U11 Orange

apfotos2017-02-06T23:39:04-08:00December 31st, 2014|

My name is Evette Allari, and I am on the Rage U11 Orange team. When I found out I had to do a community service project, I knew exactly what to do. I wanted to do a book drive because I love to read.

For my first step, I had to find a local organization that could use children books. I contacted the owner of Towne Center Books, our local bookstore. I told her I was planning a book drive, and I was looking for a local organization that would need books. She said that the “Booklegger” volunteer group at the Pleasanton Library might be collecting books for a school in Stockton. I emailed the “Booklegger” coordinator, Chris Spitzel, and she was able to provide me with the Stockton contact person, Jeff Keller, who is director of educational services at the Stockton Unified School District. After Chris Spitzel gave me his contact information, I sent him an email asking if he wanted books. He said he was very interested and appreciated my help and support.

I made a flyer and told my class, Ms. Sweeney’s fifth grade class at Valley View Elementary School, I was doing a book drive, so they could bring books to class. I then told my team that they could bring books to practice for kids in Stockton. Together, my class and team brought in 564 books. I was so excited!

My last step was to bring the books to Jeff Keller. When I brought the books to him, he was very appreciative of the work I put in to getting the books. He told me it was great that I brought the books because the children really needed it. The only books that the kids had were not at the right reading level, so they tended to not read every day. Jeff Keller was a lot of help because he was in touch with me constantly, and he helped me find a way to get the books to the kids.

I was so happy that the kids could now have more books. The owner of Towne Center Books, Chris Spitzel, and Jeff Keller all helped to make it happen. Now the children can read new books!

The project made me learn more about communication, organization, responsibility, and how much others were willing to help. Working with adults, teammates, and classmates helped me learn how to communicate with people. Doing the project and collecting my books helped me learn how to be responsible and organized. When everyone helped me, I realized how much time people take to help others. My whole project was a great experience for me, and now the kids can read books at their level.

U-11 White

apfotos2017-02-06T23:39:04-08:00December 16th, 2014|

Our names are Leila Lyions, Bela Jimenez, and Morgan Pearson and we play for the U-11 White Team. For our community service project, we helped the International Rescue Committee (IRC) in Oakland with their annual Thanksgiving Day dinner event. This event introduces incoming refugees to Thanksgiving. We collected hygiene products, craft supplies, and soccer balls from donations. With these donations we put together 33 bags for the refugees. We also made tons of rainbow loom bracelets for the kids.

At the church, we played soccer in the pouring rain with some of the kids. Eventually, it started to pour so hard we couldn’t play outside so they said we could play in the hall. We also helped the kids make ornaments, paper snowflakes, origami, and we helped them draw. The ornaments were supposed to have a little reindeer on them, but kids got really creative and made up their own ideas.

At the event, we met many different families including the most recent Syrian family who just escaped a civil war two weeks prior to the event. Their family didn’t speak English and had a little girl that was in a wheelchair and a boy with curly hair. The mom was pregnant with her third child. We also met a girl, older than us, who loved soccer and has two younger brothers. They were from the Middle East. She was really friendly and had a lot of things in common with us. She helped us a lot with the kids. From this experience we had a lot of fun and everyone was very happy and said that this had been their favorite feast ever!

U-11 Orange

apfotos2017-02-06T23:39:04-08:00December 16th, 2014|

We are part of the Rage U-11 Orange team. Our names are Ashley, Maddie, Caitlin, and Maggie. For our Community Service project we decided to make blankets with the elders at Stoneridge Creek Community. We made blankets with the elders, and we had a blast! They all had smiles on their faces, and we made their Thanksgiving Day a little bit better. Working with the elders was a fantastic experience. They made our day, and we hopefully made theirs. Stoneridge Creek Community helped us a lot by, donating their time, and also giving us the felt for actually making the blankets.

After making the blankets with the team and the elders, the next day, we drove to the Oakland Children’s Research Hospital to deliver the blankets. When we were there we got to meet Ms. Veronica. She told us all about the hospital and what she does. We got taught how they deliver the blankets to the children, and how they always put a smile on their faces. Ms. Veronica thanked us many times from donating the blankets, and we thanked her for getting the opportunity to give back to our community.

All in all this project was a great success, and we hope to be able to have more opportunities like this one. We recommend doing community service for everyone from all ages. You would be so shocked how fun it really is.

