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In September 2022, over 1,200 teams (from U14-U19 ages) from a geographic area stretching from San Francisco to Reno and from Watsonville to Redding played in the first games of the 2022-23 NorCal Premier State Cup competitions. This past weekend at Cosumnes River College in Sacramento, the 48 girls teams that survived the single-elimination brackets participated in the final matches for 24 divisions to determine the championship teams of NorCal Premier’s State Cup competitions. For the first time ever, three AYSO United Davis soccer teams (and the approximately 20 Davis players on each team) won their divisions in the year-long competition.

On Saturday, the United 2009 Girls Blue team secured a Silver Cup in the 14U division with a resounding 3-0 victory over the Chico Cal Soccer Club (video). Chico’s skilled central players and speedy wings created dangerous opportunities in the opening minutes. However, United's defensive line, expertly anchored by goalkeepers Susy Cruz and Maggie Lubell, responded. As the match progressed, Chico struggled to keep up with United's depth and intensity, particularly in the scorching afternoon heat. After neither team scored in the first half, Epenai Levin slammed a crisp pass from Chloe Ehlers into the back of the net. Moments later, Ehlers cleverly chipped the ball over Chico's keeper. Chico launched a late offensive push and earned two direct kick opportunities in the dying minutes of the game, but Davis’ defense held firm. Exploiting the space left by Chico's forward movement, Davis’ Olivia Simi finished the scoring by maneuvering past defenders, outwitting the goalkeeper and slotting the ball into the near post.

On Sunday, the United 2004 Girls Blue team had an exhilarating back-and-forth 19U battle with Vacaville United (video). After conceding an early goal, Davis applied consistent pressure, leading to Savana Sull's equalizer from a rebounded shot by Hilary Murcia. Davis maintained their relentless assault and Ling Pu unleashed a thunderous long-range strike, finding the top right corner of the net, which propelled Davis to a 2-1 halftime lead. Both teams had opportunities in the second half, but Vacaville managed to equalize. Determined not to falter, Davis midfielder Athena Leckie took charge and swiftly restored the lead. Vacaville refused to surrender and was rewarded with yet another equalizer. This prompted Leckie to step up once again. Capitalizing on a brilliant run by Sull, Leckie charged across the top of the box and hammered a left-footed winner into the bottom right corner. Davis’ defense withstood Vacaville's persistent attacks at the end of the game to secure the victory and claim their age group’s Silver Cup in a 4-3 win.

In the last game of the weekend, the United 2006 Girls Blue team faced a talented Revolution FC side from Brentwood in the final of the 17U Silver Cup (video). Under the leadership of Ellie Ross, the United backline adjusted to Revolution's speed and physicality, responding to repeated attacks with counter-attacks that generated several scoring opportunities. Late in the first half, one of these counters resulted in Natalie Hewitt dribbling through multiple defenders to unleash a powerful shot that eluded the Revolution goalkeeper. In the second half, Marie Candelo anchored the midfield, ensuring that Davis controlled the tempo of the game. Eventually, Hewitt struck again, capitalizing on a well-placed pass from Jodie Kim. When the final whistle blew, Davis emerged triumphant with a 2-1 scoreline.

The win capped off a remarkable weekend in which all three AYSO United Davis teams in the final emerged victorious. We are thankful to Amanda Gibson, Leia Hewitt, and Chris Lossin (@yoloathlete) for documenting the memories from the weekend!

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