Southern California Blues Soccer Club Girls U15 #1 In The Nation

Southern California Blues Soccer Club, Girls U15 National Champions at ECNL Finals in Richmond, VA

(San Juan Capistrano, CA – July 20, 2015) – Southern California Blues Soccer Club, a San Juan Capistrano based all girls soccer club, under 15 team claims national title at the Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) Finals this past weekend.

The team of 17 players coached by CYSA-South Hall of Fame Inductee Tad Bobak and Rob Rennie had an undefeated 2014-2015 season. This ultimately led them to the ECNL Finals where they played the best of the best teams from across the nation.

“The road to the ECNL Finals is one that many soccer players dream of traveling down, but few get the opportunity and even fewer make it the end,” says So Cal Blues General Manager, Dave Mildrew, “This journey required large amounts of dedication, determination and hard work. We are very proud of their accomplishment.”

The ECNL Finals in Richmond, VA is a tournament where the top 8 female soccer teams from across the nation compete for the national title in their age bracket. During the three preliminary games the So Cal Blues rose victorious after challenging battles against other top teams. Wins include victories over Real Colorado 2:0, West Coast FC 1:0, and Crossfire Premier 1:0. These three victories secured their spot in the Saturday finals versus the Michigan Hawks.

At the finals on Saturday, both teams battled hard, and thanks to a couple of point blank saves by So Cal Blues keeper Lauren Brzykcy, the team kept the score neutral at 0-0 going into the half, but that was where it stopped. Ten minutes into the second half, midfielder Ashley Soto took advantage of a corner kick by heading the ball into the Hawks net. Shortly after, defender Chloe Boice drove a shot into the net from outside the box to make the score 2-0. The third and final goal for the So Cal Blues was made by Sydney Duarte during a breakaway from a long clearance from keeper Brzykcy. In the final moments of the game the Hawks made a single goal to bring the final score to 3-1, and the So Cal Blues U15 being named number one in the nation.

The Southern California Blues U15 team is made up Emily Benner (#2), Chloe Boice (#9), Lauren Brzykcy (#11), Olivia De Moraees (#16), Madelyn Desiano (#13), Sydney Duarte (#18), Mahea Heimuli (#19), Illiana Hocking (#21), Penelope Hocking (#17), Sonja Kobayashi (#4), Kate O’Connor (#6), Hannah Prince (#12), Skylar Smith (#10), Ashley Soto (#8), Genevieve Watkins (#25), Kennedy Wesley (#22), Iyana Zimmerman (#3)

About Southern California Blues Soccer Club

The Southern California Blues Soccer Club was founded in 1990 by Coach Larry Draluck. Shortly thereafter, Tad Bobak joined the club to coach alongside Larry whom he had coached soccer with previously at UC Santa Barbara. The two led the organization to many state and national titles over the years by focusing on the Seven Powerful Parts of Soccer; Mental and Physical Power, Defense, Ball Possession to Attack to Score, Avenues to Score Goals, Positive Team Unity, Consistency and Positive Results and Winning. For more information, visit scblues.com. The So Cal Blues is also found on social media at facebook.com/scblues, instagram.com/s.c.blues, twitter.com/socal_blues.

Dear Blues Family,

I want to thank each and every one of you for the privilege to be part of this AMAZING Blues Cup event. I kept thinking while I took in the atmosphere this past weekend, “Wow! How was I so lucky to have been able to grow-up and develop in this amazing club?”

It is very difficult to fully appreciate the full spectrum of what goes into the daily operations of such a prestigious club as the Blues when you are a youth player growing up in their philosophy. I was spoiled having only played for the Blues until college, and I was very naïve to think that this was how the entire world of soccer worked. My eyes have since been opened to a larger sample of our soccer world, and it was extremely refreshing to come back to my roots and witness the Blues in action this weekend.

Too often, I see clubs focused on wins and revenue rather than what really matters. I absolutely love how the Blues continue to focus on quality, class, excellence, and the development of successful human beings. The Blues’ coaches, staff, and members clearly are united and have a higher understanding of what true success and meaningful results really look like.

I left this weekend inspired as a person, coach, player, and I must thank each of you for that. Thank you for how you have poured into my life and the lives of every girl that wears the infamous lime green uniform. I mentioned this to Dave and Larry, but all my life I have been able to gain instant credibility just by using my status as a Blues alumni, sometimes even more credibility than from being a national team or professional player. Telling people in the soccer community that I played for the Blues is synonymous with saying that I have developed character, discipline, mental and physical toughness, and more.

Thank you Dave (my very dear AYSO coach), Larry, and Tad for investing in me. Thank you Tad for relentlessly guiding my former teammates and me into strong set apart women. Thank you for some of the best memories of my life. Thank you to the Blues Board and everyone else involved with the club for staying true to the So Cal Blues philosophy and for keeping the focus on things of true value.

I would love to continue to stay involved as much as possible, so please let me know if there is anyway I can continue to support the Blues.

Thank you!

Jenny Ruiz

Congratulations 2015 Blues Cup Champions!

Boise: A 4-2 double overtime win secured a trip for these girls to the USYS championships in Oklahoma next month.

Under-13 Girls: So Cal Blues Baker (CA-S) vs Eagles SC (CA-S) Defending Region IV champs

So Cal Blues Baker (CA-s) punched a ticket to its first National Championships with a 4-2 overtime win against in-state opponent Eagles SC (CA-S).

Blues began the scoring in the seventh minute with Trinity Rodman’s goal. Eagles responded right at the end of the first half when Delaney Jannone found herself alone after beating an off-sides trap and slotted a shot into the corner. Eagles then took the lead in the first couple minutes of the second half with a goal from Cordelia Cross. The defending champs still had some fight left as it was Rodman again who scored the equalizer in the 53rd minute. Neither team was able to get the edge in regular time, so overtime was necessary where Jordyn Gather broke the 2-2 tie in the 72nd minute, and Isabella DAquila added the final goal of the match in the 86nd minute. Congratulations girls and good luck in Oklahoma.

Article Written by J.R. Eskilson
Published: March 4, 2015

There were many contributing factors to the recent success of the U.S. U17 Women’s National Team, but one club definitely had a lot of influence. So Cal Blues contributed three players to the roster for the recent NTC Invitational in Carson, California. Two of the Blues standouts started the deciding game against Japan, and had a pretty big influence on the overall outcome of the tournament for the youth national team.

This isn’t new territory for the Blues, as the California club has been producing talented players for the youth national team and collegiate level for many years now.

TopDrawerSoccer chatted with So Cal Blues ECNL Technical Director Randy Dodge about his current crop, recruiting vs. development, and the growth of the national team.

TopDrawerSoccer (TDS): So Cal Blues has been one of the most consistent clubs at producing players for the youth national teams with starters on the last two U17 qualifying teams and now three players on this current team. What has been the key for the club’s ongoing success in producing players to play at the international level?

Randy Dodge (RD): Here at So Cal Blues, we look at the overall student athlete. We start our identification process at an early age- the U8s, 9s and 10s, to evaluate a player’s mental and physical capabilities in addition to her technical and tactical abilities. We are interested in the complete development of players: inside and out, which has enabled us to work with elite athletes, including so many national team level players. Because of the time invested in the development of the younger ages, we have youth national team players starting at U14 and all the way up through the U23s.

TDS: With three U17 WNT players on your current So Cal Blues U16 team, how do you keep them motivated after they’ve enjoyed so much success at the youth international level?

RD: I have been blessed to coach the last two cycles of players going through the U17 national team programs. These current players have been able to see how the previous players; Katie Pingel, Annika Rodriguez, and Katherine Hess, reacted when they came back to training. They got firsthand knowledge about how to compete at the international level and then come back and compete at the ECNL level.

We focus on the four components of soccer: mental, physical, technical, and tactical, and play tons of small sided games. Within that, everything we do in every training session is always built around competition. So if these girls come back from national team camp and want to cruise, they are going to get beat. They are on the national team for a reason—they are competitive and want to win, whether they are U8 or U18.

TDS: You’ve been coaching at a very high level for a long time. Do you think what U.S. Soccer is looking for in youth national team players is changing?

RD: Overall, the game of soccer itself has changed so much. So naturally, U.S. Soccer has had to adapt at what they look for in their youth national team players. It has changed how all of us coaches look at players.

At the So Cal Blues, we have always looked for possession oriented players and that is what has separated the Blues from other clubs since 1990. Over the last few years we have started to see more players like that have a more prominent role in our national team level because of the evolution of the international game.

TDS: Five seasons of the ECNL now – do you believe the league has helped So Cal Blues improve?

RD: The ECNL has greatly helped the So Cal Blues, but it has also had an immense impact on women’s soccer across the country. One key aspect that the ECNL brings is that every game counts. Just like in college and at the international level. It really makes coaches prepare week to week for the opponent. Additionally, being able to know the schedule for the whole year in advance helps with the costs to the families and helps coaches plan out the year, technically, tactically, and what they want to accomplish.

TDS: If you could change one thing about the ECNL, what would it be?

RD: One thing I would change about the ECNL is less travel for the U17 age group. Because of the ECNL, the majority of players (especially on the west coast) have already committed to colleges, so eliminating one of the traveling events would be ideal. And building off of that, I believe that a shift to an academy-like schedule would improve the ECNL even more.

TDS: When you first get these players trying out for the club, what are the main attributes that you are looking for?

RD: We look for players that are absolute hard-workers, are always active-both on and off the ball, and how they respond in various situations. We watch what players do after they lose the ball just as much as what they do with the ball. We want players that are going to battle back after a mistake, because you want that attribute at every position on the field. Because we play a very rhythmical style of play, we seek players who are technically gifted and can be creative in tight spaces.

TDS: So Cal Blues is one of the most prominent clubs in the hotbed of girl’s soccer. I imagine there’s a long list of players who want to play for your teams. How do you handle player development vs. recruiting?

RD: Player development and recruiting go hand in hand. The players who have played for us always have the first crack at being part of the team; loyalty is a big thing for us. But at the end of the day, you always have to be looking at making your team better if you are going to stay competitive with the top ten teams in the country. We are very picky about adding players to existing teams, because they have to be a good fit and not disrupt team chemistry.

TDS: One the attributes about So Cal Blues players seems to be quick feet and ability to play at a quick speed – especially with Ashley Sanchez. Are these qualities that the club focuses on through the development process?

RD: Ashley Sanchez is not the norm; she is an incredible player with God-given talent. All I try to do is give her ideas and motivation and she is the one that is motivated to compete with the best in the country. What we try to do in the development process with all of our players at the So Cal Blues is teach and enable players to make quick decisions with the ball in tight spaces. We do a ton of technical work in and around goal to reinforce and be comfortable in those situations.

photos via scblues.com