Seven Cougars, Rockwood receive top WCC honors

apfotos2017-02-06T23:39:04-08:00November 30th, 2014|

knielsen | BYU Athletic Communications | Posted Nov 11, 2014 11:34 AM | Updated Nov 11, 2014 12:15 PM

(Photo by BYU Creative Design/Dave Broberg)

SAN BRUNO, Calif. – Two BYU women’s soccer players and head coach Jennifer Rockwood earned individual league honors, while five others were named to All-WCC teams

Ashley Hatch earned WCC Co-Player of the Year honors. Annie Amos was named WCC Defender of the Year and Rockwood was named Co-Coach of the Year.

Michele Murphy, Niki Fernandes, Elena Medeiros, Bizzy Phillips and Taylor Campbell Isom also earned All-WCC honors from voting by the league’s head coaches.

Hatch was named WCC Co-Player of the Year along with Santa Clara’s Sofia Huerta. BYU’s sophomore forward scored 11 goals and made three assists in conference play. Hatch led the league in points with 25, while Huerta came in second with 18 from eight goals and two assists.

Amos earned WCC Defender of the Year honors as the lone returning starter on the defense this season. She helped the Cougars shut out 10 opponents from her center back position.

Rockwood was named WCC Co-Coach of the Year along with Pepperdine’s Tim Ward. Rockwood led the Cougars to a 7-1-1 record in conference and clinched the title with a week to go in the regular season. The award is her fifth conference coach of the year award and is the second since joining the West Coast Conference in 2011. Pepperdine finished third in the conference, but was a top 15 team in the nation for the length of the season.

Amos, Hatch and Murphy were selected to the All-WCC First Team. Murphy scored four goals and made five assists in conference play. Senior forward Fernandes, sophomore midfielder Medeiros and freshman midfielder Phillips were selected to the All-WCC Second Team and freshman defender Taylor Campbell Isom earned All-WCC Honorable Mention.

Phillips and Isom were both also named to the All-WCC Freshman Team.

The Cougars earned an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament thanks to their regular season title and will play in the first round on Saturday, Nov. 15, at noon MT in Boulder, Colorado against the Colorado Buffaloes. The match will be streamed on CUBuffs.com.

WCC ANNOUNCES 2014 WOMEN’S SOCCER ALL CONFERENCE TEAM

RAGE’99 Premier Finished 2nd in NPL

apfotos2017-02-06T23:39:04-08:00November 26th, 2014|

RAGE’99 Premier after their game on November 23, 2014 in Davis California
Back Row (L-R): Terra McHone, Tori Sanchez, Delaney Bammer, Audrey Goodman, Madison Baxter and Summer Langsam
3rd Row: Elise Allari, Sydney Pandolfo, Lila Mague, Catherine Cho and Jillian Weber
2nd Row (kneeling): Jennie Waldo, Katie Judson, Keara Greenan, Molly Murphy, Nicole Zhang and Emily Wright
Front Row: Coaches Axel Thibodeau and Ray Hooft
Not pictured: Lilly Ryan

The RAGE’99 Premier finished 2nd in a very competitive National Premier League U15 State Premier 1 division after a 1-0 win over North Bay Elite in their NPL season finale. The team is also currently in first place in the Elite Girls Soccer League (EGSL).

The team is coached by Axel Thibodeau with the assistance of Ray Hooft.

Great job girls!

U12 Flight OutRageOus Wins Fremont Tournament of Champions

apfotos2017-02-06T23:39:05-08:00November 26th, 2014|

(Photo… Back Row: Melissa Garcia, Megan Eilenstine, Coach John Flora, Courtney Olivier, Isabella Wilbur, Trinity Ellis, Coach Jack Gerard, Kayleigh Dennen, Masey Peters, Kate Zaine, Abbey Baer; Front Row: Jessica Fey, Juliana Gerard, Daylin Williams, Jordyn Self, Ellie Flora, Kalyn Carroll)

The U12 Flight OutRageOus team finished their season with Rage by winning the Fremont Tournament of Champions.

The girls played with tremendous heart and remarkable character. They trusted and supported each other, and they gave everything they had. Every player contributed, and they played like a truly great team.

The victory in Fremont came one week after winning the U12 Flight Jamboree and after earning first place in the U12 Flight regular season.

