All the boys and girls, from ages 5 to 14, who participated in spring clinics had a great time learning new soccer skills and receiving instruction from the LMSC coaches on Sundays.  LMSC is thrilled that many of you who attended spring clinics will be participating in the club's DPO Fall Soccer program for kids U6-U12.  LMSC thanks you for spending the spring with us and looks forward to coaching everyone who will be with us in the fall.  

Play on United! 

The U16 Lamorinda United 94 girls completed a successful Labor Day weekend Blues Cup tournament by making in to the finals. Playing the highly ranked So Cal Blues Club, Lamorinda played them evenly deep into the second half and eventually lost 2-0. In tournament play, they won their bracket holding their competition scoreless and scoring 10 goals in 3 games. The Quarterfinals was a tight game with the winner determined by penalty kicks. The Semifinal game was very physical, with Lamorinda falling behind in overtime, but coming back to score and tie the match. Penalty kicks were then won by Lamorinda, sending them to the finals. The tournament results secured the U16 girls the #1 rank in Northern CA. and the # 14 rank in the nation per gotsoccer.com.

The Lamorinda Soccer Club's (LMSC) girls United 94 team won the Under 16 Premier bracket at the 30th Annual Mustang Stampede Soccer Tournament in August. In the Under 16 Premier quarterfinals, LMSC United 94 beat Davis Legacy 3-0, and in the early Monday morning semifinal games, United 94 defeated a quick Columbia (Wash.) Timbers team 2-1 in a wide open game featuring 17 shots from each team, nine saves from United goalie and the game winning goal early in the second half. In the finals, the championship was sealed as the LMSC girls team beat the Central Valley Chillipeppers 2-0, with the offense scoring goals in each half, and the defense held the opponent scoreless while allowing only 3 shots on goal. The U16.

During the tournament, United 94 outscored six opponents 18-3, with goals from eight different players and assists from nine different players. The team consists primarily of players from Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda with additional team members from Danville, Alamo, Oakland and Concord. The LMSC U16 Girls now rank in the top 25 teams in the nation, exemplifying a long journey over a number of years marked by hard work, mastery of fundamentals, commitment and collective play, all core values of the LMSC competitive soccer program. Congratulations to all of you!

Coach Jasko and LMSC U11 Boys Finalists at Diablo FC Tournaments with Coach Tony

The U11 Boys Lamorinda Soccer team participated in the Diablo FC Summer Challenge Tournament the weekend of August 21st and 22nd. The boys began their 2010 season by executing skilled passes, outstanding ball handling and great teamwork. After winning their first three games, the boys fought hard in the championship game, where they were narrowly defeated 3 to 2.  The team truly put on an offensive show throughout the tournament, scoring 20 goals in the 3 games leading up to the finals.

This is the third year the core of this team has been together in the LMSC program, and Coach Jascko credits their emerging success to the players' high work rate, the commitment of the majority of players to showing up day in and day out to practice, the addition of new players committed to soccer excellence, and the passion and seriousness with which the boys approach mastering the fundamentals of the game. Coach Jasko states, "The drive of the boys to improve technically, their energy in practice and the competitive nature in each individual brings out the best in all of them.  They are a great group to coach for that reason and because they have great team spirit and all like each other very much."

Coach Jasko is proud of his boys, who are not only playing at a high level for their own team, but often attend U12 practices to log extra playing hours and also assisted the U12 team at several tournaments this summer when they were short of players.  The U11 boys should be proud of their performance and get psyched for a great year!

LMSC U15 Combined Girls Pleasanton Rage Champions

Congratulations to the Lamorinda United 95 girls for a very successful summer tournament season, beginning with the tournament at the Modesto National Cup Regionals on June 19-22. The girls came out and played great soccer. The first game was against SLO G95. Lamorinda went right to work controlling the ball and giving their offense opportunities to score. They won with a comfortable margin of 2-0. Their second game, they continued where they left off beating Invasion G95 3-0. With high spirits and a spot in the playoffs already in hand the girls continued their winning ways against eXtreme beating them 4-1. Making it to the finals, the team lost 5-3 against a tough playing GIRLS U14 RED. 

