Mar 13-14, 1999
Thousand Oaks, Ca
Who said it couldn't be repeated after a month? Way to go Express!! The Gold is yours to keep.
The question was- "Are they going to give us competition?"
or a statement like, "Hope the other teams give us something to yell
for." Indeed the path to the gold is as smooth as the colors of the rainbow and
the weekend drive along the 101 proved to be a leisurely trip. The tournament
started with a blast on a 7-0 win against the bewildered Valencia team (are they the same
team we faced at Mission Viejo last year?). Followed by a 1-0 thriller with the
Saugus girls. Then there was the noontime practice session with the Culver City
Hurricanes. Then the real "thrilla in the Valley" match between the Santa.
Barbara team (7-0, 5-0, 5-0) and our own Express. The cheers went off early when
Janessa scored the first goal from near the end line in the first half of play. With
the determination of a winner (in their poll)- Santa Barbara launched high balls and a
foot race offense hoping to get our defenders (Theresa, Elisa, Christie, Valerie and
Andrea) off guard. With Christie sweeping the field clear of balls and J, Renay and
Tiff mounting the offense, Santa Barbara's effort went futile. The backbone of the
Express steadfastly defended their turf the whole first half.
The second half started with fury, with a new lease of energy from noontime ice
cream breack from BaskinRobins 31 Flavors- Irene, Vivi, and Jennifer made their moves
felt, ending on a goal by Jennifer which at that time seemed to be the insurance point.
Undetered by the 2 goals they had to overcome, the girls from Santa Barbara (no
relation to our team mom) attacked from both sides. Their efforts were rewarded by a
PK on a collision involving Christie H. followed by a goal coming from the right side.
Knowing that Tahoe shouldn't be repeated here in Southern California, the Express
turned it up "a notch" higher like victory at the Victorville Coyote
Classic. The kicks to the goal came up flying from Lauren, Tif, Elisa and Renay-
and finally that golden nail came flying from the foot of Katie sealing the victory and keeping the refrigerator closed. The end.
Second
gold of the year
Christine
The Header
Katie