END OF THE YEAR SOCCER PARTY

The soccer party was a great time. It was good to see all the girls and their families. Darren (Emiko's Dad) put together a wonderful DVD for all the players. The pictures looked awesome... if I say so myself. Beautiful trophies for winning League and some really good pizza. All I can say is I can't wait to get this thing started again. 2008 brings new ideas and new teams. To remind everyone what coach Scott stated, "Although, the team will be split next year (the youngers staying down at under 10 and the olders going up to under 11) the coaching staff will still work together all year long." All coaches have the same vision, and philosophy. Again, we are very proud of every one of the players that played with us this year. Those that went on to play with other teams and those that stuck around and put up with coach Scott, coach David and me, coach Dennis. We had a great time. GO CYCLONES!

TOUGH WEEKEND FOR THE CYCLONES

Well, we knew it was going to be tough. Opening the tournament with the number two team in the state is never easy. We just never got it going with Santa Clara Sporting Green. We played much better in the second half, keeping them to one goal. But the damage was already done in the first half, losing to a great team 4-0. As coaches, we felt our second game was a better match up. Playing the number 8 team in the state - Elk Grove. We rarely see our team play out of sync with each other. For some reason they struggled from the start, getting down two goals to Elk Grove in the first half. As coaches, we knew the girls just needed to settle down and play controlled soccer. Coming out strong in the second half and finding the net early, we knew this was the turning point for our team only to have the goal called back by the referee, why? We still aren't sure. You'll rarely ever see me complain about referees, but this was one instance that the referee took the game personal. With a chip on her shoulder the whole game, we never got any momentum. Do we blame the referee for the lose? Of course not. Like we told the girls after the game, "This is not the last time that we will see these types of referees." We would have never been in this situation had we just put balls in the back of the net (oh, we did but they took it away). Nonetheless, we should have taken care of this team early, and we didn't.

The great thing about this weekend was Sunday's game. Our girls ended their season with a dominating showing against a very good team. The girls did everything right, and very few things wrong. As coaches, we couldn't have been prouder. With a win over Modesto Ajax, our weekend ended 1 win 2 loses. But hey, we're on a winning streak. And what a win. Next up SOCCER PARTY............AND PICTURES (little preview at the top of the page)

CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INVITATIONAL: Dec. 8-9, 2007

ALL GAMES WILL BE PLAYED AT COLE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

(615 W. Stuart Ave. Clovis CA. 93612)

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Saturday, December 8th

9:15 CVSA Cyclones vs. Santa Clara Sporting Green (Home)

1:00 CVSA Cyclones (Home) vs. Elk Grove Blue

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Sunday, December 9th

9:15 CVSA Cyclones (Home) vs. Modesto Ajax Premier

1:45 Play Strong and we will find ourselves playing here

This has to be our toughest tournament of the year. It's nice to see that California Odyssey Club really publicized this tournament. It brought in some very talented teams. There are teams from all group levels of State Cup. Super, Premier, Platinum, Gold and Silver are all represented. Our first game on Saturday morning is against the team that took second in State Cup (Super Division), they are now ranked 2nd in State. A month ago, this might have worried me a little, but after seeing our girls play with the best of them at State Cup, I am very confident we will match up nicely with this team. Remember, we tied the current team that is ranked 3rd in State (Bay Oaks Blasters). Practices have been great, and the girls seem focused. We have home field advantage, this means that more of our families and friends can come out and support. We need to play to the best of our ability, and everything will work out fine. As coaches we know what our girls are capable of, so let's start off strong on Saturday morning. Play Strong, Play Smart.

WHAT A WEEKEND FOR THE CYCLONES

Our girls definitely came to play this weekend. But at the end of it all, we just fell short of taking home a State Title. Making it to the Quarter Finals of the Premier Group was no easy task. We won our first game against Novato, and tied Placer in our second game. Then we went on to play the Bay Oaks Blasters, and with 90 seconds left in the game we were up 1-0, but Bay Oaks found a goal with seconds left and ended the game with a 1-1 tie. With such a good showing on Saturday, we were put into the Premier Group which was filled with great teams. Our first game just happened to be with the team that went on to play in the State Cup Championship in the Premier Division. We played them strong, but they seemed to always have an answer. We lost a hard fought game 3-1. We were very proud of how our girls played.

