Home of the Sonoma County Sol

Join the Sonoma County Futbol Club (Sol) for our Annual General Meeting; Bring Your Fellow Soccer Citizens with You; the Sol Needs New Volunteers for 2009

Sol Women End Season With Valiant Effort Against Pacific-South Champion
West Coast FC in Playoffs

West Coast FC Has Home Field Advantage But Sol Women Go Up 2-0 in First 20 Minutes

Disputed Red Card and Penalty Kick
Awarded Against Sol after 25 Minutes Forces Sol to Play With Ten For Most of Game

Game Tied 2-2 Until Last Five Minutes
West Coast FC Gains 3-2 Win, Ending Sol's WPSL Championship Hopes

Congrats to Sol Women and Co-Coaches
Emiria Salzmann and Brian Halloran
On a Fabulous 2008 Season And a First Time Playoff Berth in Sol Women's Third Year

Light Training At Mitchel Stadium Complex
Long Island, NY, Friday, August 1, 10AM ET

National Semifinal
Friday, August 1st, 5:30pm ET
versus Pennsylvania Stoners (of Allentown)
( website: www.pennstoners.org )

National Championship Final
Sunday, August 3rd, 12:30pm ET
Winner of Sol v. Stoners Against
Winner of St. Paul, MN v. Long Island

All Final Four Games at Mitchel Stadium
Mitchel Athletic Complex
Uniondale, NY (Long Island)

Sol go up 2-0, but then play last 65 minutes with only ten after a disputed red card for denial of obvious goal scoring opportunity-- Did the hand hit the ball or did the ball hit the hand? West Coast scores third goal in last 5 minutes.

Sol Men Win Playoff In Overtime
3-1 Over San Diego United;
Sol Provide Exciting Finish
With Three Quality Goals.

Sol Women Run Into Tough California Storm Squad in Last Regular Season Game in Sacramento; Already Having Clinched First Place, Storm Prevail by 5-0 Score Over Sol

With a Win, Plus a Win on July 27 in the Pacific Playoff Final, Sol Women Would Reach WPSL
Final Four in Sacramento,
Set For August 2nd & 3rd

Sol Men Win Northwest Championship
With 2-2 Tie On Saturday July 5th at SRHS Against Santa Cruz County Breakers

Family Discount Price (Two Adults + 3 Youth): $25
Adult: $10; Youth 13 to 18: $7; Youth 5 to 12: $5
All Adult Tickets Receive Free Entry Into Sol Halftime Raffle

Sol Women Qualify for WPSL Playoffs
For the First Time With Triumph Over Monterey July 13th In Key Away Game, 2-1

Sol Come Back In Second Half From 1-2 Deficit With the Tying Goal on Penalty Kick By Trevor Hurst Resulting After Hurst Was Clearly Fouled in the Box

The Breakers Will Finish In Second Place and Have Been the Sol's Toughest Opponent So Far This Year

The Sol Finish the Regular Season With an Undefeated 6 Wins, 3 Ties in the NPSL Northwest and an Undefeated 9 Wins, 4 ties Overall Record

Sol Women Return from Los Angeles After Beating the Claremont Stars 2-1 on Sunday
With Critical Game in Monterey on Sunday July 13, Looking to Wrap Up a Playoff Spot With a Win Against the Monterey Blues

On Friday June 20, the Sol Men had a tough battle with the Santa Cruz County Breakers. The first half ended at 0-0, with the Sol unlucky to score, hitting the woodwork at least once, but the Breakers also having several good chances.

In the second half, the men dominated possession and put on a soccer clinic for the crowd. Brandon Boone scored first, a couple of minutes into the half, assisted by Mike Travis; and then, midfielder Majell Aterado put one in with less than ten minutes to play, set up by a nice through pass by Daniel Garcia.

The Men then took care of business the next night in San Jose with a 3-0 win over an improving Real San Jose squad.

The Sol Women needing a win at home against the Sacramento Pride on Saturday, came out slow against the undermanned Pride who were slowed by traffic related to the Napa fires. After the Sol took an early lead with a goal by Kim Kemper on Alexica Bosque's assist, the Pride equalized and the halftime score was even at 1.

Then the Sol women created many scoring opportunities in the second half, but none found the net with the Pride playing for the away draw. Much of the Sol attack came down the right side, and that is where the Sol found its winning goal when Amanda Harris scored what may prove to be the Sol Goal of the Year when she cut the ball inside about five yards outside the penalty box and fired a rocket from the right side which struck the inside of the left post and ricocheted into the goal. 2-1 Sol was the final score.

In Walnut Creek on Sunday, the Sol Women played some of their best soccer of the year, getting out to a 3-0 lead at halftime with goals by Fiona O'Sullivan, Tasha Richardson and Alexica Bosque, all set up by some excellent passing, much of it from Nikki Schrey. The Walnut Creek Power is a very good team, which made the Sol's display all that more impressive. Tasha Richardson finished off the scoring in the second half, again being set up by a nice pass from Nikki Schrey.

The Sol's defense was also very impressive against Walnut Creek, who had not been held scoreless this year except by the division leading Storm.

The Sol U-21 Men, coached by Eric Parish, started their home schedule, with a nice 4-0 win on Sunday over the Bay Oaks at Trione Field

The Sol thank all who attended or volunteered at our fundraiser, Texas Hold'em poker tournament and dinner on Friday June 13, 2008 at St. Eugene's in Santa Rosa. You made it worthwhile. (And congrats to the winner, who shall remain anonymous for now.)

