Local girls find soccer success

MARK ZEOLLA/Special to the Acorn CHAMPS-The AYSO Region 4 girls U-16 team places second in the sectional championship held in Bakersfield recently. Front row, from left: Red Hot Chili Peppers Karen Kaye, Rachel Hines, Rebekah Smith, Sarah Friedman, Gabriella Bruno, Ciara Zeolla, Kristina Banfield. Back row, Molly Weinstein, Ashley Hanson, Alison Berman, Alisyn Walsh, Liz Cornelis, Melissa King, Nicole Mainardi and Brianna Fischer. Back, Coach Joe Mainardi. Two local soccer teams earned medals in a tournament held in Bakersfield on Nov. 11 and 12 for top teams from the San Fernando Valley, Ventura and Kern counties, northern Los Angeles County and the High Desert. The girls under16 and under19 divisions from AYSO Region 4 both won second place in the tournament. It's the first time both teams medaled at the same time, according to Leslie Cravitz, assistant commissioner of the Region 4 boys and girls under-16 and under19 divisions. Region 4 includes Newbury Park, Simi Valley, Moorpark, Malibu, Agoura/ Westlake and Thousand Oaks.

"I've coached a long time. This is a big deal whether the kids realize it or not," said Bill Vinson, the girls U-19 coach.

RUSS LIVERGOOD/Special to The Acorn CLOSE ENCOUNTER-Anne Sherman battles for the ball for United in the recent tournament where the AYSO Region 4 girls U-19 team placed second. At the U-19 level, soccer is a contact sport. Participating teams at the tournament were those that had come in first or second place in their home region's playoff games.

"The teams at the tournament represent half of the state of California," Cravitz said.

Each participating team played three games on Saturday. Teams that won at least two games advanced to play another two games Sunday.

The U-16 team won second place last year, according to Coach Joe Mainardi. But in seven years of coaching U-19, this is only the second team Vinson has coached that made it to the tournament. The first, in 2003, didn't make it to the second day.

"Ninety-five percent of AYSO teams never see Bakersfield or Lancaster, so to get into the championship is quite an accomplishment," Vinson said. The U-19 team had no goals scored on it during the entire tournament until the end of the final game. After a 0-0 score and two overtimes, the team lost in a shoot-out to a Valencia group they had beaten the previous day. In spite of the loss, the players were still excited about having made it to the championship game.

"They were sky-high after," Vinson said. "I never coached a team that wanted to go to Bakersfield so bad."

The team experienced some setbacks during the tournament. One girl broke her ankle after stepping in a hole in the field during the first game Saturday. In the first Sunday game, a player suffered a concussion after colliding with an opposing player and hitting the ground head first.

For some of the U-19 girls, this was the final AYSO season. Eight are college students; the remainder are high school seniors. Lindsay Land, 18, of Agoura Hills, a psychology major at California State University at Channel Islands, played goalie for the team.

"We've all been on a lot of teams together before so we play well together," said Land, who has played AYSO soccer for 12 years.

Just to get an invitation to Bakersfield, the U-16 team had to win eight playoff games in nine days, coming in at first place in Region 4.

The tournament was a great opportunity for the players to measure themselves against the very best teams in Section 10, according to the girls U-16 coach, Joe Mainardi.

"This group kept steadily growing into a team," Mainardi said. "They're the kind of team you want to keep coaching for as long as possible."

For many of the U-16 girls, like Gabriella Bruno and Molly Weinstein, both 14-year-old Oak Park High School freshmen who have been playing soccer since kindergarten, it was their first time at the tournament.

"Going to Bakersfield was a really good experience," Gabriella said. "It was really fun just spending time with the team."

Molly didn't stay sad for too long after the team's loss to Woodland Hills in the final game.

"We came so far," Molly said. "It was great being able to celebrate second place together."