As coaches we always think about the sequence of events. What if we would have been in the Platinum Group, could we have won State Cup? What if we would have held on and beat Bay Oaks and gone to the Super Group, how well would we have done? There are always what ifs when you start dissecting the weekend. All that we really know is this. Our girls played with the best of them, and play well they did. Bay Oaks Blasters went on to take 3rd in State and that was in the Super Group. The only team they lost to was the Mustangs who are the State Champions, and they only lost to the Mustangs 4-3. We tied Bay Oaks and we played them straight up. Konfusion went on to the State Championship in the Premier Group and lost 1-0. We had them on their heels early on in the game. They got 2 goals with some setup corner kicks. But we felt they are a team that we can beat. With that being said, we feel that this was a very successful weekend. We are very proud of everyone of our girls. Keep in mind, we have only been together as a team for less than 8 months. Wow, we have all come along way. One more tournament then the team PARTY.

HEY COACH WHERE'S OUR PICTURES

I can hear the mothers screaming. Don't worry all the pictures are finished. I am just waiting to see how we do at State Cup. All of your daughters look beautiful. A package with your daughters individual photo and a the team photo will be passed out shortly after State Cup. There will be no charge for photos, this is my gift to your family. So let's all get ready for State Cup. GOOOOOOOOOOOO Cyclones!

CVSA QUAILIFIES FOR UPPER BRACKET OF STATE CUP

YES, WE DID IT!! With only losing one game in the preliminary round of State Cup, we took second place in our bracket. This means we are guaranteed a place in one of the three upper division brackets come Sunday morning. We had some tough games, but our girls played like we new they could. Now ahead of us is Saturday's games on Nov. 17th. These will all be tough games, but if we come with a passion to win, all will work out fine. After Saturday's games, we will either be put in the SUPER, PREMIER or PLATINUM division come Sunday morning. It's a single elimination after that. It's going to be a great weekend, I promise. All we ask as coaches is to play Smart and Hard. LOOK OUT SACRAMENTO, HERE COMES THE CYCLONES.

CVSA Girls Under-10 TAKE LEAGUE TITLE

After the final game of the season was forfeited by Central United, CVSA girls under-10 take league title. Everyone should be very proud of themselves. We not only went undefeated, but we were only scored on 3 times in league play. We are the first ever Under 10 girls competitive team out of CVSA to take a League Championship. Keep in mind: We did all of this with a squad of 14 girls, and 6 of which should be playing under-9. We could not be prouder of all the hard work and commitment by players and parents. We had our growing pains just like all good teams do, but we pushed through them and became better coaches, parents and players. We do understand as coaches that medals and trophies only represent wins and losses, which is why we feel our success goes much further than that. Individually, players became stronger. As a team, we learned to win together and lose together with no excuses. Our girls never gave up in a game, even when a team would score first, our girls would always fight back. These are the things that we mark down as success. For our girls, we'll take these attributes into our every day lives. I could go on forever on all of the great things that came out of this season, but for right now I just have one last thing to say. I AM PROUD TO BE CALLED YOUR COACH.

STATE CUP NEWS: QUALIFYING ROUNDS SET FOR SATURDAY NOV. 17, 2007

We have been placed in Group BB, here are all the teams from that Group.

Bay Oaks Blasters (Blasters)
CVSA Cyclones (Cyclones)
Novato United 97 (nov u10 g)
Placer United Prestige '98 Girls Pulse (PUP '98P)

Yes you do recognize a familiar team, Placer United. This is not the Placer team that we played, it is one of their other teams.

All the coaches feel good about this Group. If our girls come to play on Saturday like we know they can, we should do very well. Here is our schedule time and place for Saturday's games.



....Time.............Home........Visitor............................Location
8:50 AM........Cyclones : nov u10 g..........Granite Regional Park, Field: 5

11:20 AM.......PUP '98P : Cyclones...........Granite Regional Park, Field: 9

2:40 PM..........Blasters : Cyclones...........Granite Regional Park, Field: 4


LET'S PLAY HARD GIRLS AND GOOD THINGS WILL HAPPEN.

