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Wednesday, 17 August 2011 00:00 |
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The team did not allow a goal while compiling 4 victories to take home the trophy! Good luck to the boys as they now prepare for their junior high and high school seasons. A big thank you to the coaching staff: Dino Rossini, Jim Van Sickle and Freddy Zamudio.
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 17 August 2011 07:47 |
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Tuesday, 07 September 2010 10:56 |
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The Sonoma Cobras continued their amazing string of wins this season, adding four more in Danville at the Annual Mustang Devil Mountain tournament (Sept. 4/5 2010), to bring their team record to 12-0. Playing against teams from Livermore, Pleasanton, and Danville, the Cobras first eased past the Livermore Fusion 4-0 on Saturday, then faced a tougher second game against Ballistic Select (Pleasanton) which ended 1-0 from a late Cobras strike. Full of resolve following Saturday's struggle, the Cobras returned with a vengance and completely dismantled the Mustang Dragons 15-1 Sunday morning, sending them to their third championship game in a row.
Facing one of three Mustang teams in the competition, the Galaxy, the Cobras had to again battle heat, exhaustion, and another team in their quest for the biggest trophy any of them had ever seen. The Cobras scored once in the first half against a resolute, tenacious, and sometimes physical home side. At halftime, the coaches encouraged the players to use their passing skills to wear down the opponents, "let the ball and the other team do the running" which started to pay off as eight more goals came in the second half, including a hat-trick from Jonny Rodriguez, and a brace from Diego Larios. The final score was 9-1, sealing another well-deserved championship trophy.
It is often said that "Strikers win games, Defenses win championships" and this holds true for the stalwart Cobra back line of Dylan Echeverria, Emilio Galindo, Austin Natuzzi, and Marcos Vicente in front of keeper Rafa Oseguera, who continue to fend off every attack that comes their way. They shut down the Galaxy star forward time after time, including two outstanding saves by Rafa - goals that could well have changed the momentum of the game in favor of the opponents.
Lastly, there is a bit of team superstition that is developing, as all three championship final game opponents have started with the letter "G" - Galaxy, Gunners, Galaxy. Alas, there are no "G" teams in our upcoming league games...but the Cobras are ready for anything that comes their way.
(Photo: Shawn Echeverria)
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Last Updated on Thursday, 11 November 2010 14:41 |
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Monday, 30 August 2010 00:03 |
In their second tournament of the 2010 season, the Cobras brought home a second championship trophy. Continuing where they left off in Fair Oaks two weeks earlier, the Cobras swept through all four games in Pacifica undefeated, with an impressive 16-1 goal tally against Division 3 teams from San Francisco, Folsom, and Santa Clara. The boys are really gaining confidence in a fast-paced passing and possession-control game. The scoring came from a wide range of players, with two players at 3 goals apiece, and three more with 2 goals each, and nearly every goal with a direct assist resulting from a lot of well-orchestrated teamwork. In all, 8 players found the back of the net, including two newcomers to the team who scored their first goals in a Cobras uniform.
Our back line kept the lid on the games with poise and precision, keeping 3 clean-sheets and conceding only once in what was later described as "the only time we really lost our focus". While the final game was not the nail-biter from Fair Oaks, it was exciting in an entirely different way. Instead of being locked up by nerves and fear of a final, the Cobras came out and dominated the game from the start. The Central Valley (Santa Clara) Gunners were on their back heels from the get-go and simply never had a chance to mount any sort of response to any of the Cobras' six goals. The Cobras took ahold of the game and never let go.
(Photo: Shawn Echeverria)
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Last Updated on Monday, 30 August 2010 10:38 |
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Monday, 16 August 2010 15:18 |
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In their first tournament of the 2010 season, the Sonoma Cobras brought home the championship trophy from the Fair Oaks Select Cup on August 14/15. The Cobras won all three preliminary games without allowing a goal, and moved on to the championship game against the Prospector Galaxy. In a hard-fought and dramatic contest, the Cobras fell behind early from a long-distance free kick that came in just under the crossbar. The play was physical, and the game was soon tied after a successful Cobras penalty kick. Galaxy scored again, and the Cobras answered. The Galaxy got one more goal before halftime. Mid-way through the second half, the Cobras leveled again, and began to press for the win. A few shots hit the crossbar, and two goals were ruled offside, yet the game ended 3-3. After 10 minutes of overtime, the score was still 3-3. The temperature was in the mid 90s and this was the boys' fourth game in 2 days, they were tired, excited and nervous. Both teams missed the first two penalty kicks. In round 3 the Cobras scored first, matched by the Galaxy. Same thing for PK round 4. Going into the 5th and final round of shots, the game is still tied at 5-5. The Cobras then score PK number 5, leaving it all to the Galaxy for the final shot to stay in the game. This coach was chanting under his breath from the sideline, "he's gonna shoot high ... he's gonna shoot high ... he's gonna shoot high ... " and the field exploded in a flood of red jerseys as the final shot sailed over the top of the crossbar -- the Cobras' very first tournament championship.
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Last Updated on Monday, 30 August 2010 10:51 |
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