8/19/12: Stampede Take Silver at Super Clásico

The Stampede opened the Davis Legacy Super Clásico tournament Saturday morning with a solid 4-1 win over Elk Grove, with goals coming two each from Jordan Davis and Grace Barger.  Things turned ugly for the locals in Game 2, as the El Dorado Stars shut them out 6-0.  Despite the stomping, the Stampede emerged supercharged Sunday morning to crush Orangevale 11-1. Goals came from Jordan Davis (4), Lily Byrne (3), Barger (2), Alex Hanna (1) and Skye Schaffer (1).  Key assists came from Anne Ayotte (3), Sophie Karperos, Yasmeen Dmeiri and Byrne.  The two convincing wins put the locals in the tournament final Sunday afternoon, once again to face the dominant Stars.  This time, however, the Stampede showed tremendous toughness and heart.  Late in the first half, they drew first blood on a free kick as Lily Byrne received and buried Yasmeen Dmeiri's superb cross from far beyond the 18 on the opposite side of the field.  The second half witnessed even tougher play as the locals held off an ever advancing El Dorado offensive.  Incredible team defense kept the Stampede close all the way to the end.  Goal keeper McKenna Lutzer made countless saves while Karperos, Byrne, Dmeiri, Schaffer, Ayotte, Barger, Sydney Moore and Grace Carlson stymied their frustrated opponents again and again until the Stars finally broke through, eventually scoring three goals to win the tournament.

7/15/12: Smooth sailing at Santa Rosa

It was Davis 3, opponents 0 at Norcal's Play Date #7 in Santa Rosa.  In a tough Game 1, the locals beat  the Modesto Ajax's U10 team 2-1.  Anne Ayotte scored almost immediately after the opening whistle when she stole the kickoff pass and netted a hard grounder before the befuddled defense knew what hit them.  Modesto played solid soccer throughout and found an equalizer late in the game. However, on a goalkeeper miscue, both Ayotte and teammate Skye Schaffer were able to knock in the game winner amidst a goal line scrum.  Game 2 was all Davis as they punished Santa Rosa's U10 team 3-0.  Goals came from Ayotte assisted by Emily Speakman, Kaitlyn McElhern assisted by Skye Schaffer and from Alex Hanna.  The locals' dominance continued in Game 3 as they beat Sonoma County Alliance 5-1. Yasmeen Dmeiri opened the scoring with a free kick from beyond the 18. The next four came from Lily Byrne, McElhern, Ayotte and Hanna.

6/24/12: Stampede take two of three in Fairfield

The locals logged two wins and a tie last Sunday at Norcal's Playdate #6 hosted by the North Bay Elite FC.  Game 1 was a 5-0 rout over the Elk Grove Everton FC Blues.  Goals came on two penalty kicks taken by Yasmeen Dmeiri, with three more on shots by Adeline Umphress, Sophia Karperos and Lily Byrne.  The Stampede then beat the Capital Athletic Soccer Academy Boca, 3-1, which featured a rare end-to-end goal by keeper McKenna Lutzker after the opposing goalie was unable to handle the high bouncing punt.  Two more came from Jordan Davis and Dmeiri.  Game 3 presented more of a challenge and, despite numerous Stampede shots and better ball possession, the locals could do no better than a 1-1 tie, the first-half score coming from Grace Barger assisted by J. Davis.

6/17/12: Stampede win 3 of 4 at Cal Cup in Sacramento

The locals braved both 100+ temperatures and a very tough top bracket this past weekend in Sacramento as they took 3 of 4 games at the Cal Cup tournament held at Cherry Island Soccer Complex.  In Game 1 against Santa Clara, the Stampede struck early on a close range goal by Sophia Karperos.  Santa Clara later found the equalizer, but Lily Byrne was able to power in a left-footed  game winner after teammate Jordan Davis blasted a free kick that nearly took down the crossbar.  Game 2 matched Davis against the San Juan Spirits. Once again the Stampede found a way past their opponent, 2-1, on two goals by Grace Barger. One was assisted by Byrne and the game winner came on Barger's drive from the 18.  The girls faced Modesto's Ajax Elite in Game 3 who, despite being outplayed for much of the first half, were able to shut the locals down 2-0, thereby erasing Davis' hopes for a medal. The Stampede then defeated the Diablo FC Extreme in the consolation game and yet again came away with a 2-1 win, both goals coming on breakaways by Jordan Davis, assisted by Kaitlyn McElhern.

6/3/12: Stampede salvage one at Playdate #5

Despite two losses vs. Modesto Ajax (0-2) and MFC Benfica (0-2), the Stampede were able to bounce back against Elk Grove and eek out a 2-1 victory.  Goals came from Kaitlyn McElhern and Jordan Davis.

5/13/12: Stampede Take 3rd at Super Clásico Spring Tourney

Despite a slow start in last weekend's Mothers' Day soccer fest out at the complex, the Stampede were able to finish third after a tie, a loss and two wins.  Matched up against the Eureka Shamrocks of Granite Bay in Game 1, the Stampede could do no better than a 0-0 stalemate despite the barrage of shots generated throughout the match.  In Game 2 they faced the Ajax of Modesto but could not find their way past this powerhouse, giving up the loss 3-0.  Sunday started on a more positive note as the locals blasted the San Juan Spirits white team 8-0.  Goals came from Lily Byrne (2), Anne Ayotte (3), Jordan Davis (2) and Grace Barger (1).  In the 3rd place final, the Stampede were matched up against the San Juan Spirits blue team and played solidly to capture the bronze.  The game featured goals from Jordan Davis on an assist from Byrne, a reciprocal goal from Byrne on an assist from Davis, and another from Ayotte from beyond the 18. The Stampede defense once again weighed in heavily with strong work from Yasmeen Dmeiri, Sophia Karperos, Skye Schaffer, Grace Carlson, Sydney Moore and keepers McKenna Lutzker and Alex Hanna.

5/6/12: Stampede dominate in Manteca

The locals showed their dominance last Sunday in Manteca as they won all three games at Norcal's Playdate #3.  Game 1 was a 7-0 rout against the Fair Oaks Freedom. Kaitlin McElhern opened the scoring with a left-footed blast.  Lily Byrne followed with two more goals, one a "dribble-drive to the net" and another on a quick tap-in after a goalkeeping error.  Jordan Davis added the third goal on yet another lapse by the Fair Oaks keeper.  After the half, Yasmeen Dmeiri made it 5-0 and Adeline Umphress netted the last two on assists from Dmeiri and Sophia Karperos.  In Game 2, the Stampede edged FC Elk Grove 2-1.  Surprised by an early goal, the Stampede's Byrne threaded through the Elk grove side on the ensuing kickoff to tie the game 1-1.  Jordan Davis then put the locals up for good with a goal off a perfect pass from Karperos.  In a very physical second half, strong defense from keepers McKenna Lutzker and Alex Hanna, and defenders Dmeiri, Karperos, Emily Speakman, Skye Schaffer and Grace Carlson secured the win.  Physical play continued in Game 3 vs. the GSC Gryphon Red but Davis prevailed in the 3-1 contest.  Byrne set up Anne Ayotte for the first goal from the 18 after which Ayotte returned the favor to Byrne for the match's second goal.  Ayotte netted the final goal at close range after weaving past several defenders inside the goal box.

Strong work, Stampede!