No matter what the outcome of Saturdays games are, we will still be playing on Sunday, So remember. We play one game at a time

CLOVIS CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Cyclones were represented very well at the Clovis Cross Country Championships this week. Four of our girls quailified for the race (Katrina, Cassidy, Gabriella and Emiko). All of them placed very well in the race. Special shot out to Gabriella for taking a 9th Place Medal! We are so proud of all the girls. It just goes to show you how well rounded our girls are. I still want any parents to email me with acomplishments that your daughter might be experience now, so we can post them. photo1@msn.com . GOOOOOOOOOOOOO GIRLS

SOCCER PICTURES ARE ALMOST READY

I put up a sample of the team shot at the top of the page. We just need to add two more girls to make it complete. All the individual photos look great. If any of you can't wait, send me an email and I will send you the image of your daughter. photo1@msn.com

CYCLONES TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS

Way to take care of business this weekend girls. You not only kept us undefeated in league with a win against Bakersfield on Saturday, but you also put us in the driver seat for state cup with a win against Placer on Sunday. We couldn't be prouder of all you girls. Now with one more league game and one more preliminary State Cup game, we have got to start working harder at practices. Coaches will be expecting more out of each player at practice. Because remember, we play like we practice. You girls should be very proud of your season so far, us coaches are.

STATE CUP UPDATE: CRUCIAL WEEKEND FOR CYCLONES

With two weekends left of State cup preliminary rounds, here is how it stands. Modesto is in first place with 9 points, and 1 game left to play. Placer is in second place with 3 points, and 3 games left to play. Cyclones are in third place with 3 points, and 2 games left to play. Elk Grove is in fourth place with 0 points, and 2 games left to play. South Valley is in fifth place with 0 points, and 1 game left to play. What this means for us is that we are in a must win situation for this Sunday's game against Placer. No matter what the outcome of the game is, we will still advance to Championship Weekend on Nov. 17-18. Although with a win, we will be one game away from advancing to the upper division of State Cup. After this weekend's games, there will only be two games left to be played in our bracket before Championship Weekend. CVSA vs. Elk Grove and Modesto vs. Placer on Nov.4. So after the dust settles from this weekend, we will have a better idea of where we stand. Come To Play Cyclones, You've Worked Too Hard.

CYCLONES: STILL UNDEFEATED IN LEAGUE

Great game on Sunday girls, sorry I couldn't be there (I was in San Francisco celebrating my 30th birthday with my wife and kids). I heard the game exemplified the true meaning of Home Field Advantage. Everything aside, we are coming along great. We sure needed that win after a hard fought battle in Modesto. Now we must look to this weekend. Two very good teams we meet up with. We must come focused and ready to play. Everyone is working hard at practice. With a good practice on Thursday, I expect great results this weekend. GOOOOOOOOO CYCLONES. Oh yeah, it was my 42nd birthday AAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!

CYCLONES TAKE THEIR FIRST LOSS OF THE SEASON

Well, we knew this was going to be our toughest game up to this point of the season. With a fast start, Modesto drew an early penalty in the box and went up 1-0. This goal was not one player's fault, just a lesson for all players that we need to be careful in our box. They came back to score another goal with their #9 running a great offensive attack (that player was very talented, they don't get much better than that at this age.) I take responsibility for that second goal, I should have recognized that player earlier and adjusted our defense for her. I did after the second goal, then Mary and Katrina shut her down, and I couldn't have been prouder. After that point, our girls started to play this team straight up. We generated a lot of shots, but it's what we've struggled with before, finishing. At half time the coaches felt that if we could get a quick goal in the second half, we had a shot to win the game. Unfortunately, they scored a third goal. We kept taking shots, just nothing would go in until Journey broke through their defense and scored a beautiful shot. After that, time just ran out on us. All the coaches felt good about the game. Modesto was just the better team on Saturday, but give us a little time and we'd like to play them again. Now we look to tomorrow's game against an undefeated South Valley Chivas. With a game like we had today, we should be at the top of our game tomorrow. Heads up CYCLONES, all great teams lose a game now and then, it just makes them work harder.

