THUSC Sodium sweeps Blue Mountain Exchange!

Wow, talk about a powerful presence! Two-time Oregon state champs – THUSC Sodium (my daughter’s U13 team) traveled to Tri-Cities WA for the Blue Mountain Exchange Tournament this weekend. This tournament attracts some of the strongest, most physical soccer teams from the region, including teams from Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana.

Sodium hasn’t fared well at this tournament in the past, so it is understandable that the Lady Warriors rolled into town on Friday looking to even the score. As it turns out, the Sodium girls wanted (and got) much more than that. Over the course of the weekend, Sodium swept all four of their games…AND…all four games were shut-outs (3-0, 3-0, 2-0, 1-0).

In the final game, Sodium defeated 2-time defending champs TRSC Rage in a hard fought 1-0 battle for 1st place honors. I doubt that the TRSC Rage team took the field expecting such a tough fight from an opponent. Sodium has proven time and again that they can play tough under extreme pressure. The Lady Warriors have that special ability to execute with intensity, and with a laser-like focus on the objective when the stakes are high. These are the true characteristics of a championship team.

Congratulations ladies. You’ve once again rightfully earned a highly coveted victory – as well as the gratitude and respect of your fans. Check out the Sodium team blog for a more detailed summary of the games.

Cheers

2008 OYSA Fall League Final Standings – Girls U13 Premier Gold

2008 OYSA Fall League Final Standings

(Courtesy of OYSA)

Club Info	Group A	Total Points	Games Played	Wins	Losses	Ties	Goals For	Goals Against	Ylw Card	Red Card
	A1 : Oregon Rush 95 Girls Nike	37	14	12	1	1	38	14	2	0
	A4 : THUSC United Sodium	30	14	9	2	3	24	10	0	0
	A5 : LOSC – Extreme	28	14	9	4	1	29	12	2	0
	A3 : FC Portland Platinum – 95	22	14	7	6	1	18	17	0	0
	A7 : Keizer – Hotshots	19	14	6	7	1	19	17	1	0
	A6 : ESUFC Arsenal	15	14	4	7	3	12	18	0	0
	A8 : EMFC 95 Magic	10	14	3	10	1	7	24	0	0
	A2 : WSM Strikers	1	14	0	13	1	2	37	5	0

United Sodium vs. FC Portland Platinum

The lady warriors finished their 2008 fall season ‘Sodium-Style” by handing FC Portland Platinum a 3-0 loss on Saturday. The day was made for playing soccer with blue skies, sunshine and a crisp cool breeze. Sodium went up 1-0 in the first half on a hard shot from katherine Kramer that deflected off the head of an FC player and went over their own goal keeper’s head. That goal went unanswered during the remaining minutes of the half.

Sodium hit the pitch in the second half looking to add more points quickly and it wasn’t long before they had another one. An FC hand ball in front of their net led to a Sodium penalty kick. Mac Kearney squared up and drilled a screaming shot off the crossbar and into the net to make it 2-0. 

Late in the game, several Sodium players patiently worked the ball deep into the FC corner and then crossed a pass in front of the net. At least a couple of close-in shots were blocked, but Emmy Owens kept at it and eventually popped a shot into the net for goal number 3.

View a slideshow of the game.

More game details on Sodium’s team blog

THUSC Sodium – 2008 Fall League Standings

THUSC Sodium continues to tear it up in Girls U13 Fall League. After a tough battle for a tie with Oregon Rush 95 Girls last weekend, Sodium is currently ranked second. Standings from OYSA are listed below. Check out the Sodium Team Blog for more details: http://sodiumu13.blogspot.com/.

Club Info	Group A	Total Points	Games Played	Wins	Losses	Ties	Goals For	Goals Against	Ylw Card	Red Card
	A1 : Oregon Rush 95 Girls Nike	31	12	10	1	1	32	10	2	0
	A4 : THUSC United Sodium	27	13	8	2	3	21	10	0	0
	A5 : LOSC – Extreme	25	13	8	4	1	24	12	2	0
	A3 : FC Portland Platinum – 95	19	12	6	5	1	16	14	0	0
	A7 : Keizer – Hotshots	15	11	5	6	0	13	13	1	0
	A6 : ESUFC Arsenal	11	11	3	6	2	8	15	0	0
	A8 : EMFC 95 Magic	10	12	3	8	1	5	18	0	0
	A2 : WSM Strikers	1	12	0	11	1	2	29	5	0

United Sodium – Hawaii Regionals results

Well, the lady warriors are back on the mainland now after 8-9 days in sunny Honolulu for Regionals. Although their 1-2 record wasn’t what they had hoped for, I’m certain the trip was a success in many ways.

