Local U15 boys soccer takes Class III trophy
MORGAN HILL – The Orchard Valley Big Dogs have been to the championship game in each of the three tournaments they have entered this fall and Sunday was no different in the 25th Annual Almaden Fall Classic Class III Soccer Tournament.
The local kickers captured the tournament championship for the boys under-15 division at the soccer complex in Morgan Hill.
The Big Dogs got into the championship game by finishing first in their group in the qualifying round. The Big Dogs got off to a fast start on Saturday morning by beating the Almaden Metro 5-1. Later on Saturday, the Big Dogs met the Los Gatos Arsenal, a team the Big Dogs had split two earlier meetings with this season. This extremely physical contest ended in a 2-2 draw, after the Arsenal came back to tie the game late in the second half and held off numerous scoring threats from the Big Dogs. At Saturday’s end, the Big Dogs had a narrow points lead over their very well-matched group.
On Sunday morning, the Big Dogs played another physical team with a strong defense, the Fremont Cheetahs. With the score tied 1-1 at half-time, the Orchard Valley team believed they needed a win to get into the championship round. They attacked aggressively in the second half, but their scoring threats were repeatedly held off by the Cheetahs, and the game ended in a 1-1 draw. But none of the four teams in the group had more than one win, and the Big Dogs were the only team without a loss. The Big Dogs finished first in their group and advanced to the championship game to play the winner of the other four-team group.
In the championship game, the Big Dogs faced the MYSC Tigres from San Francisco, which had won all three of their games in the qualifying round. The Tigres played very aggressive, attacking soccer. In the first half, the Big Dogs held off repeated attempts by the Tigres to play the ball through to their speedy forwards, and battled to keep the game scoreless for the first 35 minutes. Late in the first half, on a beautifully struck free kick by Humberto Pineda, the Big Dogs surprised the Tigres and took a 1-0 lead into halftime.
In the second half with the wind now at their backs, the Big Dogs took the attack to the Tigres, and threatened several times to extend the lead. The Tigres responded with quick counter-attacks and crosses from the wings. Mid-way through the second half, the Big Dogs got through on a counter-attack of their own and scored a quick second goal, stunning the Tigres and taking a 2-0 lead.
The remainder of the second half was marked by outstanding defensive play by the Big Dogs, with the entire team helping defensively to repel an onslaught of attacks from the Tigres. With just a few minutes left in the contest, the Tigres finally stuck in a goal to make the game 2-1. But little time was remaining, and the Big Dogs kept their heads, played with tremendous teamwork, and held the lead to earn the 2-1 victory and the championship.
The Orchard Valley Big Dogs team members who earned this championship are Jesus Diaz, Aaron Ehlers, Jamie Inouye, Alex Jacobs, Colin Kay, Timothy Kotyuk, Andres Leon, Emmanuel Nava, Kevin Parsons, Humberto Pineda, Jose Pineda, Andy Rodriguez, Sam Stoner, Jose Velasquez, and Bryan Yates.
The Big Dogs would like to thank their local team sponsors who have supported them and allowed them to continue playing soccer. Their sponsors are Interior Glass Systems, Inc., Mouse Mania Cuts, Safari Salon, Brentwood Pacific Financial Corp., Natural Nails by Lisa, & Bruce Sarhaddi, DDS.