Email the Sol at info@scfcsol.com for more information on how you can support the Sol with your time or financial contribution.

The Sol Needs Sponsors, Especially Now That League Expenses and Field Expenses Are Coming Due Shortly. If You Are Not Already a Sponsor, Ask About a Combined 2008/2009 Sponosorship Package.

*Games subject to cancellation. Opponent and/or game
date subject to change; check this website for updates.

Email the Sol at info@scfcsol.com for sponsorship packages and other information

After the meeting on November 5, 2007 (see below), the Sonoma County Futbol Club is moving forward to secure its future and the future of its men’s and women’s programs, as well as the first year U20 men’s program. A new board of directors was elected and is energized to guide the Sol into its fifth year as the premier adult soccer club in Sonoma County and, indeed, the entire North Bay. Exploration of a more formal affiliation with both Santa Rosa United and Sonoma County Alliance is also now beginning.

Despite this good step forward, the Sol’s fifth season in 2008 is still far from a sure thing. New leadership has stepped up, but the necessary funding to preserve the Sol’s existence during the off-season, when many of the expenditures in preparation for the coming season must be made, is not even close to being realized.

The word of the day for the Sol is thus “fundraising” and all that goes along with it. During the off-season, that means soliciting individual donations and business sponsorships for the coming year. If you are reading this, there is a good chance you are or have been a supporter of the Sol, in one way or another—so the Sol organization asks you, yes you, to step up and do one of two things (or both): (1) write a check to the Sol towards its 2008 season as soon as you can; and/or (2) commit to volunteering for the Sol’s fundraising efforts during the next three months, the most intensive part of which will begin immediately following the New Year’s holiday.

On that note, please remember that December 2007 is a great month to give of your financial resources toward the Sol. Why? Because if you give to a 501(c)(3) organization, like the Sol, your donation is tax deductible,* and it’s not too late to have that deduction show up on your tax return for 2007. If you own or manage a business and your tax year is the calendar year (January 1 to December 31), the same consideration applies—December is the final month to make expenditures which can be claimed as deductions on this year’s tax return.

Just as importantly, and to keep the momentum going, the Sol’s board of directors has scheduled a critical meeting for all players, their parents and other family, all Sol sponsors and business partners and all Sol volunteers. The meeting is on Tuesday December 11, 2007 at 7pm at the Rincon Valley library branch. Please be there if at all possible. Your attendance is key.

The purpose of the meeting is not simply to collect funds, although the Sol would certainly more than welcome any and all financial contributions that evening. The greater purpose is to educate the Sol community more specifically about the Sol’s financial position and challenges, and to challenge you and all of the Sol family to not only give of your financial resources, but also to give of your time to assist in fundraising efforts.

In addition to soliciting contributions from individuals, families and businesses, the Sol is planning some events for January and February 2008 to generate income on a more grassroots level. These will be designed to be fun events where you, your friends and everyone in the local community can come and enjoy social activities and entertainment while supporting the Sol. These events cannot happen, however, without volunteers.

So, if you would like to continue to see the elite level of adult soccer in Sonoma County which the Sol has brought to you for the last four years, please either come to the meeting on December 11^th or, if you have other unavoidable commitments, contact the Sol through this website or otherwise to let us know what you will be doing to support the Sol.

The next two to three months are absolutely critical—the Sol now has the needed new leadership to move forward, but now needs to find the financial resources to ensure that the Sol will be able to field its men’s and women’s teams in 2008. You have a part to play, if the Sol is to continue, and that part is essential, whether you are a Sol player, family member, sponsor, volunteer or, until now, just a fan.

Sol has just completed its fourth year of operation. Started in 2004 as a men's team, competing in the Men's Premier Soccer League (later moving to the highly competitive National Premier Soccer League) the men's team reached major success by playing for the NPSL championship in its second year, playing the into the pro team level as part of the Lamar Hunt Open Cup competition, winning the USASA Open Cup in 2006 and making winning the NPSL Northwest Division Championship in 2007. In 2007, an Under 20 men's team was started to give the growing number of local players graduating from the many outstanding youth clubs in the area an opportunity to continue developing in preparation for college or higher levels of in the sport. Through the years, Sol has fielded a number of great players who have moved on to very high levels of the sport including: Troy Roberts, now a defender with LA Galaxy; Eric Kronberg, a goal keeper with the Kansas City Wizards; Steve Purdy, now with 1860 Munich and recently called to the U.S. National Team Camp, Majell Aterado who is playing well with the California Cougars indoor team and Arnauldo Salazar who is doing well with the Chivas USA under 18 team.

July 27, 2007 San Diego- The combination of lack of finishing their opportunities and dubious calls by the referees overcame an otherwise outstanding performance by NPSL Northwest Champion Sonoma County Sol tonight losing 4-4 (4-3 in penalty kicks) against Northeast Champion Queen City Blues of Buffalo, New York at the National Premier Soccer League National Final Four.

