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2009 Tournament Results
Champions
Reno Washoe Zephyr
Champions
Rocklin Quarry Classic
Second
Elk Grove Everton Cup
Second
Grass Valley Rotary Ore Cart Classic
Second
Elk Grove Sun Stroke Classic
Third
Shasta Halloween Shootout
Fourth
Mustang Devil Mountain
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Pig Races, Corn Mazes, Turf Burn and Medals
It was back to tournament play for the Cyclone last weekend (10/24-25), with a trip to the tremendous Redding Soccer Park for the Shasta Halloween Shootout.
The Cyclone, dressed in "special edition" Halloween witch gear, was a bit sloppy in the opener against the Red Bluff Blast Ignited as they got used to the speed and size of the turf fields. An opening goal by Shannon was followed by a very quick response by Red Bluff making it a 1-1 game at half. In the second half, Liz added the Cyclone’s winning goal. While the score was close, the play was dictated by the Cyclone – dominating possession and outshooting Red Bluff 18-1 in the game.
With the first win in the North State under their belts, the Cyclone headed to local attractions like the corn maze (really a walk in a big corn field, but the kettle corn!), pig races (soooooooo Ey!), Sun Dial Bridge and shopping to kill several hours between games. With the fun tourism complete, the Cyclone returned to the soccer park to face the Wesco Pride.
The Pride, out of the Sebastopol area, gave the Cyclone a good match-up. The teams traded goals throughout the game, with Wesco taking one goal leads and the Cyclone answering (one a PK by Shannon after Kacee was face planted into the turf – see below). Tied 2-2 and a few seconds into extra time, Wesco, crossed a ball through the Cyclone defense for a winning goal. The whistle blew immediately upon the kick-off; tough loss against a good team.
With Championship goals gone, the Cyclone retuned Sunday morning looking to play their way into the Consolation game. Against Redding, the Cyclone again started slowly, but picked it up as they went along, winning 4-0 and working hard defensively keeping Redding to zero shots for the game. Coming up from sweeper, Karly scored her first goal as a Cyclone about 10 seconds after moving to Striker. Goals by Kenedi (2) and Kacee capped the scoring.
The win sent the Cyclone to the Championship against fellow D6, B Division team the Roseville Spirit. As usual, it was a close game with the Cyclone winning goal coming of a perfectly placed (not blasted) direct kick over the Spirit defense that was skillfully headed in by Shannon. The game ended with Sarah making a great save and the Spirit players attacking the almost lose ball right in front of the net to preserve the 1-0 win. The save capped off another strong effort by the Cyclone defenders.
The third place finish capped up a successful weekend for the Cyclone as the girls generated 52 shots on the fast turf and allowed only 11 in four games.
A very fun weekend in the North State at a great soccer facility.
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Well . . . the weather was great!
Let's remember the Wesco Apple Classic for great weather, a fun taco party and a good effort in the final game.
The rest was adversity training . . . onward and upward.
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Labor Day Soccer in Danville, Cyclone 4th
The Cyclone packed their bags and headed to Danville (some went east to Tahoe and we were jealous) for the 29th Mustang Devil Mountain Labor Day weekend tournament.
The weather and park was nearly perfect as the Cyclone took on several good Bay Area teams.While the results weren’t what the team had in mind as they started the tournament, the fourth place finish was highlighted by an exciting game against Mustang Stampede and moments of exceptional play in others.
On Saturday, the Cyclone opened the tourney with a 2-0 win over the Sonoma Riot in a rematch of a Sunstroke match-up. The defense played well and anchored strongly as usual by Karly, who had an exceptional weekend, in support of goals by Shannon and Kelly.The second game on Saturday, a 2-2 tie against the Castro Valley Earthquakes, was highlighted by the Cyclone's final five minute effort to break the tie. While much of the game the team was not at their best, the final few minutes offered one of the better demonstrations of Cyclone soccer during the weekend.
Playing shorthanded (as they did all weekend), for a spot in the Championship the team played a very strong Mustang Stampede even for 50 minutes before the Stampede knocked in the first of two exceptional goals.Kacee, in her first weekend back in 10+weeks, moved to stopper for the game and helped Michaela, Jillian, Bre, Kayla, Karly and Sarah have another strong defensive effort.It was an exciting, tough game with lots of good, technical soccer on display-- it was the best full effort of the weekend for the Cyclone.
Sunday afternoon, the Cyclone took on Modesto Ajax in the consolation game.After the tough Mustang game, the Cyclone seemed to lack their typical intensity or focus and were unable to create many good scoring opportunities.While the Cyclone defense still held most of the game, Ajax scored midway to the second half and held on for a 1-0 win.
Despite the disappointing 4th place finish, the Cyclone can look back on a very successful August tournament season that kicked-off what should be an exciting year for the Cyclone.
Now, on to the regular season!
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Rocklin Quarry Champs!
