FC Tucson Youth Soccer 2005 Girls Black played its last game of group play on Thursday after already clinching a spot in the semifinals of the Development Player League National Championships in Dallas, and the team came up short 1-0 against the LA Surf Soccer Club.
The FC Tucson youth team, comprised of 16 players who are 17 and under and attend high schools in Southern Arizona, will play in the semfinals on Saturday at 8:30 a.m., Tucson time, against the Santa Monica Surf 05G team.
Santa Monica Surf was 3-0 in their group. FC Tucson finished 2-1 with six points in group play from its two wins against Charlotte (N.C.) Development Academy and Arkansas Comets FC.
L.A. Surf (1-0-2) was second with five points.
“The loss (to L.A. Surf) was only a result of strategy,” mentioned FC Tucson co-coach Tony Torres, who coaches the team with his wife Sou. “We knew we had made the semis, so we made substitutions and rotations that gave every player a break today.
“This included using one of our goalkeepers as a field player to give breaks. … Strategically, we also didn’t press their back line, push players forward and look for counters. We played conservative to manage legs, energy and to prevent injury. We have a day to recover.”
The tournament is being played in extreme hot conditions in Dallas with temperatures higher than 100 degrees and humidity close to 50 percent.
| GROUP B | W | L | D | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FC Tucson Youth Soccer 2005 G | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 6 |
| LA Surf Soccer Club G2005 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
| Charlotte Development Academy CDA 05 G | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Arkansas Comets FC 2005 Girls | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | -4 | 1 |
“(Playing in the semifinals) means a lot to the girls who attended and their families,” Tony Torres stated. “We had some of our youner players really step up playing girls who are two to three years older than them. The girls have played for each other and really came together.”
FC TUCSON YOUTH SOCCER 2005 GIRLS BLACK ROSTER
- Lauren Fields – Cienega
- Ella Pearlman- Rincon/University
- Emma Danforth – Catalina Foothills
- Kristal Navarro – Tucson High
- Samantha Wright – Sahuarita
- Beatrice Johnson – Catalina Foothills
- Mia Guzman – Sonoran Science Academy
- Kenna Kiefer – Cienega
- Brooke Valencia – Sabino
- Megan Blatnick – Walden Grove
- Meredith Galus – Walden Grove
- Emma Neal – Catalina Foothills
- Gracie Oxnam – Catalina Foothills
- Jessica Garcia – Walden Grove
- Solaris Graves – Ironwood Ridge
- Karina Tapia- Sabino
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