U11-U13 State Cup Recap
A process that began all the way back in the fall ended this past weekend as the top divisions of the U11-U13 NorCal Premier Soccer State Cup concluded their semifinal and final rounds at Mary Grogan Park in Modesto.
In a thrilling weekend of soccer, 35 different champions were crowned including six in the State Division — teams that now have the right to call themselves State Champions after all of their hard work and good play.
Congratulations are in order for every team that made it this far in the competition.
Here are your State Division recaps:
| U11 Girls State Final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MVLA |  | 1-3 |  | Mustang SC | |
| In a back and forth matchup between Bay Area giants, Mustang SC claimed their latest State Cup title after two second half goals propelled them to a 3-1 victory. The Danville side scored just two minutes into the game through Morgan Van Puffelen before Kaylani Ahn equalized just nine minutes later. The match stayed deadlocked until halftime but a free kick goal from Donje'a Turner proved to be the eventual winner before Surayah Jalal iced the game for Mustang 15 minutes before time. | |||||
| U11 Boys State Final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheriffs FC |  | 3-0 |  | Almaden FC | |
| After a tense few moments in which both sides struggled to create quality chances, Sheriffs FC finally broke through 26 minutes in thanks to a goal from Riley Paxtor. From there, Almaden FC couldn't find any answers as Sheriffs cruised to a 3-0 victory after second half goals from Robert Fernandez and Luis Mira. | |||||
| U12 Girls State Final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ajax United |  | 0-0 (1-3) |  | San Juan SC | |
| Despite sending waves into the attack time and time again, neither Ajax United nor San Juan SC could find a goal in regular or extra time of the U12 Girls State Cup final. This meant heading to a penalty kick shootout to decide who lifted the trophy between two equally deserving sides. Ultimately, San Juan prevailed 3-1 on kicks from the mark thanks to three successful attempts and a save from goalkeeper Aviana Ivey. | |||||
| U12 Boys State Final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mustang SC | | 6-2 | | Ajax United | |
| It was a performance of the ages for young Diego Pereira as the creative attacker propelled Mustang SC to a 6-2 victory over Ajax United. Pereira scored twice in the first three minutes to give Mustang a surprise early lead before teammate Colton Fitzgibbon made it 3-0 in the 12th minute. Though Ajax got back into the game in the second half with goals from Aaron Robles and Jayden Guzman Martinez, Pereira scored more goals in three minutes late in the game to bring the State Cup trophy back to Danville. | |||||
| U13 Girls State Final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FC Sporting |  | 1-0 |  | Los Gatos United | |
| In a tight defensive affair, an early goal made the difference between FC Sporting and Los Gatos United as the Sacramento club claimed the State Cup title thanks to a 1-0 victory. Maycee Kirby did the damage for Sporting, scoring in the 22nd minute before she and the rest of the team clamped down defensively to thwart the oncoming attacks from Los Gatos. | |||||
| U13 Boys State Final | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albion SC |  | 4-1 |  | SF Glens | |
| In a game in which both sides attacked early and often, Albion SC claimed the State Cup championship thanks to a 4-1 victory over the SF Glens. Both sides fought valiantly to make it to this stage of the competition, but ultimately the Merced side were just a bit better on the day and took home the trophy due to an impressive attacking display that featured goals from four different players. | |||||
Congrats to every team who took home a title. The pathway each took to their eventual championships can be found here for the State and Premier divisions and here for the Gold/Silver/Bronze divisions. Here is the full list of champions for each level:
