The Davis Stampede, a U13 girls soccer team, played at a high-level throughout the ultra-competitive Mustang Stampede Tournament in Danville reaching the finals of the Premier Division before eventually taking second.
The successful run started Saturday morning with a 2-1 win over Santa Clara Sporting. Lily Byrne got assists on both local goals, first feeding midfielder Sydney Moore, who drilled it in off a defender’s head from 20. The next set-up went to Jordan Davis for the eventual game-winner.
Next came a back-and-forth affair with the physical Juventus Regazze, which ended in a 3-3 tie after a flurry of second-half scoring. Early on, Sophie Karperos intercepted a goal kick and quickly drove it into the net to give the Stampede a 1-0 lead.
It was the only goal of the first half, but after the break goals from Davis and Karperos put the locals up 3-2 before Juventus tied the score late.
Davis then took care of Oregon’s Capital FC, 4-0, with Niya Allen scoring twice, the second on an impressive left-footed screamer from 20 off a through ball from Anu Kane. Additionally for the Stampede, Anne Ayotte found Karperos in the box for another tally, then scored herself off an assist from Moore.
In a 1-0 quarterfinal win over the tourney host Mustang Blast, Davis had the only local goal, redirecting Yasmeen Dmeiri’s free kick with an acrobatic volley.
The semifinal featured the Stampede’s most dramatic win of the tournament as the game against the top-ranked Avalanche was scoreless through regulation. Battling injuries, heat and fatigue — and needing several clutch saves by goalkeeper McKenna Lutzker — the locals finally scored the winner in the final minute.
On the play, Dmeiri calmly sent the ball into the box from long range with Davis in hot pursuit. When the keeper failed to clear it, one Stampede player — Davis — tried to outrun the entire Avalanche defense to the ball as it rolled slowly toward goal. Davis won the race, and sent the locals to the championship contest.
Though the Stampede dropped the final to the Manteca Red Stars, it wasn’t for lack of effort from defenders Grace Carlson, Grace Barger, Leah Eccles and Skye Shaffer, along with midfielder Lindsey Vernau and left wing Julyana Lara.
