	SEMIFINALS
UNDER 14 GOLD	6	5	3	SIXTH	U14 QUARTERFINALS	QUARTERFINALS
UNDER 15 GOLD	10	1	3		U15 SEMIFINALS	FINALIST
UNDER 16 U17 PREMIER	7	4	3	FOURTH	U17 FINALIST
UNDER 17 U17 GOLD	9	3	2	THIRD	U17 SEMIFINALS	GROUP
UNDER 18 U19 PREMIER	11	1	2		U19

BLUES SHOW WELL OVER THANKSGIVING WEEKEND!

At the conclusion of regular Coast Soccer League play, all Blues teams with the exception of the Baby (U10) Blues traveled down to San Diego for the Surf tournament during the turkey day holiday and what may have been the last opportunity for college coaches to evaluate our seniors before they decide where they will attend school. The Blues Club had a great weekend winning three Surf Championships overall.

All things considered it was a great tournament for the Southern California Blues Soccer Club over the turkey day weekend. All Blues teams with the exception of the mighty U10's were in attendance in San Diego. The U10 team continued to shine, however, even in lousy weather. Over the same weekend as the Surf Cup they competed in the Irvine Harvest Cup and were declared co-champions getting to the final which was cancelled due to Sunday's rain.

Friday was a good day with respect to results for the Blues as believe it or not, the club's eight participating teams went undefeated in group play for the day putting the teams in great position for Saturday's all important determining games.

The U11 Blues advanced to the semifinals with a 2-1 victory over the Blue Angels setting up a showdown with crosstown rival Mission Viejo. The U12 Blues, last year's tournament finalist, lost Saturday's game with the Rancho Santa Fe Attack by a score of 2-0, but advanced to the semifinal as a wild card having won first two games. The U13 Blues, last year's tournament finalist, cruised to victory and a place in the semifinals vs the host Surf U13 team. The U14 Blues bounced back from Saturday morning's loss to the host Surf U14 team and defeated the Abq United Magic 4-1. They failed in their bid to reach the semifinals as a wild card by one point. The U15 Blues went undefeated in group play by defeating a tough Clovis Heat team 3-0 setting up another Blues vs Surf confrontation in the semis. The U16 Blues, defending tournament champs, went undefeated into their semifinal with the Irvine Strikers. The U17 Blues played extremely well, tied two games and won their final game, but failed to advance falling short by two points. The U18 Blues also went undefeated in group play setting up another showdown with perennial rival CRSC Riptide, but may have had some of their attention on the sidelines where they were constantly under the watchful eyes of the many college scouts in attendance.

SEMIFINAL BLUES!

Sunday morning was a sight to see as the skies over San Diego opened up with rain, but not enough to keep the Surf Cup Semifinals and Finals from being played. Walking towards the polo fields it was impressive to see six of eight Southern California Blues teams still alive and competing in semifinal play. Of course the teams were easy to pick out of the crowd with their distinctive lime green jerseys. It was an ocean of lime green and blue.

The ocean turned into a sea as two Blues teams were eliminated in the semifinals. The U11 Blues, who had fared well vs Mission Viejo in their last two meetings getting a win and a tie, never had a chance in this one. MV scored one goal early and scored one late to win the game 2-0 going onto the finals where they eventually won it all. The U15 Blues also had a tough time of it, giving it their all but falling short to what may be the best team in the state this year, the Surf U15. The Blues never seemed to get on track as the relentless Surf defense was able to constantly disrupt most of the attacks the Blues were able to put together. The Surf won the game 1-0 and went on to win the Surf Cup over Las Virgenes in the final. The U12 Blues got to the final by defeating the Portland Metros 1-0 in overtime in an exciting finish. The team never seemed to capture the intensity it had in it's first two tournament matches and struggled in the final to get to half time at 0-0 with the threatening Rancho Santa Fe Attack. 15 minutes into the second half Rancho opened the score on a drive through and by the Blues defense. Throwing everything towards the opponents goal the Blues were left wide open in the back and committing some errors gave up three more goals to go down in the final by a score of 4-0.

The U13 Blues had an exciting semifinal game vs the host Surf. The Surf scored first in an even physical game and with little time remaining the Blues tied the game on a Sheena Jarvis goal to send the game into OT and then into PK's. Goalkeeper Staci Sinkway once again came through in the clutch when facing an eliminating kick she came up with the big save and eventually onto a victory in the PK contest. The finals were less exciting as the Blues yawned to a 5-1 win over a tired West U. Express from Texas. The U16 Blues won their semifinal in tough crosstown rival match vs the Irvine Strikers by a score of 1-0 and went on to the final to play the Claremont Stars. In the final the Blues were paced by Ebony Stone who scored at least two goals and led the team to their second third consecutive Surf Championship by a score of 4-0. Saving their best for last, the U18 Blues played some of the best and most exciting soccer one can see at the girl's youth level. The Blues defeated the CRSC Riptide 2-1 on a Michelle Bannister free kick to get to the final vs the host Surf in the U19 premier bracket.