All season, the focus has been on building a “team;” the Cyclone will always be stronger playing as one team rather than 11 talented players. At the Rocklin Quarry Classic August 22, 23, this focus paid off as the Cyclone captured their second tournament title by going 4-0, including two come-from-behind wins on Sunday.
The Cyclone opened the tournament by facing the Sunrise Tigers. This talented group played hard, at times dominating a Cyclone team that seemed a little rusty after 10 days off. For a couple 10-minute stretches in the game, the Cyclone put their passes and off the ball movement together, scoring four goals to start the tourney with a 4-1 win. Game two on Saturday was against the Eureka Soaring Eagles, another team that worked hard and never gave up. The Cyclone defense shined in this game as it held the Eagles to three shots in the 2-0 win.
Sunday morning the Cyclone faced the Rocklin Crossfire for a spot in the championship game. The Crossfire came out strong, playing with a lot of desire, good passing and toughness on the ball and scored a beautiful goal early on to take a 1-0 lead. The Cyclone answered quickly, with two nice goals for a 2-1 led at the half. In the second half, both teams’ defenses dominated, as the teams fired off only three shots between them and the Cyclone moved on to the championship with a 2-1 win.
The championship game was one to remember and a game that the Cyclone will benefit from in the season ahead. The match-up against the R.C. Invasion was a good one, with the Invasion being a strong team that has been successful in tournaments over the summer and in August. Their team features some fast, tough, skilled players that know how to play their style of fast break soccer. Clearly, they were ready and wanted the championship.
The Cyclone came out early and controlled the game, playing some of their best soccer of the season. However, the Invasion defense would bend a bit, but would not break. After fending off Cyclone attacks, the Invasion were skilled at counterattacking quickly. This ability led to their first goal off a corner kick and their second, a ball that split the Cyclone defense for a 2-0 lead.
Despite controlling possession much of the first half, the Cyclone found themselves down 2-0 at half – a spot the team had never been able to recover from in all their previous games. The halftime discussion focused on continuing to play smart soccer and to focus on playing as a team, setting aside all other distractions. As the second half opened, the Cyclone once again started strong, looking confident despite the two goal deficit.
This team sprit paid off as the Cyclone quickly got back into the game with a goal after good movement and passing. The equalizing goal came a few minutes later, the first of two header goals off corner kicks (and one of three total goals off corners). With the Invasion still working hard, the Cyclone added two more goals in the next 10 minutes to secure what would end up being an exciting, emotional 4-3 win.
While the four second-half goals were impressive, what the team will take from the tournament victory is the now tangible understanding that if they stay strong in the face of adversity and play smart soccer as a team, they can compete (and win) in any situation.
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Tourney Run Ends in First Shootout; Cyclone 2nd in EG
Following a successful trip to Grass Valley, the Cyclone spent a weekend at home, defending their turf at their home Elk Grove Sun Stroke tournament August 8 and 9. The weekend proved to be another success for the team as they scored a couple of firsts and another second place finish (and almost the tourney title).
The Cyclone opened the weekend by falling behind the East Sac Tigers 0-1, before rattling off three goals in a row to notch their first ever come from behind win. After a six hour break, the Cyclone finished off a great first day by beating the Santa Rosa Lady Oaks 3-0.
On Sunday, the team needed another strong performance to secure a spot in the championship game and after a uniform malfuction (our first and last), the Cyclone regrouped to beat the Sonoma Riot 3-1 to earn a spot in the finals. In the tournamnet finale, the team faced a strong Land Park Velocity team. The teams play similar styles, making for a fun and close game. Both teams moved the ball well but missed on a few good scoring opportunities, and thanks to good defense the game remained tied 0-0 after regulation and overtime.
In another first, the Cyclone went for the championship in a shootout, but fell 4-2 in kicks from the mark.
Despite the tough shootout results, the team accomplished many things and took another big step in its development. There were few hanging heads as the team headed to the post-tourney Poole Pool Bash and it's well-earned 10-day break.
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Cyclone Second in Grass Valley
The Cyclone started the regular season tourney schedule with a terrific, second-place performance at the Rotary Ore Cart Classic in Grass Valley.
Playing in the mountain air, the Cyclone started the tournament with two wins on Saturday – 5-1 over the GCU Blue Diamonds and 4-0 over Land Park FC.
On Sunday, the Cyclone needed and earned a win over the Orangevale Express to advance to the championship game. The game against the Express was a tough battle, much closer than the 4-0 final score would indicate. Two “effort” goals by Liz and two long bombs by Kelly were backed up by solid Cyclone defense and goalkeeping.
The Cyclone came to the final against the Kickin’ Chickens shorthanded and a bit worn out by the battle against the Express earlier in the day. However, the team played hard against a skilled, fast Chickens squad (and their loudly clucking sideline – maybe we need a team noise?), but fell 2-0.
A good start and another finals appearance for the Cyclone.
