Almaden Strikers

8/16/09

The Strikers went undefeated with 14 goals for and 0 against.
The team had only 1 substitute and played in the scorching Central Valley heat.
What a way to start the season!  GOOOO STRIKERS!

9/2008

The boys under-13 Almaden Strikers ’95 soccer team struck gold by taking first place in the 2008 Santa Cruz classic soccer tournament on Sunday, Sept. 28.

The Strikers entered the tournament after winning their first two league games against NV MYSC Revolution ’95 and West Valley United ’95. Tying their third game against Mt. Hamilton Bulldogs and then placing third at their first tournament of the season, the Tiburon Fall Kickoff.

To qualify for the championship game, the Strikers needed a minimum of three points in their Sunday morning game against the Aptos Tide 95B. They started slow allowing one goal in the first half, but could not get it in the net themselves. Then five minutes into the second half Tyler Nall got Almaden’s first goal of the game. But Aptos put the heat on and put one in the net minutes later. The Strikers still needed at least one more goal in less than 10 minutes to advance. With five minutes remaining in the game, Nall stuck again to register the Strikers second and final goal, tying the game and propelling them to the finals.

The Strikers met the Rincon Valley Rebels in the championship match Sunday afternoon. It was a hard fought physical game. The Strikers scored first with a goal by Tanner Haas to put Almaden up 1-0. Just after halftime, the Strikers struck again, with a goal by Anthony Cervantes. The match was controlled well from there by the Strikers and a late strike from Haas settled the score at 3-0 confirming the team’s first tournament championship this season.

Throughout the tournament, the entire team played at an exceptional level. Defense was made up of Caleb Sexton, Conner Sexton, Eddie Ruppel, Avik Mondal, Peter Pecora, Cyrus Ebadat, Shaun Steele (goalie) and Jacob Valverde (goalie), all of whom played hard every minute of every game and registered two shut outs. Pecora, Nick Angileri, Nick DeQuiroz, Trevor Ergas, Matt Blomquist, Valverde and Damian Urias patrolled midfield, controlled the tempo and pace of each game, set up multiple goal scoring opportunities and scored clutch goals. The forwards, made up of Eoin Conroy, Nall, Haas and Cervantes were relentless in their pressure on opposing defenses and scoring in crucial situations.

Based on the early results this year, the AVYSL Strikers ’95 appear poised to challenge the league with balanced combination of stingy defense, dominant midfield play and aggressive and opportunistic goal scoring ability, said Coach Lela Huenergardt.