1997 MISSION VIEJO TOURNAMENT RESULTS

BLUES FIND SUCCESS IN THEIR BACK YARD!

BY BLUES STAFF WRITER KRISTIN LYNCH (U14 BLUES)



Improving slightly in results from last season, during the Mission Viejo Tournament, the Blues club cleaned up the neighborhood having six of nine teams entered reach the semifinals, five in the finals, and walked away with three tournament championships.

Playing in the U19 bracket, the state champion U18 Blues were still able win the tournament without much resistance. They won their bracket, defeated the Alberto Bru led LV Blazers 5-1 in the semis, and held on to a narrow 2-1 lead to clinch the championship over the fiesty Jusa Storm.

The surprise of the tournament was the everyone is telling us it can't be done, never say die U17 Blues (now that is a long team name). They found a way to make things interesting as leading by two goals in the semis, they gave up two second half goals before sealing the victory with two minutes left in regulation on a dramatic third goal off a corner kick header. The team then ran out of gas going down fighting 2-0 to the Santa Anita Sting.

Though the defending state champion U16 Blues were never defeated in group play, they failed to make it to the second round. Getting off to a good start with a 4-0 win over Orchard Valley, they tied their next two matches 1-1 leaving them short of points to advance.

The U15 Blues won an exciting game vs state champion NHB in the semifinals. With the Blues ahead 1-0 with five minutes to go, coach Larry Draluck was ejected from the game after arguing an offsides call with officials which led to the game being tied. The game went into PK's which featured Southern California's two U14 ODP goalkeepers on either side; NHB's Sarah Lombardo, and the Blues own Nicole McCarty. The shootout went 10 deep to sudden death until McCarty shot and scored the winning PK. The Blues then lost in the finals to the So Cal powerhouse San Diego Surf by a score of 3-1.

Although the U14 Blues got off to a good start getting the max points vs West Coast Breakers and Rancho Santa Fe, they lost two games the following day to Irvine and Santa Anita leaving them short of points to advance.

En route to taking claim to being the top team in the club, the U13 team won their second straight tournament of the season beating the San Diego Surf 3-1 in the championship game.

The state champion U12 Blues have had a rough going this summer, and failed to advance out of their group. They lost their first two games and although they tied and won the next day, it was too little too late.

The up and coming U11 Blues showed they would be a team that is in the thick of competition in Southern California. After a tie in regulation, they lost in the semifinals in PK's to a powerful Mission Viejo.

In competition for club bragging rights are the upstart U10 Blues led by new Blues coach Mary Naimie. The team won their second straight tournament championship going undefeated and not allowing a single goal. In the final Leslie Schotz scored the lone goal with two minutes remaining in OT to give the Blues the 1-0 victory over Surf.







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