Oct. 27, 2008

Diablo FC 91 Impact and Diablo FC 92 Rush each won championship gold at the annual Skunk II Spookfest girls tournament the weekend of Oct. 25-26 in Ft. Bragg. Playing under incredible conditions on the sun-soaked North Coast, three other Diablo FC class III teams participated in this unique girls-only tournament.

Diablo FC Fury 96 U12 and the U15 United 93 did not have enough points to advance in the tournament despite posting wins, however the U14 Diablo FC 94 Ambush of coach Rene Guerrero earned a third-place finish after beating Santa Rosa Sun Rays 1-0 in the consolation game.

Diablo FC 92 Rush, coached by Jenny Haney, won the U16 championship by defeating Wesco Sabotage 3-0 in the finals.
The Impact faced Paradise Magic in their first game of the weekend and won going away 3-0. Two goals were scored by Ashley Ward and one goal was scored on a deflection off a defender on a cross by Ally Maes. They finished their day with a 1-0 win against 49er Sierra Blitz on a goal by Danielle Marx. Sunday morning against a strong Pleasanton Rage team, the Impact were led by goals from Marx and Mikaela French to win 2-0 and secure a berth in the finals.
In the championship game, Impact faced off against American River Sunrise Punishers of Sacramento. In a comeback win, Impact took the championship 2-1 on the strength of goals from Shelby Punu and Kelsie Harless. What made this achievement even more remarkable was the team played each game with only 12 or 13 players due to injury yet preserved and were able to come through to earn the coveted title.

The Impact defense was strong all weekend, led by goalkeeper Khristina Valera. Impact’s defense only gave up one goal in four games. The passing game was clicking and resulted from all the hard work the girls have put together in training. But the most impressive thing has been the heart and desire that this team displayed. They have been consistently undermanned because of the injuries, but you would never know it by the way these girls play. The team was down 1-0 in the championship game with only had one sub to call on, while American River had six or seven deep. The Impact girls just kept battling and were somehow able to pull out a great win against a very good opponent. Coach Bob Maes said of Impact’s play, “The defense was incredible and the heart the girls played with was unbelievable. They are a great team to coach.”

Ward, who plays sweeper and forward for the Impact, said the team has been coming to the Ft. Bragg Spookfest for the past three years and it is her favorite tournament. “It is like a big Halloween party, teams dress up and the town is very different from any other one we play in,” said Ward. She enjoys playing and practicing with the Impact. “Practice is great because the girls are great, and we have so much fun with our trainer [Mario Alejandro],” she added. “The coaches and the parents make it feel like a family,” she added.
Julianne Herrera is starting inside midfielder for the Impact. She has also been on the team for the past three seasons and said, “I love playing with this team. We have been playing together a long time, and have really grown as a team. I have learned so much playing with the team,” She added that the Ft. Bragg tournament is the highlight of her club season, and mentioned team bonding, barbecue on the beach and the festive atmosphere. “To drive 4 hours and come home with the first-place medal was awesome,” she added.
Impact also just finished out their regular season with 8 wins and 2 ties to finish first in the U19 Gold/Silver division of the District IV competitive league.

Information provided by Randy Rowland and Clayton Pioneer

Diablo FC 92 Rush - U16 Champions	Diablo FC 91 Impact--U19 Champions-Front row from left, Shelby Punu, Rekah Kagawan, Amanda Lee, Ellie Orozco, Skylar Belsher, Jessica McIntyre, Ashley Ward, Julianne Herrera, Ally Maes; Back row from left: Khristina Valera, Maria Bellafronte, Mikaela French, Coach Tami French, Kelsie Harless, Danielle Marx, Coach Bob Maes, Alissa Galeotti.