RUN GIRLS RUN

Here are a couple of our girls right after a school cross country meet. Many of our players are involved in many activities outside of soccer. We will start posting some of their accomplishments here. Email me with anything your daughter has achieved so we can post it. photo1@msn.com

1ST ROUND OF STATE CUP: South Valley Came To Play

We knew South Valley would adjust well from Saturday's game, but we never thought they would bring a different team...at least that's what is seemed like. It was a battle from the start; our girls seemed to start a little flat. With a key goal from Emi in the second half, our girls started playing like the team we know they are. Then Logan sealed up the win with a beautiful cross from Taylor. I told you Taylor, you are definitely becoming a player that makes things happen. This means we accumulated 3 points for the win in State Cup.
A little update on the other teams in our bracket. Modesto Ajax has played 2 games, and have won both of them, one against South Valley and the other against Elk Grove. Placer United has one win against Elk Grove. Elk Grove has lost their first two games, against Modesto and Placer. South Valley has also lost their first two, against CVSA and Modesto Ajax. I think we can all see that Modesto Ajax is the team to beat, but they haven't played our girls. This game right now is the most important game of the year for us , we need to get a good rest on Friday night, and have a healthy breakfast on Saturday morning. Then we will be at our strongest when we meet up with Modesto. I've seen a lot of soccer in my years as a coach. This CVSA team is a great little team, and I truly believe that if we come focused and ready to play on Saturday, we can walk away with our second win in State Cup. Play Hard.

3rd League Game vs. South Valley United (Red)

All I have to say is, "A job well done." Every player is improving with every game. The coaches feel that this South Valley team is very talented. They have a new coach in place, and it shows. Trust me, he will adjust and come back strong at us tomorrow. We have got to play stronger tomorrow than we did today. And that's going to take a lot of effort from our girls because they played very good today. A couple of players we want to mention are Taylor, what a game. She's playing her position perfect. She had a lot of opportunities today. Don't worry Taylor, it will all come together, keep playing smart. Also, Ryan is finding the back of the net more and more. We thank her for coming to the game because she did have prior commitments. Again I say, all the girls should be very proud of themselves. They all contributed to the win today against South Valley. Tomorrow's game will be our first State Cup Game, and we are very excited. Let's start strong and finish even stronger. This game will set the tone for the rest of State Cup. GOOOOO CYCLONES!

NORCAL STATE CUP: GET READY NORCAL HERE WE COME

Well it's official, all teams have been bracketed for State Cup. Their formula for seeding is probably different than what we've seen.

The Seeding Committee has divided the teams into two even numbered groups.

U10 Girls: Teams seeded 1 to 21 - A ...Teams seeded 22 to 42 - B

Two teams from both A and B groups have become a group of 4. As much as possible, the “groups of 4” have been assembled by location, but insuring that each group is approximately equal in strength to all other groups was the first priority.

1. Seeding Committee creates groups of 4.
2. During October, “Groups of 4” play a first round 3 game round-robin against the other teams within their group. This is the “sorting” round beginning the process of moving teams into groups of more comparable strength. These games can be played in any order, on any date and at any time agreeable to both teams. Norcal will designate the home teams for all of these games with most eligible teams having either one or two home games.
3. By formula, the results of the first round move the teams into new “groups of 4” that play a second round 3 game round robin on Saturday, November 17th. This round will finalize the groupings of the teams for the games on Championship Sunday.
4. By formula, the results of the second round are used to move the teams into Sunday AM quarter-final round games in the different divisions – some combination of Super, Premier, Gold, Silver and others – depending on the number of teams in a division. Each team will play 3 games on Saturday and at least one game on Sunday AM. There will be from 20 to 22 Championships decided on Sunday, November 18th

I know it's a bit confusing, but after talking to Norcal, I think this is a very good way to do State Cup. We are very excited about our bracket. Here it is

Group F: 5 team group, 4 games
Modesto Ajax United Elite 98 G
CVSA Cyclones
Elk Grove United 98 Blue
South Valley United G97
Placer United Prestige '98 Girls Tango

Yes, we'll be playing 4 games instead of 3, but this is a good thing. We also have just been sent hotel information for The Championship Weekend on Nov 17-18 in Sacramento. The coaches feel if at all possible we should try to all stay in the same hotel. This way the girls can hang out and us parents can also. Because 10 years from now the girls may not remember the wins or losses. But they will remember the fun times they had together.

And really, what are we doing this all for. Yes, to build character in our little girls and also to show them hard work pays off. We also hope they learn to work with others and to find a love for the game. Let's never forget they are just little girls, let's fill their lives with positive things. Life will throw enough negatives at them as they grow up. Remember, when they are playing the game, they are doing there best out there on the field, no matter how we see it. So let's encourage them for the right things they do, and let the coaches worry about anything that they might need to work on. Then we will all look back at the times here with CVSA and be pleased with what it gave to us and our children.