Sodium opened with a game against tournament favorites, Cal South Slammers. Sodium fought hard and took the bench with a 1-0 lead at half time, but the Slammers hit the pitch with their game faces on, scoring 5 unanswered goals to hand Sodium their first loss.

Next up was wild card team, Colorado. The Sodium ladies, smelling blood immediately took command of the game, running up a 3-0 lead in the first half with goals from Hannah Lautenbach, Emmy Owens and Bailey Hall. The second half proved to be a bigger challenge for Sodium though as Colorado fought back with 2 consecutive goals to close within range of a tie. The final minutes of the game played out as the Sodium “brick wall” defense all but sealed off Colorado, earning their first win of the tournament.

Sodium’s final game against Utah ended in a 3-1 loss and quashed any hope of moving to the next round. A crushing blow for sure to this team of dedicated athletes. The lady warriors left the field with their heads held high, vowing to be back next year. There were some tears and sad faces as the Sodium team, coaches and supporters left the field. But it was a proud moment for all to reflect upon the entire season and the hard work it took to get there.

As a parent and dedicated fan of Sodium, I’d like to offer my thanks to all of these fine ladies for playing hard and giving it your all, every day on the field. It has been a true pleasure watching, cheering & photographing you all season. You play with your hearts and leave everything on the field – and that is the true beauty of the sport.

Please check the Sodium blog for a more in-depth tournament report.

Cheers

 

United Sodium wins 2008 Oregon Cup!

The hard working United Sodium ladies held off a very determined FC Portland Platinum in a 2-1 win to clinch the U12G Oregon State championship for a second year! Both teams took to the pitch looking for victory, but some great passing and two unanswered goals in the first half by Marissa Reid put Sodium in the drivers seat.

FC Platinum came out strong in the second half, scoring a goal to cut the difference to one. But the exceptional Sodium defense put up a brick wall, effectively sealing off their goal to the opposing team. When the whistle sounded, Sodium had the 2-1 victory and a second consecutive state championship.

Watching these two talented teams battle it out was great fun, and I think my heart rate is finally back to normal now. My hat is off to all of these amazing athletes, who work so hard and truly enjoy the game. Both teams are now off to Regionals in Hawaii for some tough competition, sunshine and more fun.

Congratulations Sodium!

Aloha

2008 Oregon State Cup Finals – United Sodium vs. FC Portland Platinum

Who: THUSC Sodium vs. FC Portland Platinum

Where: Tualatin Hills Rec Center – Field 5

When: Saturday, May 3rd at 3:00pm

Oregon State Cup – Final Schedule

 

United Sodium clinches spot in championship game

The United Sodium ladies showed their resolve with a last minute (literally) goal to beat the Keizer Hotshots 1-0 on Saturday. It was a hard fought victory in a game where both teams battled with no score down to the last 60 seconds.

With the pressure on and time running out, Payten Sonnen and Dayna Carlson teamed for a pass to Bailey Hall who found the back of the net. As usual, the Sodium team looked poised, but intensely determined on field, their defense all but closing off access to their own net.

This well-fought victory was a relief to all (especially parents and other supporters) and earned Sodium not only a spot in the championship game this Saturday, but also qualified them for regionals in Hawaii.

United Sodium blog   Tualatin Hills United Soccer   US Youth Soccer National Championship

Well Done Sodium!

Aloha

Is United Sodium headed for a repeat?

My daughter plays for Tualatin Hills United Soccer Club on the girls U12 “Sodium” team.

Last year they won the State championship for U11 girls, so expectations have been lofty for this talented team to go far this year. Last weekend, the girls won their game against Lake Oswego and tied with FC Platinum which gave them enough points to win the bracket and advance.

This weekend, Sodium will battle the Keizer Hotshots team. The Hotshots look to be a big, physically strong team so this weekend should prove to be an exciting time. I know the Sodium girls are ultra-psyched for this game, especially since the winner of this game automatically qualifies for Regionals and a 10 day trip to Hawaii.

As a parent, this is truly exciting stuff to be part of. Club soccer is, in my opinion, the pinnacle of sports for many young athletes. I am constantly amazed at the level of talent, committment and leadership I see in these girls. One might think that the extra pressure could be detrimental for girls of this age, but I haven’t seen evidence of that. These girls tend to take it in stride and truly enjoy the game. Lest you think they do this only for fun, be advised that some of the mantras being chanted on the field include:

“Let the bodies hit the turf!”
“In It To Win It!”
“Trample the weak, hurdle the dead!”

Track United Sodium’s progress on their blog site.

Cheers!

Bunchgrasser’s quote of the day

“I’ve worked too hard and too long to let anything stand in the way of my goals. I will not let my teammates down and I will not let myself down.”

-Mia Hamm