Start of play was delayed 30 minutes by the late arriving Blues. Sol got off to a slow start for the first 10 minutes with much of the first half played in front of their goal with a fair amount of desperate defending while they adjusted their rhythm to the tight field of Helix High School. Sol did get off an early strong counter attack ending with a scorching header by Brandon Boone glancing off the underside of the cross bar that was cleared. This was followed in the 14th minute by a series of quick passes that ended up with the Blues splitting the middle of Sol’s back line, finishing a low shot to the right of Sol goalkeeper Mason Hill-Harrill for the early 1-0 lead. Play was back and forth until the 43rd minute when Brandon Boone scored a gorgeous header for the 1-1 score. In the 44th minute, Mason Hill-Harrill made a spectacular, fully extended, save that preserved the score at halftime.

Things heated up in the 46th minute when Brandon Boone hit a smashing header off a cross from Arnauldo Salazar that was unfortunately ruled off side. In the 68th minute, defender Patrick Sigler brought down a Blues player in the penalty area and a spot kick was awarded. Mason Hill-Harrill made a spectacular save of the initial shot, but was helpless to save the rebound when he didn’t get the help he should have from his team mates as the Blues calmly put away the follow up. 2-1 Blues. The Blues quickly scored another goal when defender Kyle Beattie was caught and beaten one on one by a Blues player with a low shot far post to make things look very bleak at 3-1.

A series of substitutions seemed to energize Sol as Trevor Hurst, Miguel Santoyo and Kellen Gamiko brought a different mix of speed and skills along with their fresh legs. Brandon Boone scored his second of the game when he hit a left footed screamer into the upper “v” far post off a poor clearance by the Blues.

Sol lifted their game and were making a series of great attacks on the Blues who seemed to be desperately grabbing their knees to regain oxygen. Finally, in the 82nd minute midfielder Tyler Hurst broke up the middle and scored to level it at 3-3.

Sol was clearly in charge of the game late with wave upon wave of attack creating numerous chances. The attack was coming from all over including beautiful passes served up by defender Patrick Sigler over the midfield and onto the chests of Sol attackers, short passes and switching the point of attack from the edges orchestrated by Majell Aterado, and passes laid back by the target striker. Unfortunately, the finishing lacked the quality necessary to take advantage of the numerous chances generated even though 3 goals were scored in regular time.

Overtime commenced at 8:26. The rules required that two full 15 minutes periods of overtime be played.

In the 10th minute of overtime, disaster struck as a Sol defender was whistled for tugging on a Blues player in the penalty area resulting in a spot kick. Fans were unanimous in criticism of the late, weak, game changing call, but the kick was taken and scored. The referee would later say the offensive player had turned and had a goal scoring opportunity that was prevented, which is why the kick was given, although no card was forthcoming for the defensive player. Nobody else in the stadium except Blues supporters saw it that way.

Also, a missed handball call against the Blues further shook Sol confidence in the referees.

The score remained 4-3 through overtime and 3 minutes of extra time were awarded. In the 2nd minute of extra time after overtime, Trevor Hurst, one of the shorter players on the field, scored a resounding header off a corner kick served up Miguel Santoyo sending the game into penalty kicks.

Penalty kickers for Sol Trevor Hurst, Antonio Garcia and Daniel Garcia scored. 3rd kicker Miguel Santoyo had his shot blocked. The first 3 Blues players made their kicks but the fourth player missed past the left upright but their last kicker scored.

It came down to midfielder Majell Aterado, recently drafted by the California Cougars pro indoor team, who had played an outstanding game and increased his stock as a professional prospect. Unfortunately, he hit the ball a bit close to the right of the Blues keeper, who made the save and ended the game in the Blues favor.

Sol fans can take heart that their team was clearly dominant in the losing effort, playing attractive and dangerous soccer against a quality opponent. Unfortunately, the late penalty kick awarded to the Blues played a huge role in changing the game.

But Sol also missed many opportunities in set piece situations and did not finish on scores of chances that their dominant play manufactured.

Some strong points:

Majell Aterado was dominant in the midfield. Brandon Boone scoring two great goals with head and foot and just missing several others. Excellent substitutions by the coach that seemed to lift the team with new energy, and different dangers for the Blues to contemplate. Great service out of the defense by young defender Patrick Sigler. Dangerous runs from outside forwards Kellen Gamiko and Trevor Hurst.

Sol goes on to play the Princeton 5ers of Madison, Wisconsin in the 3rd place game tonight at 6 p.m. Queen City will face the home team San Diego Fusion in the League Championship.

Sol beat Sea Lions 1-0

Tiffany Hurst was the difference in a well fought match for the Sol women’s program this past weekend. The Sun Gals took the lead thanks to a play started by a tremendous 58th minute shot by Annii Magliulo. Magliulo's shot, a driven, top spinning ball coming from the right side at distance, was muffed by the Lion's goalkeeper Lu Snyder and was cleaned up by Tiffany Hurst for the score. Sol was able to prevail in an even battle against its southern California opponents where goal keeping may have been the difference. Sol keeper Sarah Peters made several spectacular saves to hold on to the shut out against the 2nd place Sea Lions.
Sol dominated the shot count, 11-7, but Peters was forced to make 5 saves against balls that were on frame, while Snyder made only 2, one less than necessary.
Late in the game, Sol captain Crystal Howard delighted the crowed when she was trapped against the right touch line by a couple of San Diego defenders when she uncorked a terrific change of direction of the ball, nutmegging her opponent and making a great pass into the center of midfield. Howard was named WPSL co player of the week for her virtuoso four goal performance against the Sacramento Pride last week and is truly an outstanding leader of the team.
The win avenges the 3-2 loss suffered to San Diego June 2nd on their turf.