Having come oh so close many times during their youth career, this was one championship which had eluded this particular Blues team, last year's state champions. They had been to the final on several occasions but had never prevailed. To make matters even more critical, this was the last chance the Blues seniors would have to show themselves to the hordes of college coaches who stayed for the final. It was all on the line for these Blues girls and both teams came out swinging. The Surf preferred to stay back and counter and the Blues were up to the challenge throwing people into the attack. With 22 minutes left in the first half the Surf struck pay dirt on one of their counters as one of the Blues fullback turned the ball over in the defensive third. The Surf attacker got behind her with the ball and she was forced to tackle her in the penalty area and was awarded a penalty kick which the Surf converted for a 1-0 lead. That was the end of the offensive highlights as the rest of the game belonged to the Blues. Sensing the one goal may be enough to win the Surf went into a defensive shell pulling eight and some times nine players back on defense. The Blues were determined not to give in and attacked feverishly in wave after wave. No luck, the half would end with the Surf on top by a score of 1-0 as the Blues crowd may have feared the worst, another defeat at the hands of the Surf. The second half began much the same as the first half ended with the Surf entrenched in their goal and the Blues attacking relentlessly. The Blues moved the ball with incredible pace and beauty creating some great chances only to be turned away by a blocked shot or goalkeeper save. With five minutes remaining it seemed the goal would never come as the Blues had their troubles with the stacked defense. All of a sudden from midfield one of the Blues attackers penetrated up the middle with the ball. Weaving by the first defender on her left, she passed by another on her right, another on her left, one more on her right only to find herself at the top of the Surf penalty area with only a slice of daylight to the goal. Michelle Bannister hit a left footed shot that swerved from left to right away from a sprawling goalkeeper and into the side net for the equalizing goal sending the game into overtime.In overtime the Blues created several more chances to win the game but could not net the winner having one goal saved off the goal line. The girls had to take their victory in penalty kicks as all Blues shooters were perfect from the mark getting two big saves from GK Jenni Lee Branam (click photo to enlarge). Celebration followed but more importantly it was a great sight to see Blues seniors getting deserved recognition from college coaches as they conversed about possibilities of getting them to their schools all the way to the polo field parking lot which had become a mud bowl. The U18 victory was the cap to a weekend which saw the Blues get six of eight teams to the semifinals, four teams to the finals, and three eventual Surf Thanksgiving Cup Champions (U13, U16, U18).

BLUES U12, U13, U14 WIN AT CELTIC!

The new year began with a bang at the 1998 Blues Invitational and the good luck continued at the Celtic Cup for U12 - U14 age groups.

The Celtic Cup is now held at the CYSA-South 17 field soccer complex in San Bernardino and outside of a small slope on some of the fields, playing conditions at the complex are excellent. The grass is well manicured and the playing surface is smooth. Thank you John Harper (former CYSA-South President), the city of San Bernardino, and all those involved in putting the complex together for what may be the greatest contribution to Southern California youth soccer, EVER!

U11 Blues played well, but not well enough to advance to the semifinal round as trouble scoring goals in short tournament games continued to be a problem. Needing a win to advance, the U11's were blanked 0-0 by a defensive minded ISC Strikers who only need the tie to advance. The Blues won the consolation game 2-0. The U12 Blues won the Premier Celtic title by defeating Torrance in what turned out to be an even game aside from the first 10 minutes which saw the Blues jump out to a quick 3-0 lead. The Blues went on to win the championship by a score of 4-0 with forward Lauren Winters earning tournament MVP honors. The U13 Blues had their ups and downs throughout the tournament weekend at times playing some of the best soccer one will see at this age level nation wide. The team met fierce competition in each of it's games once again playing Southern California's top teams. The final was called the game of the weekend by tournament director Matt Mc Donagh who awarded the first place trophies to the Blues after a penalty kick victory over host Celtic in the final. Mr. Mc Donagh was also kind enough to acknowledge Blues coach Tad Bobak during the awards ceremony calling him one of the nation's top youth coaches having known him for the past 20 years. Returning to the scene of the crime the next weekend, the same U13 Blues took the U14 Celtic cup in dramatic fashion winning three games on Super Bowl Sunday with only 11 available players the entire day. In total the Blues were able to capture the U12, U13, and U14 Celtic Cup. Not bad!