The final match at the Fremont Tournament of Champions ended in dramatic fashion. OutRageOus was competing against the Danville Mustangs, finishing regulation time in a 0 – 0 tie. With 30 seconds remaining in the second overtime session, Izzy Wilbur made an excellent cross to the center. Ellie Flora tapped the ball to Abbey Baer, who sent the ball into the top right corner of the net.

The OutRageOus defense was remarkably strong and did not allow a single goal in the entire tournament. The girls finished the Tournament of Champions with a record of 3 wins, 0 losses, and 1 tie; and they outscored their opponents 11 – 0.

OutRageOus’ team record for 2014, including the regular season, the U12 Flight Jamboree, and the Fremont Tournament of Champions was 13 wins, 2 losses, and 2 ties. Excluding penalty kicks in the Jamboree, they scored 44 goals this season and only allowed 5 against them.

U9 Orange Wins Norcal State Cup Championship

apfotos2017-02-06T23:39:05-08:00November 20th, 2014|

Angelina Ricupati, Sydney Stimson, Phoebe Kmetz, Katie O’Sullivan, Layla Mai, Olivia Walinski
Coach Dave Shaw, Macy Lehrer, Paige Bennett, Makenze Mapes, Katie Salonga, Angelema Akanyirige

The Pleasanton Rage U9 Orange team finished of the season winning the Norcal State Cup Championship. Coming into the semi final game
the team had an unbeaten run of 14 games. The previous weekend they finished their Norcal U9 Gold League schedule and finished in 1st place.

The semi final game against Modesto Ajax was a very hard-fought battle. The Rage team broke the deadlock with 10 minutes left with a great individual
goal by Katie O’Sullivan. The score was kept to 1-0 thanks to great defending and great goalkeeping by Katie Salonga and Paige Bennett.

The final game was a very tense game against a very fast San Juan team. The Rage team dominated most of the 1st half and scored before half time with a
goal by Angelina Ricupati assisted by Katie O’Sullivan. The San Juan team then scored two quick goals at the start of the 2nd half. With 10 minutes left
Rage equalized thanks to a long-range effort by Katie O’Sullivan.

The game then went into golden goal overtime and the Rage had many chances to score. Finally the game went into a penalty kick shoot out. The Rage
team scored 4 out of 5 kicks and 2 saves from Katie Salonga ensured the girls won the game and the State Championship.

For State Cup run the girls had a record of W6 L0 T3. In the Norcal League they had a record of W7 L0 T2. For the fall season including tournaments the girls
had a record of W23 L3 T7.

College Workshop For All High School Parents & Players

apfotos2017-02-06T23:39:05-08:00November 17th, 2014|

When: Thursday, November 20 7:00-9:00

Where: HART Middle School

For all high school players and parents

Get organized, get informed and hear from previous players that went through the process.

FRESHMAN & SOPHMORES: 7-8pm

JUNIORS & SENIORS: 8-9pm

College-Workshop-Flyer-2014

National award recipients to be announced at Jan. 16 US Youth Soccer Awards Gala

apfotos2017-02-06T23:39:05-08:00November 13th, 2014|

National award recipients to be announced at Jan. 16 US Youth Soccer Awards Gala

FRISCO, Texas (Nov. 12, 2014) — US Youth Soccer is proud to announce the 2014 regional award winners from US Youth Soccer Region IV. Nine individuals from the region were recognized for giving their time and effort over the past year to help advance the game of soccer at their organizations and within their communities.

The Region IV award winners in each category are now eligible for their respective national award, along with nominees from the three other US Youth Soccer regions. The national award recipients will be announced at the US Youth Soccer Awards Gala on Friday, Jan. 16, at 7:30 p.m., as part of the 2015 US Youth Soccer Workshop in Philadelphia, held in conjunction with the NSCAA Convention.

At the 2015 Awards Gala, the newest class of inductees to the US Youth Soccer Hall of Fame will be honored, along with the recipient of the Dr. Thomas Fleck Award for excellence in youth coaching education. The awards feature Boys and Girls Competitive and Recreation Coach of the Year, Administrator of the Year, Volunteer of the Year, Male and Female Young Referees of the Year, Goal and Save of the Year and the TOPSoccer Buddy of the Year.

Region IV is comprised of Alaska, Arizona, California North, California South, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.

