Edge Soccer Club

Behind a dominating second half performance, the Colorado Edge U-12 Girls Select team advanced to the semifinals in the Championship Round of the 2008 fall State Cup tournament last weekend with a 5-1 win over Boulder Force Red in a quarterfinal match at the Gates Soccer Complex. The team will play Pride Predators 97 next weekend, with the winner moving on to face the winner of the Rush Nike – Real National game for the U-12 Girls Colorado State Cup championship.

Tied 1-1 at halftime, the Select team came out inspired in the second half and immediately began to advance the ball and attack the Boulder Force goal. During one of the attacks, a Boulder Force player was called for a handball in the penalty box and the referee awarded the Select team a penalty kick. Lexi Mazzocchi came forward to take the kick and easily found the back of the net, making it 2-1. Five minutes later, Emily Bana was knocked down in the penalty box while trying to score, resulting in another penalty kick by Mazzocchi and a 3-1 score. With Boulder Force now back on its heels from the two quick goals, the Select team continued to apply pressure the rest of the game, scoring two more insurance goals by Bana and teammate Reid Biren.

The path to the Championship Round over Labor Day Weekend was just as exciting as the quarterfinal game, with the Select team winning all three of its pool games to advance in the prestigious state tournament. The first game was a rematch against Storm Royal from the previous weekend in league play, when the Select team suffered a tough 6-0 home loss at the hands of the Royals. But this game would have a different ending. The second half began with the Select team down 1-0, but Emily Bana scored on a breakaway goal and Nicholle Knopp scored on a high shot from the 18 yard line just inside the post and the Select team suddenly had the lead. The defense held back the fierce Storm comeback attempts and the Select team avenged their previous loss against the Royals with a huge 2-1 win.

The second and third pool games were against the Westminster Samba U-11’s and Storm White, respectively. With the previous day’s win against Storm Royal still fresh in their minds, the sluggish Select team struggled somewhat against Westminster but still managed to post a 1-0 win, with the lone goal scored by Taylor Pettigrew. The game against Storm White saw the team return to its dominating form and win the game by a score of 5-1, capturing the pool and moving on to the coveted Championship Round. With this win, the team also eliminated Storm Royal from any State Cup championship play.