HEAT WINS IN SUMMER TOURNAMENTS! The U-15 G Class I Heat has had a busy summer, taking first place in the Walnut Creek 6 v 6 Tournament and taking 3rd in the Livermore Summer Classic. In the Walnut Creek 6 v 6, Heat dominated and beat every WCSC entry in the  tournament to advance to the Championship game. Facing a team it had beaten in its first game, Heat left no doubt about who the Championship belonged to with a 6-1 thrashing of WSCS. Aggressive defense and an offense that featured goals by 6 different players in 4 games, showcasing the depth and scoring strength of the team.The Livermore Classic was played under extreme conditions, with every game played in temperatures above 98 degrees. With the ranks depleted due to summer vacations, Heat played tough with 12 players (and lots of water) and was finally bested by a talented Belmont Breakers team in the semi-final game. Heat went on to beat a very determined Sunnyvale Alliance squad to take 3rd place overall. Extraordinary performances were turned in by many players, including guest Goal Keeper Loren Mendez, sweeper Hannah Yokum, midfielder Paige Louis and sensational goals from striker Laura Gordon.  Well done girls!

Heritage Magic U12 Class 1 Girls win Novato Classic I Hard work, discipline and team play, paid off in a big way for Magic this past weekend. After bouncing back from a tuff fought 3 – 2 lose in the opening match against a very skilled Novato Magic team; the Heritage ladies pulled it all together to claim their first tournament of the year.  With outstanding play from Jordan Vaelei-Bilich in the Goal Keeper position and dominating midfield play and leadership from Taylor Stoller and Sammy Parker, the ladies quickly regained their composer to beat San Juan Spirit 2 – 1 to finish Saturday’s play right in the middle of the pack.  Sunday proved that the team was ready for a breakout day and were not to be denied.  With smothering defensive work by the back three, and devastating crosses by Jessica Gardner, the Magic ladies blanketed a talented Union City Devils team 3 – 0 and a feisty Sonoma County White team 3 – 0.Great work Magic!  The fruits of your labor are showing and your coaches couldn’t be prouder.  Keep up the hard work and good luck with the rest of your tournaments this season.

Three times as good Hammers won this past weekend - third in a rowThe Hammers complete sweep at DVSC Bob Fowler Memorial to win third consecutive tournament. The Hammers secured the medal with victories vs. Mustang Lightning Bolts 1-0, Azzuri Blue Explosion 6-0, Castro Valley United 8-0 and in the finals vs. Sonoma Crush 2-1. The game vs. Mustang was hard fought by both sides. The Tesoro field was wet and heavy due to extra watering which made the going tough for both sides. Hammers controlled most of the game allowing only 3 shots on goal while hammering 19. But the boys were only able to convert 1, by Ben Jamison, but were happy to get the win.
Second game of the day on Saturday and first game on Sunday were less difficult. Jason Rine got a hat trick vs. Azzuri while Ben Jamison did like wise vs. Castro Valley. Other net breakers those games were Miguel Arce, Bobby Gonzalez, Jarad Lambourne, Jesse Payn, Drew Pitcher, and Faris Rivas. Jesse Payn was also a force in the goal with two penalty kick saves in the first half vs. Castro Valley. The final vs. Sonoma was expected to be a great game and we were not disappointed. Sonoma Crush had placed 2nd and 3rd in their previous tournaments and, like the Hammers, had breezed through the preliminaries with 3 victories without conceding a goal. The game started well with Jason Rine scoring on a nice cross by Miguel Acre in the first minute of the game. However Sonoma was not rattled and with a 5 man back line they were able to keep most action away form their goal. The Crush was able to equalize before  the half on a nice corner kick conversion. The Hammers gathered themselves for the second half and pretty much dominated the next 30 minutes. Fantastic
defense anchored by Michael Casatico, Faris Rivas, Bobby Gonzalez, and Jesse Cook dominated the half line and did not allow a single shot on goal the second half. However, the Hammers found it difficult to penetrate the Sonoma 18 yard line and only managed a few shots of their own. But with less than a minute to go Faris Rivas intercepted a ball a mid-filed, passed up to Ben Jamison at the top of the 18 yard box, Ben spun and spotted a pass to Bo Hunter cutting inside the defender to the left, and Bo spun right and rolled a left footer into the goal. The Hammers hung on for 120 seconds of injury time to take the game. The Hammers will go for 4 in August next week at the Tiburon/Mill Valley Fall Kick-Off.

Hammers U12 Boys win the Novato Classic III.