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Cyclone 2nd at Everton Cup
A last second offer to join the Elk Grove Everton Cup tournament July 11 & 12 led to a fun and successful weekend of soccer for the Cyclone. The shorthanded Cyclone, and guests Megan, Nikki and Caira played tough, physical soccer all weekend, and claimed second at the competitive-level Cup tourney.
The Cyclone opened the weekend with a 1-0 win against the Healdsburg Sprit. The lone goal was scored on a beautiful header by Kenedi of a great corner by Jillian. The defense played though and Sarah made several nice saves in the shutout. In the afternoon, the Cyclone was exposed to a faster, more physical style of play against the Rage Impact. The Cyclone struggled to match the tenacity or speed of the Impact, managing only two shots and very little possession time in a 3-0 loss. However, it was a great lesson game for the team.
Coming into Sunday, the Cyclone needed a win or tie against Elk Grove Everton to earn a rematch against the Impact in the championship game. The game was the team's most physical of the year, with the Cyclone and Everton battling up and down the field for every possession. While the Cyclone managed a few good shot opportunities, the winning goal came on a PK after a handball in the box. With Shannon on the sidelines removing jewelry, Megan stepped up confidently and knocked a shot ot the low right corner for a goal. Defensively, the team shined again, limiting Everton's opportunities and scoring another 1-0 shutout.
Coming into the Championship game, the Cyclone knew the challenge the Impact would provide, but rather than backing down and playing as they did on Saturday, the team stepped-up and gave the Impact a tough game. Rather than being outshot by a dozen, the Cyclone matched the Impact shot for shot; time of possession was much more close to even and instead of laying back and having the game taken to them, the Cyclone were the aggressors much of the game, aggressively playing the ball and winning possessions. If the first match was a learning moment, the second was a growth moment. While the 3-0 result was the same as the first, the games were as different as two games could be.
Great job Cyclone on another big step as a team!
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Cyclone Sweeps To First Tourney Title
It was jackpot time June 13-14 in Reno as the Cyclone swept four games on their way to their first tourney title at the Washoe Zephyr Tournament.
The weekend was set-up to be a good test of the Cyclone's improvement and focus as they faced off against a good mix of class 1 and 3 teams. The results ended up exceeding expectations.
The first game of the weekend was against the Healdsburg Spirit and it didn't take long for the Cyclone knock in their first goal of the season. At 1:45 into the game, Jillian connected from the top of the 18 for a 1-0 lead. The Cyclone adjusted to tough, physical play, and added another goal by Alyssa off a great corner by Kelly to take the first game 2-0.
The second game was a hometown special against Elk Grove Everton. A very close game, the Cyclone scored the winning goal with just minutes left as Kayla knocked a bounce off a Everton player off the crossbar and into the net. The Cyclone defense of Bre, Jillian, Karly, Michaela and Kenedi played exceptionally to limit Everton's opportunities and Cassidy made great saves all day as keeper to preserve the 1-0 win.
Sunday morning saw the Cyclone take on the Fair Oaks Eagles, one of the very best select teams in the region, for the tournament lead. With both teams coming into the game with 17 points, this game would decide the title. The game was a close one, with both teams playing strongly in the middle of the field and with speed up front. The Cyclone struck first, with another perfect corner by Kelly deflecting off an Eagle defender and into the net. The Eagles immediately counter attacked, but Cassidy and the defense held. Kacee nearly added a second first half goal, knocking shots off the goalie's hand (great save!) and the post. In the second half, the Cyclone again held off the Eagles offense and earned a counter-attack goal as a Kayla shot off the goalie was finished off by Alyssa with just minutes left to cap the game at 2-0.
In the final game Sunday, the Cyclone left little doubt they wanted "one more" and their first tourney title, scoring three goals in the first 15 minutes of the game (goals by Brittney, Elisabeth and Shannon, who also had two nice assists in the game). Jumping out to the quick lead, the Cyclone mixed things up in the second half, with Jillian earning the chance to stop her first PK, Krista playing solid defense and Mackenzie playing effectively in several positions in the middle of the field (and yes, that was a Karly sighting at center mid). The Cyclone finished the tournament with a 3-1 win.
In the end, the Cyclone went 4-0, outscored their opponents 8-1 and outshot them 42-29.
It's tough to sum up a great weekend for the team in 500 words, but we saw great strides in focus and game preparation, noted significant improvements in individual and team play and could not miss the FUN the team had together. It was a great start and showed that the Cyclone is set-up to have a great season ahead both on and off the field.
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Seeding Success
And the season begins . . .
The Cyclone hosted a fun and successful District 6 seeding tournament last weekend, hosting the Folsom Freedom, Rancho Cordova Cheetahs, Roseville Spirit, Elk Grove Strikers and Rocklin Crossfire in a round robin of 20-minute matches.
The Cyclone proved strong, going 3-0-2 in the five mini, mini-games, holding its opponents goalless in 100 total minutes of play.
With the final seeding a few weeks out, the Cyclone turns its attention to two consecutive weeks of tournaments, starting August 1 with the Grass Valley Rotary Ore Cart Classic.
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