2nd League Game vs. Central United

Wow! What a game: short and sweet. The girls played strong from the start, but also did Central. It was good to see Kennedy and Ashton; those girls haven't lost their touch. Isabella, again found the back of the net and put us up 1-0 in the first half. She then scored again, but it was called back for offsides. (Good shot anyway Isabella!) Katrina took a ball through five defenders; I thought she was going to score. Journey didn't get much action in goal in the first half, since they didn't generate any shots. Although we had some great opportunities to score with nice passes, we just couldn't seem to finish them up. (...Can someone guess what we're working on in practice this week?) Mary had an awesome game. She shut down everyone and I mean everyone. Way to go Mary! With a great win, 2-0 and only one shot taken on our goal, we as coaches were pleased with everyone. We coaches want to apologize for our lack of substitution in the game. As we all know Coach Scott is very good at getting all of the girls a fair amount of playing time. It's safe to say, that is were the Vargas coaches struggle. Sometimes we get so caught up in the game, we forget to get the fresh legs in. We probably could have found another goal or two had we been more attentive. With all that the game brought, from coaches, players, and parents, we still walked away with a win, and the girls should be very proud of themselves. We'll get back at it Monday. GOOOOOOOOOOOO CYCLONES

Scrimmage vs. Lone Star

The girls played a great game tonight vs. Lone Star. After the Lone Star team took an early goal, our girls fought back and found the back of the net five times before half. That is one thing that all the coaches are very proud of. When our girls go down a goal, they never give up. With it being Journey's birthday, the win was a great way to celebrate......and those cupcakes weren't so bad either. Oh yeah, and it was Laurie's birthday also (that would be Isabella's Mom), so a Happy Happy Birthday to you girls from all of the CVSA crew! The girls played strong and as the other coach said, "we have a great little team!" By the way, we think so also. Logan, way to play the outside position strong, Journey, nice hands in the goal , Nyove, hope you feel better, and Cassidy (Meow). Great game from all you girls. Let's play strong on Saturday.

The Whistle Blows: First League Game

After our first league game was cancelled our girls along with their families traveled to the south valley to play Bakersfield Brigade, It was not only our first game of the season but our first game ever in league play as CVSA Cyclones. The last time we were in Bakersfield, it was not a very good outcome, although we did play in a tournament that was a year older than our girls. Now we were back four months later with some history under our belts. As for the coaches, I know the fields were too familiar, but we knew that our girls were up to the challenge. Coach Scott reminded the girls to strike early and remember what we had done in practice. Coach David encouraged the girls to play one to the ball, and to get physical on the field. Coach Dennis added two things, that we must win every 50/50 ball and to remember the 1st, 2nd and 3rd defender.
As the whistle blew, our girls showed Bakersfield, our parents and us as coaches that they came to play. Ryan took what Coach Scott had said to heart and struck early with a goal. With Emi playing a strong forward position she also found the goal. The girls took control of the game early by winning 85% of all 50/50 balls. They did get a little sloppy in the first half which the coaches addressed at half time. Still they ended the half with five goals to none.
The defense stepped it up in the second half with Cassidy taking control of the back. Between Katrina shutting down every player that came in her area and Camille getting very physical and holding off any shots from her side, the defense (with help from Mary and Lucy) kept the Bakersfield team from taking any shots on goal. Lucy and Mary also helped out on offense with Lucy taking a shot on goal that just missed. Logan and Journey shared the goalie duties both doing a wonderful job, and both girls helped out on the field also. Between Journey making some great passes to set up shots on goal and Logan with her passion, the other team was constantly frustrated. Mandy played the best game since her time here with the Cyclones. She not only played more aggressive than the coaches have ever seen, but she also positioned herself well at the back door to strike one in the back of net. She also just missed on a well placed shot in the second half. With Nyove's practices getting better every session, she truly took her practices to the game and played a solid game. Coaches couldn't have asked more from Nyove with two goals with one of them coming off her left foot. And finally to say Isabella had a great game would be an understatement. Isabella played smart, strong, and at a higher level than she had ever played before. She passed to the open player, she shot on the first strike and she consistently made herself available for the ball.
The coaches were very pleased with all the girls performances. Now with the first game of the season in the win column, we must now look to Saturday and Sunday. With two strong teams to play, we must practice hard this week. Remember, we play like we practice. Congratulations, Cyclones!