The Sol women dominated the last place Sacramento Pride in both the statistics and scoreboard on Saturday as part of a double header with the men. Crystal Howard scored four goals from almost the same spot and Annii Magliulo added against the under manned Sacramento team resulting in a 5-0 final score.

The women took their foot off the accelerator a bit, notching a 1-1 tie against the San Francisco Nighthawks, a team that they had beaten . 3-0 in their previous game at Kezar Stadium. The hot weather and perhaps lingering fatigue from the game the previous night, combined for a bit of a lethargic performance, although forward Valerie Barnes had enough to launch a beautiful cross to the head of her up top partner Jamie Carstensen for Sol's only goal.

The Sol women conclude their season with the league's toughest opponents this Saturday and Sunday. Saturday night, Sol will face the second place San Diego Sea Lions, a team the lost to on the road 3-2 on June 2nd. Then, on Sunday at 1 p.m.(changed from 3pm), Sol will face the undefeated and untied Los Angeles Ajax. Ajax features US Women's National Team players Danielle Fotopolous, Lindsey Huie and Mandy Clemens, and England National Team goal keeper Karen Bardsley. Ajax are the 2006 Division Champions and defeated Sol in Los Angeles, 3-0 on June 7th.

Claim Division Championship

July 14th, 2007 – Santa Rosa, CA: On the strength of the right foot of Arnaldo Salazar and the head of Ben Langwith, the Sol men's team defeated Real San Jose by a nail biting score of 1-0 Saturday night. The win sends the team into the 2007 NPSL National Championships which is to be played July 27 and 28th.
While the scoreboard did not reflect it, Sol dominated play with 23 shots to 3 for San Jose. The goal came in the 35 minute when teenage phenom Arnaldo Salazar made a great run down the right side and a perfect centering pass to Langwith who drove the ball home with his noggin.
While the Sol offense dominated, it struggled to finish and only did so on that one occasion. Credit goes to the Sol midfield and defense who banged the ball around and kept it in front of the defensive line for most of the 90 minutes. The defense, which has been recovering from the losses of CJ Sigler and Vinny LaPorta, were lead by center back Brett Cook and supplemented by newly promoted central defender Patrick Sigler and outside backs Andreas Flores and Kyle Beattie, who did a great job in controlling things in their defensive third. Nonetheless, there were a few anxious moments toward the end of the game when San Jose looked dangerous, resulting in visions of the game slipping way from Sol. However, the danger was averted and the team held on earning the shut out for GK Mason Hill-Harrill.

The Sun Boys will participate in the national championship tournament consisting of the four Divisional Champions throughout the U.S. The location is set for San Diego who is the Southwest Conference Champion. Facilities have been located in San Diego so the championship tournament will not be held in Santa Rosa.

Watch this web site for more information, and congrats to Sol, 2007 NPSL Northwest Division Champions!

July 7th, Santa Cruz, CA: Ok folks, here’s the scenario: Sonoma Sol – 22 points, Santa Cruz Breakers – 21 points. Going into the match this past weekend, the Sol of Sonoma County and the Breakers of Santa Cruz had one thing on mind: win, and win the division. It was a cold night for Northern California, but pretty standard for the Santa Cruz natives who took the field with a full stadium of fans in support. With a win the Breakers would clinch the division, and represent the North West in the National Championships to be held July 26th through 28th. For the Sun Boys it was win, or try again next year.

The whistle blows, and the match is on…

15 minutes into the match, 17 year old Arnoldo Salazar begins his rein; 1-0 Sol. 25 minutes later Salazar adds an assist, 2-0 Sol, goal compliments of the “still on fire” Daniel Garcia. The game was

seemingly in control.
Half Time.
The sweats went back on and the Sol huddled at the half in front of Coaches Ben Ziemer and Neil Turnbull for the half time analysis. “Keep the ball,” “move it quickly,” and “beware the 2-0 lead” were topics of discussion, but most importantly, “make it 3-0” was the general theme. Well, Salazar took it literally, and netted his second in the 50th minute finishing in the near corner after beating two Breakers defenders on the dribble. The rest of the match was clockwork with the Sol putting on a clinic in ball movement. “It was like we were playing with 15 on the pitch,” claimed Vinny La Porta who was watching from the stands, “a delightful display of ball possession and patience.” Goal keeper Mason Hill-Harrell played 90 minutes of brilliance to ensure the shutout, but alas, Salazar wanted his hat-trick…and so he got it. In the 91st minute of play a long ball was sent forward from the Sol’s midfield, and Salazar took his first touch out of the air directly in towards the Breakers keeper. Salazar dribbled around him with ease, and cracked it into the open net. The result, a 4-0 clinic put on by the Sol, and a hat-trick and an assist for Salazar. Our sources say Santa Cruz was overcast no more…the Sol had arrived…

The last two weeks for the Sol have been exciting to say the least. The Sonoma Sol men’s team hosted two top teams from the South West division two weekends ago, resulting in 2 ties, then last weekend they traveled to Colorado for two more matches against South West opponents, returning with one win and one loss. It’s only the Sol’s second loss of the year. Here are the details!

Friday June 22nd:
The Albuquerque Asylum were first at bat against the Sol. This match was the first match with a shuffled lineup for the Sun Boys as they were dealing with multiple injuries. Sol went down 2-0 in the first half, but turned it around and showed the New Mexico natives why Sol are on top of the league. Game ended 2-2 and the Asylum goalkeeper was forced into brilliance in order to maintain the tie.

