State Cup Soccer Soars At River Islands In Knockout Round

For all the picturesque qualities of the River Islands soccer complex, a six-field gem nestled by the San Joaquin Delta River, there was some serious business to tend to for 102 boys’ and girls’ teams participating this weekend in the NorCal Premier Soccer State Cup Knockout Round.
The event marked the grand opening of the soccer fields in the premier master-planned community in Lathrop, and the site rose to the occasion.

James Crotty, who watched his son Jacob play for the U-15 Elk Grove side on Sunday morning, was highly impressed with the idyllic setting which included a top-class new ballpark, Islanders Field.

“It’s impressive,” Crotty said. “I was driving back there: Wow, money well spent. The baseball park too. It’s good to invest in the kids’ future, keep their minds off other things. Keep them out of trouble.”

On Sunday, there were heroes galore and lots of intense action.
ZAMUDIO TO THE RESCUE: The Natomas 2003 F.A. boys squad hammered out a 2-1 win over 2003B San Jose Earthquakes Red III in the Bronze Cup. After the Earthquakes converted a penalty kick to tie it 1-1, Natomas’ Antonio Zamudio broke in to score the winner in the 86th minute off a double assist from Kaamil Mohammed and Fabian Haro. It marked Zamudio’s fourth game-winning goal this season. Talk about Mr. Clutch.
“It felt really good. I’ve just got to try,” Zamudio said modestly. “I didn’t think it was gonna go in, but I just gave it my all.”
How does Zamudio explain his knack for the big finish?
“I kind of just ignore anything and I just do me,” he said. “I get that we’re tied and all the pressure’s on, but I’ve got to stay calm and just go for it, honestly.”
Natomas goalkeeper Jackson Dalke preserved the tie with a clutch diving save to his right.
“We’re a pretty hard-working team,” Zamudio said. “Our team chemistry is really good. We don’t press each other down, we really just encourage each other to keep on playing and play hard.”
Natomas coach Kenyon Hill loved the grit his team showed in advancing to the semifinals. His team overcame an injury to one of its star players.
“That’s really what it is, survive and advance,” Hill said with a chuckle. “That’s how the motto is: You’ve got to move on, and the next game will be even tougher.”
Hill also gave the soccer complex high marks. San Jose Earthquakes Hall of Famer John Doyle and his partner Fred Wilson ushered in the beautiful complex, which boasts new lights and a low Bermuda grass built for speed.
“Beautiful fields,” Hill said. “This kind of reminds us of Davis a little bit. Real nice fields. Easy to get to. NorCal (Premier Soccer) always does a nice job when it comes to these events.”
PONCE POUNCES: In Elk Grove 2003 MK’s 2-0 win over Merced United in boys’ action, Adrian Ponce scored both goals.
How did Elk Grove pull it off?
"We kept pressure on their defense and they made a couple mistakes," Ponce said.
SOPHIA SHINES: Sophia Colombana scored the dramatic winner with three minutes left in U-16 North Coast FC Windsor's wild 4-3 triumph over Elk Grove in girls action, in which North Coast FC twice overcame deficits. Not bad for a team that played a tough game the day before in Richmond.
Head coach Justin Ferreira thought his side didn’t settle in till the second half when they “were up against the wall. It was just a battle … It was a lot of grit and doing whatever it takes to get a win or something and score some goals.”

Last year, North Coast advanced to the State Cup finals and fell in PKs, so Ferreira's resilient team has a little extra motivation this time around.

VERY NICE FACILITY: Marili Moreno, whose 16-year-old son Jason was playing for Merced United, watched quietly standing by herself near the corner flag on the south end of the field. She relished the moment at River Islands.
“It’s very nice here,” she shared. “I’ve been to many complexes; I’ve been to San Diego, Florida, Anaheim, and this is very nice … In our area we don’t have many fields. The kids missed a lot of games due to the field situation (in Merced).”