Local soccer team wins tourney championship in 4-3 final
The Orchard Valley Spartans U10 boys soccer team, comprised of players from both Gilroy and Morgan Hill, made sure the finals of the Redwood City Coppa D’Oro had the all drama and anticipation a championship game deserves.
The Spartans pulled out a nail-biting 4-3 victory over the El Dorado UTD Crew Azzuri to stake claim to the championship at the tournament held over the weekend of Dec. 11-12.
The Spartans had already earned silver medals in the Juventus Cup and the Mustang Stampede in 2010. But the Coppa D’Oro was the Spartans’ last chance of the season for a gold medal – and they didn’t let the opportunity pass.
The Spartans, aided by early goals from Max Brown and Nathan Arnott, sprinted out to a 2-0 advantage in the finals.
Despite a ferocious comeback attempt by El Dorado, goals from Jose Flores and Christian Dauphin kept the Spartans out of reach as they held the lead until the final whistle.
The team went into the tournament without the services of center defender Garrett Ellenberg and midfielder Marcus Holmes, but managed to overcome the short numbers.
In the first qualifying match against Burlingame United, substitutes Michael Corona and Ryan DePalma played their hearts out with an assist and a goal by DePalma to secure a 3 -2 win.
In the second qualifying match against the very physical Newark Ta-Mohawks, Trevor Robledo went on a scoring rampage, with help from Ryan Nave, to beat the Ta-Mohawks 7-2.
A 1-1 tie with the Peninsula Eagles gave the Spartans enough points to advance to the finals.
Led by right fullback AJ Garza and left fullback Eric Nguyen as well as goalie Joshua Moya, the defense stood strong throughout the tournament.