Saturday June 23rd:
The next match was the heavily anticipated match-up between the two Western Division leaders, Sonoma Sol vs El Paso Indios. The Sol dominated the flow of play for much of the game, however, the multiple chances were not being finished. Missed opportunities created a 1-1 tie going into half time. Indios came out very strong in the 2nd half and Sol did not counter, creating a 3-1 advantage for Indios with only 20 minutes to play. After picking up their game the Sol came back brilliantly and tied the game at 3-3, and the referee took over from there. The game got out of hand and three red cards were issued, 2 to Indios and 1 to Andres Flores of the Sol for his goal saving, yet blatant foul. Andres dragged down an Indios striker who was in on goal, and very fast. The foul was a professional foul, and Flores made the right decision. The game ended 3-3, and with the Knights and Breakers both drawing their matches as well on the weekend, the Sol stayed on top of the table going into Colorado.

Saturday June 30th:

The first match in Colorado was littered with adversity. The Sol had multiple conflicts during travel, resulting in a 4am bed time after 16 hours of travel. The next afternoon gave way to 115 degree field temperatures, and thin mile-high air. All excuses aside, the Sol did not perform at their best, and lost 2-1 to a very unworthy Colorado Crimson side handing them their first win of the season.

Sunday July 1st:

The next day saw cooler temperatures, more sleep, and a better attitude towards the endeavor. The Sol played tremendous soccer, and came back from 1 goal down to defeat the Denver Kickers 3-1. The Denver program then treated the Sol to sausages and sauerkraut in their German style clubhouse whilst listening to live Polka music. It was a fantastic gesture from the Kickers program and the Sol were lucky to have been invited to enjoy their facilities. Cheers to the Denver Kickers and their hospitality.

With the dropped points over those last 4 matches the Sol allowed the Santa Cruz Breakers to catch up a little, creating a fantastic venue to come this weekend. July 7th @ 7:30pm in Santa Cruz, the Sol will face off against the Breakers in what could determine the North Western Divisional Title. Santa Cruz sits with a game in hand, and only 1 point behind the Sol. They have 3 matches left this season; against the Sol, the Knights and the Samba of Salinas. If they drop any one of those games, and the Sol win their last 2, the Sol will represent to North Western Division in the National Championships. The next Sol home game is scheduled for July 14th at 7:30pm @ SRHS Nevers Field vs last place Real San Jose. This is the last mach of the regular season...

SCFC Sol Men: The men host two out of town programs this weekend with two victories in mind. First match is Friday June 22nd @7:30pm against the Albuquerque Asylum, a 4-3 program from the Southwest NPSL division that has recently found its form by defeating the San Diego Fusion 2-0. This match should be a good test for the Sol, and an exciting game for the fans against a new opponent. The Sol then welcomes the Indios from El Paso Texas the following evening. Indios are currently in 1st place in the Southwest and are a feeder team for the famed Mexican 1st division side, Pachuca. This match kicks off Saturday, June 23rd at 7:30pm.

The Sol are looking forward to these matches as much as any, however, there is a new fervor making its way around Sonoma County, and it’s a result of the First Annual High School All-Star Game. The Sol are sponsoring the event this Saturday prior to the evening’s NPSL match, where top High School soccer players from all over the Redwood Empire are gathering for the game. “Saturday is a great opportunity for high school players from all around the county to play side by side in a fund raiser for the Sonoma County Futbol Club, the sponsor of the Sol soccer teams,” says Sol midfielder, Chris Daly. The All-Star game is the first of its kind, and behind the scenes people are buzzing with anticipation for this wonderful event. The Girls game kicks off at 3pm, with the Boys to follow at 5pm at Santa Rosa High School. The men’s match vs Indios will then follow concluding a great weekend for the soccer community, and a great weekend for Sonoma Sol FC. “See you there!”
Ticketing Info:
High School All-Stars: Free Admission
Price for tickets includes all three games:
Adults - $10
Student - $7
Child - $5
**Sol season ticket holders may be admitted to high school all star games at reduced rate of $5 adult, $3 student and $1 child over 5.

SCFC Sol forward Annii Magliulo was named to the most recent WPSL Team of the Week!! Annii, a recent signing from the California Storm, netted two goals in a 3-2 victory over the Lamorinda East Bay Power this past weekend. Coupled with her tremendous efforts in a 1-1 draw with the Claremont Stars, she was awarded selection to the WPSL team of the week.

"Signing Annii this season put us on par with the top teams in the league, because in order to succeed at the highest level you need a goal-scorer," says Sol head coach Emiria Salzmann. "For the last two WPSL seasons Annii has been the leading goal-scorer in the nation. She has been tremendous for us this season, her work ethic both offensively and defensively is tireless."

Having a player of such talent is always good for a program. As Salzmann quotes, "[Annii] plays with such joy and passion that she inspires others to play with less abandon. She is one player I would advise any youth player to come and watch so that they may develop confidence in their own abilities to be an individual within a team, and to never be afraid of doing something a little different to the rest."

Annii is a Pengrove native where she attended Petaluma High School, and spent her collegiate years as a standout at UNLV where she gathered appraise such as NSCAA All-Region Honors. Congrats to Annii, and we look forward to more success!