The summer continued in high form as they attended the next outing at the Davis Legacy College Showcase on July 9-11th. The scores for the Davis games were outstanding: 2-0, 8-0, 3-0 and losing the last game for a third place finish. Then two weeks later the the girls pulled together and dominated all opponents in the Pleasanton Rage College Showcase 4-3, 1-0, 1-1, 2-1 for a first place finish of 30 points. Congratulations to all players for a great summer of soccer.

Now they look forward to fall league play starting in September, where they will again show off their collective skills, drive and determination. The team, with combined players from U14 and U15 age groups, is looking forward to continued success. Also, the team sends off two valued players, Abby and Lauren, to new homes outside California - best of luck to both. 

The U15 Boys ended the summer in top form, reaching the finals of the Santa Cruz Breakers Cup Tournament. They played 3 games to reach the finals wining multiple games with scores of 6-1.  They lost a close one in the championship game, being narrowly defeated by a score of 2-3. Congratulations to the U15 boys!

In their first season moving up to the Gold bracket, the U12 boys are showing they can compete, making it to the
semi- finals at tournaments in Modesto and San Ramon.  The U12 boys have done everything this summer from score multiple goals, shut teams out and come from behind to even out the score.  In their first premier tournament at Santa Clara in August, though the team did not win any of their games, they kept the score close and the games competitive throughout the first half, showing that they are on the verge of taking the next step in competing with some of the best teams in the state.  The team and Coach Lorens are looking forward to a strong season with continued improvement. 

The U10 Navy girls had a great weekend at the LMSC Hot August Jamboree.  They opened Saturday with a 2-0 win and displayed exceptional ball control skills and the vaunted LMSC passing game was on display. Sunday morning opened with another shutout win with goals by several girls. The last game of the tournament was a very exciting back and forth against the Mustangs.  No score in the first half but then some rapid fire goals ending in a 2-2 tie.  The girls had a great time and enjoyed the entire weekend.

Congratulations to the Lamorinda United 94 U15 girls for a very successful State Cup this year.  The team went 3-0 in the State Cup preliminary round with wins over Placer Rocklin Sockers (6-0), Clovis Odyssey White (10-0) and Turlock Tornedos (8-0) to advance to the round of 16.  They defeated Clovis Odyssey Red (8-1) in the round of 16 and Fremont MVU (2-0) in the quarterfinals to reach the semi-finals. Unfortunately, Lamorinda lost to the Central Valley Chilipeppers (1-3) in the semi-finals to end their tournament run.
 
In addition to their semi-finals showing at State Cup, they were also semi-finalists at the prestigious Mustang Stampede tournament, as well as finalists at the US Club Regional and Juventus Spring Showcase tournament this past year.  They placed second in the 2009 GSSL Gold Division with 7 wins, one loss and two ties.  Three of the four State Cup semi-finalists (Lamorinda, Mustang Blast and Central Valley Chilipeppers) competed in the GSSL league last fall. The team looks forward to continue their strong play as U16's for the upcoming season.

U13 Lamorinda United 96

The incredible performance of Lamorinda United 96 at the Placer Prestige Cup tournament Oct 24 & 25th brings to mind the popular children's story "The Little Engine that Could." You would think that upon hearing that their goalie had injured her finger right before the first game of the tournament, the players might have lost heart and given up before they started. Not so with this courageous group. One of the team's forwards stepped up to the plate, and supported by her team, played goalie amazingly. With three injured players on the bench, each team member supercharged her effort to prevail. Believing in themselves and their ability to play excellent soccer no matter what the adversity, the team pulled together with the superb guidance of Coach Pedro Osorio, and secured a spot in the championship game. Although the outcome of that game did not fall in Lamorinda's favor, the amazing talent and perseverance of the girls is what elevated this team to champion status. Hooray for Lamorinda United 96, the team that could (and can and will continue to)!

