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With notable wins this season at the Santa Cruz Pro Am Beach, South Lake Tahoe Come Up for Air, and Morgan Hill Rush tournaments, the San Juan Bautista Youth Soccer League’s under-16 girls team is headed to the July 20 Surf Cup in San Diego, one of the largest global competitions in the nation.
The Elites, who boast a 14-2-0 record, will also offer an in-town soccer clinic on July 26.
The team has tried to qualify for the Surf Cup twice before, and finally gained an invitation by winning the Copa Surf tournament on sand in March. More than 90 teams will be competing in the Elites’ age group at the San Diego tourney.
“All of the girls and we coaches are excited to be there,” said Assistant Coach Ricardo Torres. “The competition is of a very high caliber, so it’s going to be an interesting one.”
According to San Juan Bautista player Liani Preciado, the Copa Tournament victory was the team’s biggest test so far.
“We were going up against some really good and really big teams,” she said. “We’ve never faced something like that, and it was tough. We pulled through, but it was definitely a growing experience.”
Teammate Camila Chavez said that while the Copa was fun, it presented a considerable challenge for a team not used to playing on sand.
“It was very difficult,” she said, “and it was also very physical. It was a tough battle, but I think our team stood out and showed that we weren’t going to let ourselves lose.”
Torres said the team has been preparing for the upcoming tournament. Some of the players are already going through summer conditioning for high school play.
“They have the skill,” he said, “and they have been out here practicing. They’ve stepped it up a notch and are looking really good so far. And that will add to their success. But I believe their real advantage is that they have the biggest hearts.”
Torres said that he and the team had been “a little bit scared” at first when they faced more advanced competition this year, particularly when taking on a team from Burlingame in the Tahoe tournament.
“The other team was really fast and had an efficient striker,” he said. “It was very physical, but our defense came through and covered her and shut her down. We ended up winning 2-0.”
The team is hosting its first Soccer Club Summer Clinic for children ages 4-11 on July 26. The event will take place at the San Juan Soccer Field and start at 9 a.m., lasting approximately three hours. Registration is through the club’s website.
“We wanted to give back to the community for allowing us to come here and create this competitive team,” Torres said. We want to make the local soccer community more excited about joining us and playing. It will be unbelievably memorable.”
The clinic is sponsored by El Camino Produce, Madrid Designs, Mt. Tam Fresh Inc., Posada de San Juan, Quebec Distributing, Taylor Farms, and Waltz Creative. Participants are advised to bring water, cleats or tennis shoes and “your game face.”
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