Sol Spank Sacramento, Solidify #1 Spot in Standings

SANTA ROSA Sat June 16th, 2007 The Sonoma Sol Men’s program put on a clinic this weekend in finishing. A world class hat-trick from Daniel Garcia, two solid goals from Tyler Hurst, and composed finishes from Brandon Boone and captain Brett Cook were the difference in a 7-3 routing of Sol’s greatest rivals, the Sacramento Knights.
Daniel Garcia opened up the scoring just 2 minutes into the match

The scoring continued into the second half with Brandon Boone finishing a creative and fantastic individual effort. Boone jumped to lay off a long ball with his defender on his back, and instead flicked it to himself behind the opposition, took off for goal, and beat the sliding keeper top shelf. Tyler Hurst added the final two goals, one a blast from the 18 yard box that once again, found the upper corner, and the other a header off a corner kick. The Knights fought hard and managed three goals on the evening, making for a bizarre but beautiful 7-3 victory for the Sol. With the win the sun-boys move 4 points clear of Sacramento to maintain 1st place in the North West Division. However, the victory is bitter-sweet as captain Vinny La Porta went down in the 40th minute with a season ending injury. “The injury is depressing for me, I was hoping to bring home a National Title with my teammates this year, now I will do it from the sideline,” says La Porta. “We have talent all across the board, our team is very deep this year, despite my frustration, I am excited to watch the boys play, especially if they keep up the recent form...what a show on Saturday, and to do it against the Knights...a perfect evening!”

The next matches are exciting ones as the Sol host South West division leaders El Paso Indios, a team owned and operated by Pachuca from the top professional league in Mexico. The match will take place at Santa Rosa High School Saturday June 23rd at 7:30pm. Sol will also host the Albuquerque Asylum, another South West Division opponent, on Friday the 22nd, kickoff is also at 7:30.

More to come on these fixtures…GO SOL!

Sol Set for Big Weekend, Will You Be?

June 14, 2007 The Sonoma Sol men’s and women’s programs are getting ready for an important weekend of home matches. How important? “A win at home vs the Knights this Saturday will give us a 4 point lead in the conference standings, the win will also instill the confidence needed to solidify our place as the best team in the West,” says skipper Vinny La Porta, “so yes, it’s a huge game, but these are the games we train for, and we are all looking forward to the match.” The Sol still sit in first place, with a one point margin over the Knights. With the tone for the weekend set, the match time 8 PM, under the lights, at Nevers Field – Santa Rosa High School, the Sol will take the field. Will you be there?
“We need the support of the fans this weekend, its such a great feeling playing in front of the soccer supporters of Sonoma County and that feeling translates through the players on the pitch,” says starting right back, Adam Shields. So soccer fans and SCFC loyals, we hope to see you there!

The action kicks off at 5:30 PM with the Sol Women hosting the Claremont Stars. The Sol women are full of steam after a successful trip to Denver, CO that ended in 2 great victories. Unfortunately the 6 points do not count towards their conference play, however this weekend’s match vs the Stars is a great opportunity to carry the recent success over to league play. “We are playing well, and things are coming together, this weekend’s match is a big one, the Stars are a good team, but we are playing confident attractive soccer, and are looking forward to the 3 points” says midfielder and Santa Rosa native Crystal Howard.

To top off this fantastic evening of great soccer, the Sol are hosting their second FREE skills clinic. Registration is at 5:15 PM with Camps Director Vinny La Porta. The clinic will start at 5:30 and run for an hour. “I want to get these kids sweating and learning, and then spill them out into the stadium to cheer on the women’s team during their match. We had a great time in the first clinic, and they will only get better from here on out,” says La Porta.

So come on out soccer fans, Sol loyals and supporters, young aspiring Solitos, parents, families, grandparents, friends and friends’ friends…sorry, no dogs allowed, they sure will be missing out though for this weekend is sure to be a classic event. Great crowd, great fans, great soccer, great fun for families and all. “See you there!”
Saturday June 16th @ Nevers Field : Santa Rosa High School
5:15 PM FREE skills clinic
5:30 PM Sol Women vs Claremont Stars
8 PM Sol Men vs Sacramento Knights

June 4, 2007 Sonoma County Futbol Club SOL Men took undisputed 1st Place in the NPSL Northwest Conference this weekend by tying the Sacramento Knights in Sacramento 1-1, then defeating the Salinas Samba 6-0 at home at Nevers Field, Santa Rosa High School. Against Samba, the SOL’s first two goals were scored by former SSU star Brandon Boone on assists from Santa Rosa United U17 midfielder Arnauldo Salazar. Captain Vinny Laporta contributed a 3rd goal with an assist from Trevor Hurst, former SRU midfielder. In the second half, Hurst then scored 3 goals, with 2 assists from Laporta, and one by defender Andreas Flores, a Petaluma grad. Santa Rosan Salazar also contributed to Hurst’s 2nd half hat trick by making a speedy run down the flank to put in a dramatic cross to Laporta just before the ball crossed the end-line; Laporta, facing Salazar, back-headed the ball to the far post for Hurst to finish and score his 3rd goal. On June 16th, the next league game for either team, the Sacramento Knights comes to Santa Rosa to play the first game of a doubleheader, with the women, who lost this weekend to two strong teams from Southern California, the San Diego Sea Lions, 3-2 and the Ajax American Women of LA, 3-0, taking on Claremont Stars. A win or tie will keep the SOL men in 1st place.