Older Blues teams had a hectic tournament play schedule in preparation of 1998 state cup. U18 Blues began post season preparation recently losing 1-0 in an exhibition game vs the U.S. National U16 team at the Olympic Training Center in Chula Vista on February 28. Coach Hugh Donald took available U18 players and combined them with other Blues from the U17 and U16 Blues. Coach Donald felt the team represented the Blues club extremely well without much preparation and gave Blues players great exposure to Women's National team coach Tony DiCicco and U16 National team coach Anson Dorrance.

1997-98 STATE CUP NEWS

YOUNGER POOL PLAY

Younger Blues teams will all enter pool play for the 1998 CYSA-South State Championship on February 14, 15, and 16. The U10 and U11 Blues will both play their U11 group games at Cal State University in San Bernardino while the U12 and U13 Blues will play at the neighboring CYSA-South Soccer Complex. Early favorites for the U11 State Championship have to be the MV U11 team who despite a few losses this year, has been the dominant team in the age group. Pressure will be on the U12 Blues to three peat as State Champions, this season has seen a group of tough teams emerge in what is becoming an extremely competitive age group. Pressure will also be on last season's State Cup Finalist U13 Blues to get back to the championship game. Most soccer pundits are picking these girls to go all the way but in soccer, especially youth soccer, the pressure of being the favorite can work against you. One thing is for sure, maybe it is the color of the uniform but everyone wants to beat the Blues.

U10 & U11 BLUES GROUP PLAY!

U10 THREE AND OUT? WAIT A SECOND THIS MUST BE A MISTAKE!

The U10 Blues began the U11 weekend on a positive note winning one game by a 1-0 forfeit to the OSC Hotshots. Even though it rained hard the fields remained open for the next day of competition at Cal State San Bernardino. The U10's played the U10 LV Blazers and lost 1-0 to a good Blazer team with some future youth stars. Monday the Blues took on the CSC Spirit and needing only a tie to advance could not score a goal going down once again 1-0. With out having scored a legitimate goal the logical assumption was that the season was over. But, as we have come to find out in this crazy wild mixed up world of youth soccer, nothing is over till it is over. At the midnight hour of a wild card birth no one knew anything about, the U10 Blues scrambled to find enough players to play in the knockout round. Coach Mary Naimie and manager Kip Thulin got 11 players to the game to take on the LBUSC Strikers. Unprepared for the game, the girls gave it all they had but it was not enough losing 2-0. This time the season truly had come to an end. It was a good season for the U10's who promise to be in the top group of next seasons true U11 teams.

U11 BLUES GET BACK ON TRACK!

The U11 Blues had a good weekend winning all three of their games at Cal State San Bernardino in convincing fashion and all the while playing creative Blues soccer. The schedule for the next round is currently being decided due to delays caused by wet weather. Sunday March 1 the U11 Blues played their round of 32 game vs OCU Breakers at Cal State San Bernardino. With the Blues leading the game 1-0 at half time, the Blues broke the game open in midway through the second half with a Blake Zerboni goal and went on to win the game 3-0. The Blues round of 16 game would be against crosstown rival West Coast Wave. In a fierce and physical battle that saw the Blues have the majority of the game, the Blues managed a 1-0 victory missing several chances to make it more. This set up the showdown between the ISC Strikers in the quarterfinals.

IRVINE PROVES TO BE TOO MUCH!

The U11 Blues gave it all they had but it was not enough to crack the physical Irvine Striker defense which gave the Blues little chance to score. Midway through an even first half a hand ball call near the edge of the Blues penalty area proved to be important, especially at the U11 level. The shot was hard and difficult to handle and the Strikers took advantage of the rebound taking a 1-0 lead. With the 1-0 lead going into the second half, the Strikers intelligently resorted to clearing balls far and wide or way out of bounds taking little risk in their own defensive third. These tactics made Blues U11 creativity very difficult to achieve, especially when Irvine scored a great goal on a fast counter before the Blues had a chance to react. The 2-0 lead was too much to overcome and the Strikers deservedly went onto the semifinals where they lost to eventual U11 champion Mission Viejo.

U12 & U13 BLUES BEGIN GROUP PLAY!

U12 BLUES TAKE OPENER, TIE SECOND GAME!

The U12 Blues resume the rain delayed state cup play February 21 & 22. The Blues won their first game 3-1 vs LB Lightning on an outstanding performances by forward Kendall Holiday who had two assists and forward Lauren Winters who scored two goals. The following weekend the Blues U12 had several opportunities to put away NHB leading the game by a narrow 1-0 score. The Blues were in complete control of the match but failed to cash in their opportunities. NHB scored a late goal and the game ended in a 1-1 draw forcing the Blues into a must win situation in their last group game with the Claremont Stars.

