Sacramento- The West Contra Costa Youth Soccer League's FCA Storm reached the Elite 8 at the 2009 Norcal Premier League State Cup Tournament this past weekend in Sacramento, California. The Storm, a first year U-9 girls competitive team, fought valiantly against top rated Santa Rosa Riptide, but came up short 2-0, just missing a trip to Norcal Premier's Final Four playoff in Manteca, California next weekend.
The Storm opened the tournament atop the U-9 Girls Gold Flight table against the Livermore Elite Lightning, a team the Storm had defeated in October. The Lightning played an inspired first half, holding the Storm scoreless with an aggressive defense. The Storm regrouped in the second half and wore down the Lightning with quick passes and aggressive midfield play, resulting in a 3-0 victory.
The Storm then drew divisional rival Mustang United from Danville, California. The United opted to use an extra defender, and frustrated the Storm throughout the game with a suffocating backline. The United scored first when their striker intercepted a pass inside the 18 yard line and scored with a well placed shot in the corner of the net. The Storm came roaring back with a goal of their own when its front line broke through the United defense and ripped a shot past a surprised Mustang goalkeeper. Both teams settled down and played cautiously the remainder of the game, resulting in a 1-1 tie.
The following day, the Storm took on host team Sacramento United Extreme. A Storm win would advance to the Elite 8, but knew that the host team would be difficult to beat. Both teams exchanged goals in a wildly played 2-2 first half, but the Storm defense kept its composure in the second half, preventing any further shots on goal while their offense scored two goals late in the game to advance them to the Elite 8 with a 4-2 win.
The Storm eventually faced the Santa Rosa Riptide, one of the top teams in the Gold Flight bracket and an early tournament favorite. The Riptide featured exceptionally strong strikers but it was their goalkeeping which proved to be the difference. The Storm had numerous shots on goal, but the Riptide goalie made clutch plays throughout the game, clinching a Riptide berth to the Final Four with a 2-0 victory.
Though disappointed that they were unable to advance to Final Four in Manteca, the Storm players, coaches and families were extremely pleased and excited with how the girls played on the pitch throughout its inaugural season and hope to have similar success in 2010.