U11 1A Boys Take 2nd Place in Norcal State Cup in Sacramento in December, 2009

The U11 Boys began the State Cup quarterfinals matched against their league rivals, Heritage Blackhawks, whom they had tied in the last two regular season meetings.  The team was down 1-0 at half, and tied the score 1-1 early in the second.  With ten minutes left, the LMSC boys scored the go ahead goal and added one more for insurance, winning 3-1.  The next day in the semi-finals, the boys went up 1-0 in the first half and never looked back.  Outstanding defensive and goalie play locked in the win and held the opponents from Sonoma scoreless. The Championship Game in Sacramento was a nail-biter and heart-breaker that was scoreless after 60 minutes.  The game went into double overtime, and moments before the game was about to go to penalty kicks, the other team scored.  LMSC offense, defense and goalie played an amazing game against a worthy and well matched opponent from Monterey. Congratulations to Coach Lorens and the U11 boys for their hard work and stellar performance this season in league and State Cup play!

U11 1A Girls Take 1st Place in Norcal State Cup in Woodland in December, 2009!

The U11 Girls opened the State Cup Quarterfinals against a strong San Ramon Blue Pride team and showed off LMSC's signature possession soccer.  Both teams played well, and the game was tied 1-1 until the last minutes of the 2nd half when the teams's offense came through and scored a goal to win 2-1. In the Semi-final game, LMSC took the lead 1-0 in the first half, and defense and goalie played a brilliant game against the Merced team.  In the second half, LMSC scored again to seal a 2-0 shutout.  The girls team played in the State Cup championships against the Montclair Firecrackers in Woodland on Saturday, Decmber 19th.  10 minutes into the game, with more than four LMSC girls touching the ball to pull Montclair's goalie out, an assist and a shot led to the first LMSC goal to put them ahead 1-0. By the end of the game, Lamorinda had added 3 more goals, combined with outstanding defensive play that allowed their opponents few chances to cross the midfield.  The girls team triumphed 4-2 and brought the championship home for LMSC
It was a great ending to their 2009 season and a sign of things to come for the Lamorinda United 98 team. Congratulations to the NorCal State Cup Champions!

The Sonoma Classic Tournament was full of exciting play from the Lamorinda U12 D3 girls team. The girls had 3 shut outs and won their bracket. In the first game they defeated the Napa Tigers, 1-0, and in the second game the score was 3-0 versus the Jaguars. They won the final match in their bracket to make it to the championships against the Blizzards, 1-0. The girls placed 2nd over all, losing a hard fought game to the San Carlos Tsunami. Coach Neto was proud of their play and how well they are doing this season. Great job team!

The '96 Lamorinda boys finished 2nd in the Davis Legacy Premier Cup, the last weekend in September. They began the tournament facing a tough Livermore United. They played their best game of the season and won 5-0. In the 105 degree heat they faced El Dorado United and dominated play, but could only manage a 2-2 tie. On the second day, they played Elk Grove '97 needing a tie to advance to the final. They were down 3-1, but scored 2 goals in the final 15 minutes to tie the game 3-3. The boys faced Mill Valley Fusion in the championship game. They lost 2-0, but played very hard until the final whistle. The '96 LMSC boys played a great tournament and continue to improve each week. Good work boys!!!

The Sonoma Classic Tournament was full of exciting play from the Lamorinda U12 D3 girls team. The girls had 3 shut outs and won their bracket. In the first game they defeated the Napa Tigers, 1-0, and in the second game the score was 3-0 versus the Jaguars. They won the final match in their bracket to make it to the championships against the Blizzards, 1-0. The girls placed 2nd over all, losing a hard fought game to the San Carlos Tsunami. Coach Neto was proud of their play and how well they are doing this season. Great job team!

The '96 Lamorinda boys finished 2nd in the Davis Legacy Premier Cup, the last weekend in September. They began the tournament facing a tough Livermore United. They played their best game of the season and won 5-0. In the 105 degree heat they faced El Dorado United and dominated play, but could only manage a 2-2 tie. On the second day, they played Elk Grove '97 needing a tie to advance to the final. They were down 3-1, but scored 2 goals in the final 15 minutes to tie the game 3-3. The boys faced Mill Valley Fusion in the championship game. They lost 2-0, but played very hard until the final whistle. The '96 LMSC boys played a great tournament and continue to improve each week. Good work boys!!!