THIRD GAME A CHARM FOR U12 BLUES

Needing a win to assure themselves of a chance to defend their state championship of a year ago, the U12 Blues came through in stunning fashion. With fullback Kimmy Vogl out with knee problems, Shannon Doersam slid over to Vogl's position and Chelsea Card stepped into the defensive line. Both goalkeepers Jenna and Shayla Sabin made game saving plays on difficult 1 vs 1 situations while halfback Kim Horn stepped up and netted the winner with 15 minutes left in the game for the 1-0 victory. Next on tap for the Blues is a difficult quarterfinal game vs Torrance United.

U12 BLUES SURVIVE A WINDY QUARTER

In what turned out to be a sloppy game due to the windy weather conditions, the U12 Blues managed to get just enough done to defeat Torrance United 1-0. The goal came on a Shannon Doersam free kick lofted behind the Torrance defense where Alise Corea slipped in behind them on the weak side to receive the ball and go in uncontested. She slotted the ball in for the first half lead which proved to be the difference. The Blues survived two scary second half wind blown shots thanks to a crossbar and a miraculous last minute save by goalkeeper Shayla Sabin. The win set up the semifinal showdown between the Blues and the Surf.

SURF UPSETS U12 BLUES BID FOR THREE PEAT!

It had not been a good day for the Blues club which earlier in the day had seen their U13 representative eliminated from the state championship semifinals in sudden death penalty kicks. Things got worse as the U12 Blues gathered for registration before their semifinal. As registrations took place, one of the Blues birth certificates was called into question. It needed to be an original and was only a registered copy with the hospital seal. The Blues argued their case but even with a week to produce the original prior to the scheduled state final, state cup officials would not allow Shannon Doersam to compete. Amidst the unfortunate confusion the Blues put up a great fight and the Surf did what they had to do knocking off the defending champs 2-0. Midway through the half of an evenly played game the Surf scored from a poorly cleared ball by sending a cross back into the box that went into the goal. The Blues narrowly missed evening the game up when Kim Horn went one on one with the Surf keeper who got a hand on the shot to make the save. The second half the Blues surged forward in numbers but were unable to score even though they had most of the play. Things got even bleaker when the Surf cleared a ball into the Blues half and attempting to play forward a Blues player played the ball off her teammate onto the feet of a Surf forward who took the opportunity well and made the score 2-0. With time winding down the Blues appeared to have scored when Makenzie Beahm took a pass from Lauren Gipe on a free kick and hit a long high shot that went off the keeper's hands into the goal. No Goal! The assistant referee on that side said the goalkeeper had been fouled. The Blues went down fighting. Even though their season had come to an end the progress they made promises to make them contenders the following season.

U13 BLUES GET RAINED OUT! REPLAY FIRST GAME!

Leading their first state cup game 1-0 after 25 minutes, the U13 Blues will have to replay the entire game this weekend, February 21 & 22. Rumors have it rain will once again put a damper on state cup activities. The U13 Blues managed to get their first game replayed and overwhelmed the Arsenal winning the game 6-0. Next on tap is a game vs OSC Stingers and it is anyone's guess when weather will allow state cup play to resume. The sun finally came out! With their place in the next round secure, the Blues took on the the OSC Stingers to see which team would advance out of group in first place. The Stingers put in a great defensive performance while the Blues played with little inspiration in a dull performance for a 1-0 victory. Credit goes to the Stingers who came to play and should have probably tied the game in the second half with several near misses. The Blues then moved on to the round of 16 against a wound up Del Mar Sharks team. The Sharks came out with tremendous energy and had the Blues scrambling. In their methodical way, the U13 Blues continued to insist on their rhythm until finally taking over the game and coming away with a 3-0 win to put them into the quarterfinals against coaching guru Scott Murray and his Las Virgenes Blazers. The U13 Blues with their tremendous season are in a difficult position as the favorite to take the state cup. Every time they take the field the opponent comes charged and has little to lose. With everyone gunning for the Blues they need to stay alert!

U13 BLUES SURVIVE SCARE

Playing against a tough defense, U13 Blues attackers had a difficult time on a windy day against the Las Virgenes Blazers. The first half the game belonged to the Blazers who had the wind at their back. The Blues dodged three to four good chances as the Blazers played good soccer. The second half was a turnaround as the game swung in the Blues favor. The Blues created three to four good chances of their own until halfback Stacey Mescher slipped in from the weak side and poked in a through ball with about three minutes left in the match to give the Blues a 1-0 win and a trip to the semifinals vs the SD Surf.