June 1, 2007 This coming weekend, on Saturday night, June 2nd, SOL Men are away to Sac Knights – defending NPSL 2006 Champion - then home to Salinas Samba on Sunday, the 3rd, at 4:00 PM, preceded by the first ever SOL U20 reserve team game, SOL vs. Stanislaus United at 1:00 PM. SOL Men are currently in 2nd place in the western division of NPSL, with a 3-1-1 record. The Knights (3-0-3) are in 1st with 12 points, having played one more game than the SOL. A SOL win will put the SOL men into 1st place. SOL women are away down south to San Diego Sea Lions, which was a National WPSL semifinalist last year on Saturday and on Sunday face Ajax America Women in LA, which won the NPSL Western division and was a national finalist, losing the National WPSL finals to Long Island Fury. Ajax then beat the Sea Lions In PKs for 3rd place nationally. According to their website, “Ajax players have all played top level College soccer with several having played on their countries National teams including the USA, Canada, England, New Zealand and Mexico.” They have recently added 6’ England National team U-21 keeper, Karen Bardsley, who happens to be an American born player. In addition, Ajax recently signed U.S. Women's National Soccer Team star forward Danielle Fotopoulos. SOL Coach Emiria Salzmann will have her hands full for sure, but warning to SoCal teams: last year SOL women finished 9-4-1 in their very tough division, beating every team at least once. Note: Ajax and Sea Lions will play here in Santa Rosa on the July 21-22 weekend.

The following week, June 9th and 10th the SOL women fly to Denver for two games and return here on June 16th to face the Sacramento Pride at 7:30 in a doubleheader that features the men in at 4 Pm against the Sacramento Knights at home. The men are off the weekend of June 9-10. After that, the men only have 3 more home games and the Women, four. So please make plans to see the SOL before playoff time in July.

May 31st, 2007 Director of Summer Camps Vinny La Porta has announced the 1st of hopefully many FREE pre-game skills clinics to be held this Sunday prior to the Men’s home match. The clinic, free to youth soccer players of all ages, will be held behind the bleachers on the grass field next to the Sol’s home stadium at Santa Rosa HS. 2pm till 3pm is the time set for the event, and Vinny La Porta will be there with an hour long session designed for improving individual skill on the ball, and of course, fun! Clinic attendees will receive a free ticket to the following match at 4pm, as well as a photograph with Vinny and other Sol players who will be coaching at the clinic. The photograph is perfect for gathering those much desired autographs, all you have to do is show up! Volunteers will help guide you towards the clinic, and soccer will take it from there…

Pre-Game Skills Clinic:

Questions about the clinics? Want to pre-register for clinics of camps?
Email Vinny @ vinnylap@gmail.com or call him at (530) 902-8964

Winning Weekend for the Sol
May 27, 2007 What was billed as a "Huge weekend of soccer" for Sonoma County Sol, turned out to be exactly that as the Sol men won two games, catapulting them into 1st place in the National Premier Soccer League's Northwest Division. On Saturday, Sol men beat San Jose 3-1, with two goals by Daniel Garcia, former Rancho Cotate HS and SRJC midfielder, and one by former Santa Rosa United and Piner standout Tyler Hurst. In the second game of Sunday's Memorial Day weekend double header, Sol men proved the soccer adage that a 2-0 lead is the most dangerous score in soccer. After taking a 2-0 lead in the first half against the San Diego Pumitas on goals by midfielders Vinny La Porta, Sol Captain, and Trevor Hurst, Tyler's brother, the Sol found themselves in a 2-2 tie late in the second half after giving up two goals to the Pumitas, who were bent on avenging their 6-0 defeat by the Sol in the qualifying rounds of the USASA and Lamar Hunt Open Cup last week. The Sol nevertheless dominated possession most of the game with superb passing and an exciting attack from their 4-3-3 formation. Finally it was substitute Ben Langwith's turn to star as he scored the go-ahead goal with about a minute left in stoppage time. coach Benjamin Ziemer acknowledged that it was frustrating to lose a 2 goal lead, but he was pleased not only with the win, but with his team's character in maintaining their poise to create the chances that kept pressure on the San Diego goal until Langwith scored.

SOL Women gave up two early goals to Sacramento Storm in Saturday’s game, neither by their stars Brandi Chastain, who signed her book, "It's not about the Bra" for fans after the game and Brazilian Sissi. Local Player Ashley Freyer of Windsor High School and Santa Rosa United's U17 2007 State Cup Winning team, the Freeze, pulled one back to put the game within reach. The second half was a tough physical battle, with a bit of uneven refereeing, said Emiria Salzmann, SOL Women's coach, but the SOL still had good chances to bring the score level but were held off by a stiff Storm defense on a damp, cold Santa Rosa night, braved by 300 SOL fans despite the weather. Salzmann was very proud of her mostly young team, staffed mainly with young, local and returning players from Sonoma County, saying that they showed remarkable tenacity in facing such a tough opponent - the Storm have won 3 WPSL titles since 2000 and are always well-staffed with former WUSA players. With Increased poise, Salzmann said she expects her team to be able to beat anyone during the year. However, her current roster is very young and only later will she have her full complement of college players. She cited Freyer's Freeze teamate, defender Tiffany Hurst and Montgomery High midfielder, Elise Britt, who will play for Salzmann's U18 SRU team next year as making outstanding contributions in the game; she also cited Kara Breithaupt for excellent play. Hurst and Britt are both veteran's of NCS Champion Montgomery High School.