The LMSC U14 boys ended a fabulous Summer Tournament Season Playing in the Championship game of the Mustang Stampede. Although they came away with 2nd Place they held their heads high after playing their hearts out in their last two games of the Tournament. To make it to the Championship game they had to beat a team that had not been scored on all weekend. They had started the summer at the National Cup in June not making it to the final rounds of play. They then moved onto the San Ramon Tournament and finished 4th after a hard fought consolation game. They are looking forward to a wonderful Season which includes a trip to Nomad's in San Diego.

The U10 Navy team played in the 2009 Devil Mountain Tournament on Labor Day weekend. The boys played well, winning all three qualifying games. They made it to the championship game, and came in 2nd overall. It was a great way to kick off the weekend before league play!

LMSC U8 Play Day vs. Tri-Valley Club

The games have been a wonderful teaching and development tool for the youngest players. The LMSC U8 players and coaches are utilizing the experience from these inter-club games to improve the players' soccer skills and technical play. The U8 teams are working hard, having fun and doing a great job!

Lamorinda United U18 girls team finished a great summer tournament season racking up 7315 points on Gotsoccer rankings moving them to 2nd place in Northern California!  This new team, made up of a mix of age groups of U16, U17 & U18, finished as finalist in the Davis College Showcase, champions of their bracket at the Pleasanton Rage College Showcase, and champions of the Mustang Stampede U19 divisions. Despite being down 0-2 to the Mustang Spirit in the Mustang Stampede Tournament on August 1st, United pounded shots and ran attacks on goal, scoring 3 unanswered goals in the second half to pull the rug out from under the Spirit for a well deserved championship.  The players are looking forward to a successful league season in the GSSL Gold Division. For more on this team, go to their website.

The LMSC U15 Girls competed in the August 1st Mustang Tournament against the top 10 teams in Northern California and teams in the top 10 from Southern California (CAS), and Washington.  The U15 team began bracket play with two wins and one loss in the early rounds.  By the time of the quarterfinals, the team was down to 11 players due to injury, but had a great comeback win, 2-0, against long time rival Bay Oaks (ranked #2 in CAN).The semi-final opponent was the Mustang Blast, ranked #1 in the nation.  LMSC and Mustang were 0-0 at the half, with Mustang prevailing 1-0 at full time.  The LMSC U15 Girls team won the Gold Division of the GSSL season last fall with a schedule that included both the Bay Oaks Speed Demons and the Mustang Blast teams, and are looking forward to defending their title in the upcoming season.  Further information on this team, which includes team member Claire Winter, who recently was selected to the ODP 1995 age group National Team Pool, is available on their website.

Lamorinda United 96 (U13G 1-A) was a semi-finalist in the San Ramon Valley Cup Aug 1 & 2. Despite playing with only 11 girls at times, the girls gave it their all, never giving up. During the awards ceremony where they each received a medal, the referee made it a point to congratulate them, noting that he had never seen a team with so much "can do" attitude and spunk. It was a great way to start the tournament season for this team, and they are looking forward to more great soccer playing in tournaments and fall league.

The Lamorinda U12 Girls 1A team played amazing soccer during the 18th annual San Ramon Valley Cup Tournament the weekend of August 1st.  In a total team effort, the first game against San Ramon Spirit ended in a 5-0 shutout,the second game against San Ramon Courage was another 2-0 shutout,  and the girls started off Sunday morning against Diablo FC Firepower with yet another 7-0 shutout! These games led to a final show down against the other team with three shut out games, the NorCal ranked number two team, Bay Oaks Blasters. Our girls fabulously held their own and surprised the Blasters with a 1-1 tie. The team may have finished second by tournament rules, but in our eyes, the team finished as first place players!  Go United!

The U11 1A Boys kicked off their tournament season with a strong showing in 2 tournaments in August.  Over the course of 6 games they won 2, tied 2 and lost 2. The two losses were by narrow margins, and the team is showing an ability to score goals, take an early lead, and limit the goals scored against them. The boys had an especially strong showing in the August 15th Diablo FC tournament, where they won one game and tied the other two, coming one goal away from getting into the championships!

The U12 Boys fought hard and made great strides in their possession soccer play in three tough games at the Diablo Valley tournament.  Coach Jasco is proud of how much they have improved, and how hard they are working.  Everyone is looking forward to a competitive season come September.  Go U12 Boys Team!