SURF OUTLASTS BLUES IN THRILLING SEMIFINAL!

The Surf club became the Blues killers on the day as they eliminated both the U12 and U13 Blues from state championship contention. The U13 game started with the Surf in control as they scored an early goal on a defensive mistake near the Blues goal. The first half ended 1-0 in favor of the Surf as the Blues failed to capitalize on their chances. The second half began much the same as the first half with the Surf having a bit more of the game than the Blues. Fifteen minutes into the second half the Surf scored on a long shot from outside to make the score 2-0. At that time the Blues began to press forward and five minutes later were awarded a timely penalty kick on a hand ball inside the Surf area which Sheena Jarvis converted to make the score 2-1 in favor of the Surf. The remainder of the half was all Blues who created several chances and finally converted with a Shannon Munoz score to tie the game and send it into overtime. The overtime was back and forth but neither team could score a goal sending the match into penalty kicks. The Blues had two clear chances to win the game in penalties but were unable to take advantage. The Surf finally got their chance on the eighth kick and scored for the victory and right to take on the Upland Celtic in the final. Coach Tad Bobak felt that although the team suffered a painful defeat, we feel very good about ourselves with respect to the development we achieved as people and soccer players over the course of this successful year.

U14 BLUES GET MIXED RESULTS! BOW OUT IN QUARTERS!

The U14 Blues knew they would have to play their best to advance out of their group, there would be little room for error. Led by forwards Kim Devine and Katie Rivera the Blues were able to win their first game scoring three first half goals and hanging on to beat Mission Bay Hurricanes 3-0. The next game would prove to be the key to advancing as the Blues had to take on NHB Hunsaker, a team that has been a thorn in the Blues side on many occasions. This game however, would be different as the Blues put together their best performance defeating NHB 3-1. The battle for first place in the group came down to another fierce rivalry, against Mission Viejo. Based on previous results, Mission needed to win the game to advance, a loss would knock them out. It was a seesaw game that saw the Blues take a one goal lead early on Kim Devine's shot only to see the game tied 1-1 at halftime. The Blues managed to take the lead in the second half on another Devine effort only to have the game tied once again late in the second half. With five minutes remaining and Mission pushing hard for the win, a long free kick hit the Blues crossbar and bounced right onto the foot of April Pettigrew who promptly volleyed the ball into the net and danced in celebration giving Mission the 3-2 win.

SURF CONTINUES SEASON'S DOMINANCE OVER BLUES U14

Earlier in the season the Blues had been eliminated from two state championships by their neighbors to the south the SD Surf. Both U12 & U13 Blues would be eliminated by the Surf who would go on to take both championships. The U14 Blues have had their troubles with stronger more athletic teams and the U14 Surf would be no different. The game began on a strong note as the Blues took a 1-0 lead. It lasted only 40 seconds as the Surf came down and quickly tied the game. The Surf began to pound the Blues goal and scored another goal on a poorly cleared ball played into the penalty area to give Surf a 2-1 halftime lead. The second half was back and forth with the Blues giving it all they had. The equalizing goal was not to be as the Surf defense preserved the win and their trip to the semifinals. After the game Blues coach Tad Bobak complimented the girls on their season and maintained his confidence that this Blues team will be one to contend with in future years. Turn your pain into anger.

U15 BLUES MAKE A MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH!

After two straight years of early exits in National Cup competition, the third year has so far been a charm. The past two years the U15 Blues were eliminated in the quarterfinals of state play. This year the team has earned a place in the semifinals against league rival FRAM. The U15's opened up first round play with an easy 10-0 win over Santa Fe Attack, followed by the bye in the three team group. The win guaranteed a place in the quarters but there was still the question of first place in the group. The first place game was against NHB Black, last season's state cup champions. It was a tight game until midfielder Ashley Casas cracked an impressive blast over the NHB goalkeeper's head from about 35 yards away to make the score 1-0. In the second half Vicki Bloom scored on a header off a cross and the Blues finished things off with an outstanding counter attack goal while NHB was caught upfield trying to get back in the game. The 3-0 win put the U15's in first place to face the athletic Cerritos Flyers. In the opening moments the Blues looked a bit tight but seemed to settle things down as the game went back and forth. Two great teams were going at it and the score was 0-0 at halftime of the quarter final. The second half was also tight until Ashley Casas went into one of her patented dribbling routines and weaved through the opponents defense only to be brought down outside the box. Laura Tanchon followed the foul with a hard free kick that rebounded off the keeper onto the foot of Vicki Bloom at the top of the box. She hit a first time volley that found the side of the net to open the score 1-0. From there the Blues poured it on scoring two more goals en route to a 3-0 victory and a semifinal meeting with Fram.

