01/28/13: Stampede advance in State Cup

The Stampede will try to prove they are among Northern California's top ten U11 girls teams on Feb 9-10 as they head to the final rounds of the Norcal State Cup.  Last Sunday's quarter final win against Danville's Mustang Blast secured their place in the 9-16 bracket for the final rounds.  During Saturday's qualifying rounds, the locals rallied in game 1 to score five straight goals and beat COSC Odyssey 5 -2 after being down 0-2 in the second half.  Yasmeen Dmeiri's free kick found Anne Ayotte who scored the first goal with only 20 minutes to go.  Grace Barger then sent in a cross to Lily Byrne who knocked in the equalizer.  A similar close range goal came from Jordan Davis a few minutes later to make it 3-2.  Byrne then sped past the Odyssey defense to tap in the fourth tally just ahead of the oncoming keeper after a long goal kick by Dmeiri.  Sophie Karperos orchestrated a fifth attempt after charging the defenders which sent the ball to a perfectly positioned Kaitlyn McElhern who finished for the fifth and final goal.  Game 2 matched Davis against top ranked Modesto.  Despite scoring first on a penalty by Ayotte and a later goal by Jordan Davis, Modesto booked the victory 4-2 sending the Stampede into the second bracket for the quarter final round against Danville, whom they edged 2-1.  Ayotte scored the first half goal on a free kick and Grace Carlson netted the winning goal securing a semi-final berth for the Stampede.

12/9/12: Stampede dominant over the weekend

The locals booked two decisive victories over the weekend beating Sac United 5-1 and Placer United 4-0.  In Saturday's final league game against Sacramento, Lily Byrne opened up the scoring with a liner from the 18 and Jordan Davis followed a few minutes later as she finished a bouncing ball in the box at close range.  Anne Ayotte then blasted in a 25-yarder making it 3-0 at the half.  After intermission, Ayotte assisted Davis who broke away for the fourth goal and Byrne did the same for Adeline Umphress who scored the fifth and final goal from the right side of the box.  A late goal from the opponent made the final score 5-1.  Tough defending from Grace Carlson and Yasmeen Dmeiri stifled Sacramento's offensive efforts throughout the match.  Sunday the Stampede faced Placer United in State Cup play.  Davis connected with Grace Barger inside the goal box for the first goal.  Soon after, Alex Hanna's aggressive challenge on a Placer defender deep in the box resulted in a failed clear and a close range tally for goal number two.  In the second half, Davis muscled a ball through the keeper's arms making it 3-0 and then Umphress found the unmarked Sydney Moore at the six who in turn netted the fourth and final goal of the shutout.

11/18/12: Stampede split over the weekend

The locals bested Placer United 3-2 Saturday morning but could not overcome FC Elk Grove later that afternoon, as they lost 3-1.

11/11/12: Stampede illin'

The Stampede were shut out over the weekend with a loss to San Juan 1-0 Saturday and then to FC Elk Grove 2-0 Sunday.

10/28/12: Stampede win U12 Lily Nisen Memorial!

The Stampede took first place in the U12 division of the annual Lily Nisen Memorial Tournament hosted by Davis Legacy Soccer Club this past weekend. The locals breezed through Game 1, beating the Spanish Springs Lady Jaguars 6-0.  In addition to two own-goals by the opponent, Jordan Davis scored twice while McKenna Lutzker knocked in a close range tally and Allie Belafsky buried a long range shot from beyond the 18.  The Stampede continued strong against Barcelona Norcal in Game 2 with a goal by Lily Byrne in the first few minutes and another in the second half by J. Davis, assisted by Anne Ayotte.  Final score was 2-1.  The Stampede then beat the Vacaville Vipers 3-1.  Ayotte scored first on an assist by J. Davis  who in turn scored on a rebound off of a long range shot by Ayotte.  Byrne scored the third goal on a breakaway from a through ball by Lutzker. The championship contest matched the Stampede against their fellow U11 rival USA Stars.  Knotted at 0 after regulation, the game headed into overtime.  With the ball on the right wing, striker Alex Hanna made a long run from midfield into the box and was able to one-touch a bounding ball from Byrne past the charging Stars keeper and into the back of the net, cementing the win and the 1st place trophy for the Stampede. 

Special thanks to Coach Alex Park who led the girls to victory filling in for Rozie these past two weekends.

10/21/12: Stampede strong in a five game weekend!

The Stampede played five close games over the weekend resulting in two wins, two ties and one loss.  The first was a league game with BOCA of Sacramento at the the Davis Legacy Soccer Complex, Friday Night Lights style.  Down 0-2 in the second half, Jordan Davis was able to knock in a ball  bobbled by the opposing keeper.  Davis then drilled in the equalizer from 25 yards late for a final score of 2-2.  Saturday and Sunday were dedicated to the annual OctoBOOfest tournament hosted by Sacramento United at Granite Park.  In their first match, the Stampede faced a San Juan Spirits team that at times seemed to be better prepared for American football than for the European version.  Despite the bruises, neither team was able to score and time ran out to produce the Stampede's second tie in just 18 hours.  The locals then met the ACC Mavericks Dynamite in the tournament's second game and their third in 24 hours.  Understandably fatigued, the Stampede could not catch their opponent this time.  Down 0-2, Anne Ayotte was able to clean up Yasmeen Dmeiri's long shot attempt with a close range goal to make it 1-2.  But the game would end there.  A good night's sleep and the fresh taste of defeat seemed to motivate the locals Sunday.  They met FC Elk Grove in the morning, the toughest team in their bracket and outplayed them with sound, elegant soccer.  Dmeiri drilled in the game's only goal on a free kick from 30 yards out.  The Stampede then beat American River Freedom to win the bronze, 1-0.  It was a fitting way to end the weekend, as Ayotte netted the final tally on a cross from Davis, Barcelona style.  Tough midfield and backfield defense from Emily Speakman, Grace Carlson and Sydney Moore kept the Stampede close all weekend long.

10/14/12: Stampede still unbeaten this fall

The Stampede continued their unbeaten streak for the fall season with two weekend shutouts at the Davis Legacy Soccer Complex.  They bested Sac United 2-0 Saturday morning in Norcal league play.  The two goals came from athletic plays by Jordan Davis in the first half and Lily Byrne in the second.  The locals then beat the Cal Cougars of Stockton 2-0 in a preliminary round State Cup match on Sunday.  Anne Ayotte scored twice, first off an assist from Byrne and then, in the second half, when she overpowered the Cougar keeper with a low heater from the 18.  Tremendous defensive play came from Sophie Karperos, Skye Schaffer, Grace Barger, Yasmeen Dmeiri and keepers McKenna Lutzker and Alex Hanna, who kept the opponents from scoring all weekend.