Most of our State 48 FC teams were in action this weekend, with a plethora of excellent team results and outstanding individual performances. Coach Rogelio Aragon reported that the State 48 FC 2017/2018 Cyclones won the very exciting DC League Championship on penalty kicks and remarked “I am extremely proud of these soccer warriors, who never give up & always leave it all on the field!”
State 48 FC 2016 Black team coach Ivan Moreno did an amazing job of putting together the ‘STATE 48 FC INVITATIONAL CUP’, where all of our 2016 team participated and played some truly outstanding soccer. The State 48 FC 2016 Copper team, led by Coach Chris Chavez, were Tournament Champions, while Coach Ivan’s State 48 FC 2016 Black team finished in 2nd Place. The State 48 FC 2016 Boys White (Verrado) team finished as semi-finalists, with special mention going out to leading scorer Bennet Crawford (8 goals), Lucas Adam (6 goals) and Ryker Craig, who was magnificent in defense. State 48 FC Director Matt Marek (Older Age Groups) mentioned that he was extremely impressed with all the fine talent on display during the tournament.
Many State 48 FC teams competed in the Flagstaff OSI Champions Cup with tremendous success. Coach Sean Venesky and the State 48 FC 2010 Boys Black (El Mirage) team were Finalists in their first tournament together, including an impressive 8-1 victory where they outshot the opposition 27-3. Coach Dante Johnson of the State 48 FC 2012 Boys Black (South) team also were Finalists in the tournament, playing against high level competition. Coach Dante was very impressed with the tremendous performance by the entire team. The State 48 FC 2015/2016 Black (Verrado) team finished as Finalists during the weekend as well. Coach Alessio Altomare said “We played beautiful soccer. I am very proud of the way they competed – their dedication, passion and love for the game is wonderful to see. Special mention for goalkeeper Wyatt Bridge, who has worked tirelessly to improve his level – great job!” Coach Donovan Graydon said that the State 48 FC 2008 Boys White team had an impressive showing at the tournament against strong competition, where the development was evident in the way they performed. Coach Donovan singled out the play of Billy Denman, who scored a great goal and was excellent in every match.
The State 48 FC 2013 Black team had a fantastic start to their season, winning 6-0 in their opening match. Gavin Comer opened the scoring with a tremendous left footed strike, and Ricardo Lemus recorded an impressive hat trick of goals. Stanley DoVico & Khristopher Aragon were outstanding in the midfield and scored a goal apiece as well. Coach Phil DoVico also mentioned the excellent performances from Lazaro Reyes, Liliana Rivera, Gustavo de la Torre, Sebastian Gutierrez, Vincent Calderon and Angel Barajas-Hernandez, as the strong defensive corps posted a shutout.
The State 48 FC 2013 Boys White team concluded their indoor season, where they finished as Champions in the first part of the season and in 2nd place in the second part of the season. Coach Eddie Vasquez commented “The kids were great! We’ll continue grinding!”
Coach Liz Perez reported that the State 48 FC 2010 Girls Black team secured their first victory of the season, winning 3-0, with a fine penalty kick save from goalkeeper Lyla Perez highlighting the performance.
The State 48 FC 2012/2013 Girls team had their first 11 a side match this weekend. Coach Celia Rascon said that the entire team worked very hard and pushed themselves throughout the game. Cienna Alvarez stepped up and played midfield for the first time and worked hard to create many scoring opportunities, while captains Brooke Giesker, Lexie Gomez and Elsie Rascon performed at a high level with their aggressive and intelligent play.
The State 48 FC 2008 Girls Black team played their first league game, with Coach Ray Gonzalez mentioning the fine play of Bernice Hernandez and Gabriela Robles, whose leadership and effort was tremendous. The ‘Player of the Match’ award went to Allyson Rangel, who played the entire match, played a number of different positions and did an excellent job.
The State 48 FC 2011 Boys Black team kicked off the season with their first league game. Coach Javier Frausto said “I truly enjoy working with this group of players and look forward to focusing on areas of improvement. The amount of work and dedication these boys put forth at practice was noticeable during the match, and, most importantly, they are syncing as a team. Amazing job this weekend; time to get back to work!”
Congratulations to all of our State 48 FC players and coaches for their superb efforts – we are very proud of you!