FAVORITES U15 SURF DASH CHAMPIONSHIP HOPES!

This is supposed to be the Blues state cup news but this season has turned into the Blurf news (Blues + Surf = Blurf). Although the Blues club has had a tremendous success on the soccer fields of So Cal, the powerful Surf club has also had great success this season. The U15 Blues semifinal game vs FRAM turned out to be one of the most complete games the Blues had played all season. The teams had met several times this year with mixed results. FRAM destroyed the Blues 3-1 in last year's state cup quarterfinals. Confidence played a big part in this year's state cup tournament and in that respect the Blues have turned the corner. The game was even with both teams taking turns on the ball. There were swings in momentum for both teams as during periods of the game one team would get a little more of the play. The difference was that the Blues appeared to be a bit more dangerous due to the fact they played an incredibly organized defensive game giving FRAM room to play in midfield but very little in the attacking third. Late in the second half Jen Anderson went on an individual run down the left wing turning the corner and heading for the goal. She managed to slip the ball into the far post with the goalkeeper coming at her off her line to take a 1-0 lead which would hold up to send the Blues to the finals to face none other than perennial state champ Surf. The Blues had played the Surf many times but have never managed to emerge victorious. This season alone they had defeated the Blues on three occasions all 1-0. The Blues high hopes were dashed midway through the first half with the Surf getting a majority of the play. With the Blues moving out of their own half very slowly the Surf took advantage of the wide open spaces between Blues defenders and sliced the defense for an easy goal. Moments later the Blues again failed to step up and once again the Surf made them pay to make the halftime score 2-0. With the Blues understanding it would take a great effort to win the game, the Surf came out right away and closed the door scoring a great goal on a corner kick as the Surf player beat everyone to the ball and headed it in for the 3-0 lead. With the Blues determined to score and pushing forward the Surf added another goal on a breakaway to give them the 4-0 victory and the championship. The Blues later learned that they would receive a wildcard to the regionals where who knows, they could match up with the Surf again.

CONFIDENT BUT WARY U16 BLUES MARCH ON!

One year ago the Claremont Stars were the team to beat in this division and it wasn't until the state cup final that the underdog Blues knocked them off by a score of 2-1 to become state cup champs. This season the Blues find themselves in the driver's seat with the entire division setting their sites on upsetting the Blues. Coach Rich Manning has made his team aware of the atmosphere they are facing and only time will tell if the girls have taken his advice. Group play was rather uneventful for the U16 Blues as they proceeded to destroy anything that got in their path. They won 12-0, 11-0, and 4-0 which gave them first place in their group and a quarterfinal matchup vs crosstown rival ISC Strikers. The quarterfinal was a tight one with few secrets between these two teams. Irvine had identified the Blues players to key on and came into the game prepared with individual assignments. It was an even game with a lot of tension, neither team wanting to face elimination. Midway through the second half midfielder Whitney Jones went on what appeared to be a harmless run with the ball starting on the fringe of her own defensive third. As she proceeded she forgot to pass the ball to any of her teammates and she loped through the Irvine defense leaving player after player in her wake. Soon she found herself in the opponents penalty area, she eluded the last defender and slotted the ball into the far post for the 1-0 lead. Irvine responded by coming out of their defensive shell and throwing players into the attack. The Blues escaped several chances created by a fast Irvine front line and goalkeeper Lauren Kent along with her defense preserved the shutout for the 1-0 win and trip to the semis. The next team looking to knock off the Blues will be the Veronica Zepeda & Kim Taylor led LA Force. Hopefully the Blues will be prepared for the intensity level which will increase as they get nearer their goal.

U16 BLUES DISPATCH LA FORCE GET SURF IN FINAL

This was the weekend the U16 Blues had been waiting for ever since they experienced the disappointing loss in last season's U15 Far West Regional Final. There were ups and downs along the way with many teams taking shots at the favorites to win the state championship. In order to achieve their goal of winning back to back championships they would have to defeat the LA Force en route to the final. The team played an average game and it seemed the pressure of being favorite might work against the Blues. In a game that saw the Blues have most of the play they scored a first half goal and seemed to relax a bit. Right before the end of the first half midfielder Kendal Billingsley got behind the Force defense and sent in a ball from a bad angle. The ball floated over the keepers head and into the net to give the Blues a 2-0 cushion at half. They scored a third goal in the second half and that was all she wrote as the Blues were now in position to go back to back. In the final the Blues would take on club rival Surf who had won just about everything this season. This time the Surf would come up short. The Blues once again played tight and the underdog Surf hung around putting a lot of mental pressure on the Blues. The Blues understood all too well that one mistake could cost them, especially with the Surf's tendency toward putting numbers in the back. The defensive tactics almost worked, although the Blues had most of the play the Surf would counter and the game remained 0-0. The Blues put more pressure on the Surf goal but came up empty hitting the woodwork on three occasions. To the relief of the Blues, on a corner kick in the second half Ashley Clift slipped free to flick the ball into the far post and the Blue held on for a 1-0 championship win and a trip back to the regionals to see if they can make up for last year.