Brief bios of the Region IV nominees, based on submitted nomination forms, can be found below.

Administrator of the Year | William Fry – Seattle, Wash.
Bill Fry has been instrumental in the development and growth of the local soccer community. During his tenure as president, the West Seattle Soccer Club nearly doubled its amount of registered players. Bill is very active in promoting soccer through various events in the community and has brought in local professional players to motivate youth during club-sponsored clinics and camps. Also a licensed referee, Bill provides constant positive attitude for the many soccer participants in his community.

Boys Competitive Coach of the Year | David Robertson – Phoenix, Ariz.
Since arriving at Sereno SC in 2007, David Robertson has been a great role model who works tirelessly with his players to help them develop and reach their dreams. He does not give up on any player and works with each member of his team to make them better and build their confidence. David holds the UEFA ‘A’ License and National Youth License, and he has previously guided his team to the US Youth Soccer National Championship final.

Girls Competitive Coach of the Year | Ryan Dortch – Bellevue, Wash.
In nearly 25 years of coaching, Ryan Dortch has guided several premier clubs and semi-professional teams. A former Washington Youth Soccer player, Ryan maintains his USSF ‘A’ License while continuing to act as a mentor and role model within the soccer community. In his eight years at Eastside FC, he has led teams to on-field success while setting clear expectations for players, parents and coaches to follow in regards to showing respect and demonstrating good character to all participants.

Boys Recreation Coach of the Year | John McKenzie – Bremerton, Wash.
In 13 years as a recreational coach, John McKenzie has used soccer to instill the qualities of sportsmanship and teamwork in his players. Players say he taught them how to be young men first and soccer players second. John helps pass on to his player a desire to play the game and the team always has fun while competing. In addition to recreational coaching, John is involved in TOPSoccer, where he coaches and works as a buddy.

Girls Recreation Coach of the Year | Edward Davies – Pleasanton, Calif.
Players and parents on Edward Davies’ teams learn that sportsmanship and playing the game properly are more important than winning. His four rules are to try as hard as you can, keep getting better, respect the team and honor the game. Edward encourages players to learn to make good decisions for themselves and their teammates. He helped organize a friendly tournament to allow players a chance to continue to grow and improve while playing in a fun environment.

TOPSoccer Buddy of the Year | Ryan Olsen – Gresham, Ore.
Ryan Olsen has been a TOPSoccer Buddy for the Eastside Timbers for three years. He is present at all sessions and someone who can always be relied on to help. Ryan demonstrates a natural ability to work with individuals with disabilities, and he makes sure players are included in all activities. He is a positive individual who regularly helps the Eastside Timbers program and supports TOPSoccer by recruiting new buddies to help improve the experience for each player.

Volunteer of the Year | Steve Kinsey – Farmington, N.M.
Steve Kinsey has been involved in youth soccer for more than 20 years and has become the cornerstone of Four Corners United and the Four Corners Youth Soccer League. In his few years with the program, he has generated improvement, worked with coaches and created several features that ultimately help improve player development. Steve volunteers on the board for the club and league, and he never misses a meeting while providing selfless and insightful input.

Young Male Referee of the Year | Victor Torres – Aurora, Colo.
After getting into soccer as a player, Victor Torres learned how challenging refereeing can be following his first experience officiating a game. Since that point, he has displayed determination to improve as a referee. Victor has continued to learn and has seen his knowledge and confidence grow. He has refereed several Colorado State Cup matches, as well as the US Youth Soccer Region IV Championships. Victor continues to referee while attending Metropolitan State University in Denver.

Young Female Referee of the Year | Ryan Riley – Issaquah, Wash.
When she first started refereeing in her early teens, Ryan Riley showed a maturity and passion for officiating well beyond her years. Now 17, Ryan enjoys refereeing because it gives her a chance to work on communication, people management and leadership skills — characteristics she regularly displays on and off the soccer field. She is also on the Washington Youth Soccer advisory board, which is comprised of 12 responsible students from across the state who are active in the game.

The US Youth Soccer Workshop will be held in Philadelphia from Jan. 14-18, 2015. The annual Workshop will take place at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in conjunction with the NSCAA Convention. The week is designed to further the education of coaches, administrators, referees and enthusiasts involved in the game. For more information, please visit USYouthSoccer.org/Workshop/NSCAA.