7/13/214: Stampede 50/50 at Davis College Showcase

The Stampede won two of four games at the College Showcase Tournament held July 11-13th at the Davis Legacy Soccer Complex. They started with a 2-0 win over the Cal Blues.  Jordan Davis started things off by tapping in a bouncing ball at close range and later Leah Eccles scored from midfield after launching one over the stunned keeper's head.  J Davis continued her tallies in the next match vs. the Cal Cougars as she got by the defense to with a skillful finish to strike first blood.  She continued with a dummy assist to Lily Byrne who scored from the spot making in 2-0. Byrne then made it 3-0 after dribbling through the defense and Anne Ayotte finished the game 4-0 as she drilled in a low liner from 18.  Despite the impressive start, the locals were unable to best top rivals USA Stars and Manteca FC later in the tournament.

6/23/14: Stampede Win US Club West Regionals

The Stampede dealt their opponents four straight shutouts over the weekend to win the US Club West Regionals. Matched against the Cal Blues in the first round, winger Niya Allen got a ball past the keeper early to make it 1-0. Anne Ayotte then chased down and knocked in a ricochet in the box to end the game 2-0. The locals managed the same outcome in round two against Sac United. Grace Barger began with a long shot that spun through the keeper's hands and Jordan Davis sealed the shutout with a penalty to the upper right corner after forward Ainsley Carroll was tripped up in the box. Modesto's Cal Cougars turned out to fare no better against the locals in the third round as Ayotte assisted Davis for the first goal. Midfielder Lily Byrne then got by the back line to score the second. The championship game matched the Stampede once again against Sac United, but the outcome was the same. Ayotte scored both goals, first off a beautiful cross from Davis and then on a free kick just outside the box. Notable defending from Yasmeen Dmeiri, Leah Eccles, Skye Shaffer, Julyana Lara, Sydney Moore and Grace Carlson, and a flurry of great saves from keeper McKenna Lutzker ensured that no goals would come from any opponent the entire weekend.

6/8/14: Stampede Reach Norcal Cross Regional Finals

The Stampede have firmly established their top-ten ranking in Northern California after reaching the finals in last weekend's Norcal Premier Cross Regional playoffs. The locals got by Diablo FC Saturday afternoon with aggressive offense from Jordan Davis, Lindsay Vernau and Allie Belafsky, who combined for four goals with two assists from Vernau. On Sunday the Stampede were challenged by triple digit temperatures and two very tough teams. The semifinal featured a barn burner against the Mountain View/Los Altos Avalanche. The game's only goal came in overtime when Niya Allen's blast from the left wing was too much for the keeper to handle, allowing striker Jordan Davis to pass in the 1-0 tally, advancing the team to the finals.  The Stampede faced Elk Grove for the afternoon final with the mercury reading 105 degrees at kickoff. Falling behind 2-0 in the second half, the locals somehow fought through the extreme heat and fatigue to tie the game 2-2.  Forward Sophie Karperos first knocked in Davis' shot off the post and soon after Davis followed her own shot, racing to beat the keeper to tap in the equalizer.  But with just minutes left, Elk Grove got one more to seal their victory.

Yasmeen Dmeiri once again led the Stampede defense all weekend long, anticipating attacks and beating the opponents to the ball. Fellow defender Grace Carlson came up big against the opposing strikers while midfielders Vernau and Lily Byrne worked tirelessly to control the ball, rarely getting a break from the baking sun.  Leah Eccles, Sydney Moore, Skye Shaffer, Grace Barger, Julyana Lara and Ainsley Carroll bolstered the midfield and defense with solid efforts while keeper McKenna Lutzker fended off shot after shot.

Congrats Stampede!

5/31/14: Stampede win four straight to qualifiy for Cross Regionals

Winning four straight to finish the spring season, the Stampede are headed to Norcal's Cross Regional Playoffs next weekend.  The streak started May10th when they got by the Galaxy Blues 3-2 in a tough see-saw battle.  The very next day they shut out league leading rival Elk Grove 2-0 despite having been routed by the very same team earlier in the season.  The following weekend they beat American River Freedom 3-1.  The locals finished their impressive run Saturday, May 31st, defeating Sac United 1-0.

Forwards Jordan Davis, Niya Allen, Ainsley Carroll and Sophia Karperos have provided a steady stream of impressive goals, pressing the opponents' defense with speedy runs and breakaways.  Lily Byrne, Anne Ayotte, Lindsey Vernau and Sydney Moore continue to dominate the midfield, artfully orchestrating offensive attacks (and occasionally burying short- and long-range range shots) while shutting down their opponents defensively.  Defenders Yasmeen Dmeiri, Skye Shaffer, Allie Belafsky, Grace Carlson, Grace Barger, Leah Eccles and Julyana Lara have stifled all flavors of offense with their power, speed and savvy while contributing goals and assists.  Finally, goal keeper McKenna Lutzker keeps coming up with crazy saves to demoralize opponents.

5/25/14: Stampede drop two of three in South Bay

The Stampede faced three new teams at the 2014 Sporting Girls Invitational Tournament held in Morgan Hill. They suffered consecutive losses Saturday against the Mustang Legends, 0-2, and the ACC Mavericks, 1-2, but came back fighting Sunday morning to beat the San Francisco Vikings, 2-0.

5/3/14: Stampede Win Davis Super Clásico!

The Stampede took first place in the annual Davis Super Clásico, Cinco de Mayo Edition held last weekend at the Davis Legacy Sports Complex. The locals qualified for the semi-finals after going 2 and 1 in the preliminary round, beating the Bay Area Gryphons 3-0 and the Fresno Alliance 3-1, but losing to the Manteca Red Stars 0-2. After squeaking by the Oakland Bay Oaks Bombers 1-0 in the semis, the Stampede once again faced their formidable Manteca rival in the championship match. The final proved to be a hard fought stalemate until the last 15 minutes when the Stampede finally broke through with two goals to seal tournament gold.

4/26/14: Stampede Placer

Davis met Placer United in spring league play for a second time in as many weeks.  Placer came from behind twice to even the score and game ended tied, 2-2.