U17 BLUES SLEEPING GIANTS FALL VICTIM TO THE STATE CUP SCHEDULE!

Hey people, there is a team in the Blues club that not a lot of you are paying attention to. It is the no name U17 Blues. All season long this team has steadily been improving and maturing. They have had to endure their first year growing pains and a lack of respect from the surrounding Southern California soccer community. Tournaments have questioned the quality of the team although the team has had decent results. The thing that can't be measured by results is growth and maturity. Results have been hard to come by for this team even though their overall record was quite respectable. Never seen as a force to be dealt with on the National Cup level, the team was put in a five team group and with a small roster, required to play three of their four group games in two days. The first game was vs the West Coast Rascals who went on to win the group and an eventual place in the semifinals. The Blues tied this team 0-0 and had chances to win but fell short. Had one of these chances been cashed in perhaps things could have been different. A tired Blues team took on and defeated the Bratz in their second full game of the day by a score of 3-0. So far the Blues had not given up a goal. The next day the Blues would play another tough team, the Las Virgenes Blazers who went on to place second in the group and gave the powerful Mirage team a difficult time losing 1-0 in the quarterfinals. The Blues had the tie in the Blazer game but with five minutes remaining gave up the penalty kick that sealed their fate as they lost 1-2 to Blazers. Knowing they had little chance to advance the Blues played care free and won their fourth game the following weekend 5-0 over Spirit 81. The Blues went 2-1-1 in group scored nine goals and gave up only two, but failed to advance. To some it was proof the team should not be taken seriously, take this up and coming team lightly next season and you will be making a big mistake.

U18 BLUES STILL ALIVE AND KICKING!

The U18 Blues began defense of their state crown in fine fashion defeating Torrance United 8-0. They next took on the SDSC Pegasus team and took care of them with a 3-0 win. Their last game was against an always difficult Valley United Siege who gave the Blues a hard time but eventually relented going down 1-0. The first place finish in group got the team a quarterfinal matchup vs the always tough SD Surf. The teams had met on several occasions and the Blues have come out on top in each of those this season including the thrilling Thanksgiving victory in the Surf Cup Final. It was clear from the start of the game that Surf intended to defend and defend and defend. Sometimes the Surf had eight players massed in front of their goal with only one or two attacking players. The Blues methodically went about their business and maintained composure. Goals would be difficult to come by in the packed Surf defense. With 15 minutes remaining in the scoreless game goalkeeper Jen Branam came on as a forward to add punch to the Blues attack. She did what she was sent out there to do scoring the game's only goal and giving the Blues a 1-0 victory and a trip to the semifinals vs the La Jolla Nomads.

U18 BLUES "WRESTLE" WITH POSSIBLE ELIMINATION!

Like the U16 Blues, the U18 Blues were attempting to do many of the same things. There was the pressure of being favorites to win it all, there was the back to back state championship thing, there was the triple crown (League, League Cup, State), then there was the horrible defeat at the hands of the CV Mercury at last year's Far West Regional Final. To make matters worse, early in the season U18 Blues coach Hugh Donald had privately predicted the Blues would win the state championship amongst the Blues coaching staff. In the semifinal the Blues would play the La Jolla Nomads who is well known nationally for their boys and not their girls program. It figured to be a sure win. Who are we playing? You know the Bobakian response, "A Vicious Opponent". Never more had this been true than in the semi as the Nomads took an immediate defensive structure and challenged the Blues to score. Sure enough they were successful as the first half ended 0-0. In the second half the Blues continued to press without results and became somewhat impatient, no doubt this was the whole idea behind the Nomad's tactics. With the Blues upset and out of balance the Nomads struck gold and pounced on a counter with a breakaway goal. It was early in the half so no time to panic.

The Nomads began to waste time and with nine players back it seemed the Blues might not make it back this time. A strange incident occurred when Blues Director of Coaching Larry Draluck positioned himself 20 yards behind the Nomad goal to fetch stray balls that went out of play on that end in order to conserve time. One of the Nomad parents took offense to this and also positioned himself behind the goal mirroring Draluck's every move to try and prevent him from going after the stray balls. With one eye on his target and one eye on his opponent Draluck went after a shot that went wide. The opponent went for the ball but Draluck stuck out his hip and the parent went to the ground as Draluck collected the ball and gave it back to the keeper. The game officials saw these events and cleared all spectators from behind the goal. With eight minutes remaining the Blues appeared done and would be eliminated 1-0. Halfback Brittany Savelkoul went on a driving run on the right side and managed to get behind the defense. The ball nearly went out of play when she served a low cross that got deflected onto the foot of first half goalkeeper, now forward Jen Branam. Jen shot there was a rebound that came back to her and she hammered the ball into the net for the 1-1 tie. Four minutes later Kim Abbamonto beat two players at the top of the box and found the side net with a shot for the 2-1 score and semifinal win. The Blues had survived and Larry Draluck was jokingly named MVP of the match.

No doubt with the semifinal fresh in their mind the Blues approached the final with more intensity. They took on the Las Virgenes Blazers who had upset the CUSC Riptide in the semi. The Blues played well and the Blazers played and average game which led to a 2-0 first half score on a Tracey Winzen goal to go along with an assist. Brittany Savelkoul finished things off on a late breakaway in the second half to make the final score 3-0. Back to the regionals where they hope to get another chance to win the elusive national championship.

The Sunkist Adult Women's Tournament at Cal Poly Pomona was held in early March, which along with the Adult Women's Blues, included the U18 Blues. The CSL champion U15 girls attended the Fram Tournament at Cal State Dominguez Hills and showed a lot of rust from the high school season losing 3 of 4 matches. During this same time the U16, U17, & U18 Blues competed in the Pangolin Cup (March 21, 22, 23) at UC Irvine and had better results. Both the U16 & U18 Blues captured the Pangolin Cup championship. The older teams closed out the month of March by attending a rain soaked Nomads Girls Tournament at UC San Diego which was won by the U18 Blues. Wow, that was a lot of games!

FOUR BLUES TEAMS HEAD TO NEW MEXICO!

U20 BLUES ATTEND SECOND STRAIGHT REGIONAL TOURNAMENT!

When dust settles on the 97-98 Southern California Youth Soccer Scene, much like last season it appears the Southern California Blues Soccer Club were once again well represented when it came to teams attending 1998 Far West Regionals. Two older Blues teams that were probably favored to win the State Cup did so (U16, U18) while the U15 and U19 Blues reached the state finals. Both U15 and U19 Blues were given second life and a chance to win a regional championship when they received wild card births making them the third and fourth Blues teams to represent the Blues in New Mexico. The U20 Blues also qualified for regional play making them the fifth Blues team to represent the club this year! In younger state cup play Blues teams fell short of the championship having two teams (U12, U13) bow out in the semis and one (U11) in the quarters.

Congratulations to all the teams who represented Southern California as state champions at the Far West Regionals. The regionals are a reward for hard working teams along with a path toward a potential regional or national championship. Just to review 97-98, much like the proverbial broken record, last season was yet another complete success for the Blues club. The 1998 Graduates are now comfortably situated with college choices and the work now begins to find homes for the class of 1999.

FILA Sports recognizing the quality and future potential of the club came on board to custom design Blues Uniforms and exclusively outfit the club for the coming 1998-99 season. The new uniforms were first unveiled at the regionals and were in full display during 1998 Summer tournament play. The Southern California Blues Soccer Club also received national exposure when "Soccer America", the nation's leading soccer magazine, decided to feature the club in the March 30 issue of it's "Youth Soccer Letter".

On the soccer fields Blues teams did extremely well in last season's tournament, league, and state cup play. Besides numerous tournament championships, the club took three coast league championships (U13, U15, U19), won two coast league cup championships (U13, U19), and capped things off with two state championships (U16, U18), two state finalists (U15, U19), and one Far West Regional Championship.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ELUDES U20 BLUES! TEAMS BOW OUT IN NEW MEXICO!

All together five Blues teams (U15, U16, U18, U19, U20) represented the club in the Far West Regionals. The U15 and U19 Blues were regional finalists and the U20 Blues (Hit Photo on Left) won the Far West Regional Championship but fell short of what is proving to be an elusive National Championship for the Blues taking third in the nation for the second straight year.

Four of the five Blues teams attending regionals fell short of their goal of a regional or national championship. The U16 and U18 teams lost in the regional semifinal, the U15 and U19 Blues both lost in the final. The U20 Blues went on to win their second consecutive Regional Championship but lost in the semifinals of Nationals finishing in third place.