On Sunday, the SOL women proved too much for the East Bay Lamorinda Power, winning the game 5-0. First half goals by Jaime Carstensen, former Ursuline star, and Tracy Webster of Analy High were followed by 2nd half goals by Freyer, Amanda Harris and Lindsay Catton. Coach Salzmann again praised the work of Breithaupt, as well the work of Catton and Goalkeeper Megan Mcray.

Between games a Girls Soccer Celebration Parade of Champions honored Sonoma County’s youth soccer players in all divisions, especially the Class IV, recreational division, featuring City Cup.

SOL Women’s Home Opener:
Saturday, May 26th - 7:30 PM
SOL Women vs Sacramento Storm

Sunday Double-header:
SOL Women at 3PM and SOL Men at 6:30PM
Girl’s Soccer Celebration Parade of Champions at 5:15
Santa Rosa High School

May 19th, 2007 San Diego - Despite heavily dominating the majority of the match, the Sonoma Sol went down in the regional Semi-Finals this past Saturday. Temecula, CA was the venue and the Banat Storm, a former NPSL team from Arizona, was the opponent. Sol went down a goal mid way through the first half on a counter attack, but a penalty converted after Vinny La Porta was taken down in the box leveled the score. Another penalty awarded to the Sol after Brandon Boone was clobbered in the box was converted, and the Sol went up 2-0. Majell Aterado and Daniel Garcia converted the PK’s with ease. However, the 2-1 lead would not hold as Banat utilized a 20 mph wind to their advantage and toppled the wind-worn boys in blue. The final score was 4-2 in favor of the Arizona natives, and the Sol’s hopes of a three-peat regional championship were thwarted.

The Sol Men head back to NorCal for two matches this weekend, Sat, May 26th away vs Real San Jose, and Sun, May 27th home vs the San Diego Pumitas. The San Diego Pumitas match is the first of two matches Sunday at Santa Rosa High School as the Sol Women take the field at 3pm vs the East Bay Power, and the Men’s match follows at 6:30pm. Should be a fantastic weekend as the Sol Women’s program kicks off its home opener on Saturday, May 26th, followed by the double header on Sunday.

May 18, 2007 San Diego-Taking the weekend off from NPSL play, the Sol men reached the semi finals of the USASA Regional Qualifying Tournament in San Diego today amid controversy. Sol entered the tournament as the defending champion of both the Regional tourney and the National Open Cup.

On Thursday, Sol struggled in their first game and were downed 3-0 by the Indios of El Paso Texas, a new team in the National Premier Soccer League. While dominating much of the possession, Sol could not buy a goal but defensive miscues led to 3 unanswered scores for the Indios owned by Pachuca.

Sol roared back in the second game, demolishing SudaCa FC of southern California 6-0.

On Friday, a tougher test was presented by the San Diego Pumitas of the NPSL. Sol rose to the occasion with what coach Benjamin Ziemer called “35 minutes of exquisite soccer.” David Briceno uncorked a hat trick and Brandon Boone added a pair in what ultimately ended up in a 6-0 shellacking of the Cal South team.

Still, the clunker game against the Indios put Sol behind Southern California Fusion of the other bracket on goal differential. But this issue ended up being resolved by the officials when it came to Sol’s attention that an illegal player had participated on the Fusion team in a game against Hollywood FC. A protest by Sol pushed the issue and after repeated conferences with officials, was ultimately upheld. Thus the goals scored by Fusion in the protested game were disallowed and Sol qualified for the semi final game on Saturday against the Banat team of Phoenix.

The other teams in the semifinals are the Arizona Sahuaros (who Sol defeated in the 2006 tournament championship game) and the Indios. The winners of the semi final games will meet on Sunday. The Champion will go on to the National Open Tournament and meet the winners from the three other Regions in the US. The top two teams from the tournament qualify for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

May 11, 2007 The Sol men's team will open their 2007 National Premier Soccer League season at home this coming Saturday, May 12th against the new Santa Cruz Breakers team at Santa Rosa High School's Ernie Nevers Field. This is Sol's fourth year of operation. Opening day ceremonies, including a "Soccer Celebration Parade of Champions" will start at 6:30 while game kickoff is set for 7:30. The "Soccer Celebration Parade of Champions" will be led by the 2006 Sol National Open Cup Champions and their coach Dave Shaffer. Over 23 boys youth soccer teams from the Santa Rosa area will follow, recognizing their success at City and State Cup.

The Player pool for the Sol this season is strong. Training sessions are intense as players are battling with their teammates for starting positions within match day’s top 11. Players returning for the men’s team include captains CJ Sigler who is back from ankle injury and Vinny La Porta (2006 NPSL West All-Star). Other returning players include forwards Brandon Boone, Trevor Hurst, David Briceno, Michael Briceno and Moises Medrano, midfielders Tyler Hurst, Miguel Santoyo, Andres Flores, and Daniel Garcia, defenders Adam Shields, Kyle Beattie, Jeff Russell and Kellen Ganiko, and goalkepper Matt Brabetz. Newcomer and 2007 co-captain Brett Cook is a major off season addition to the squad this year, look for him in the central defense, and in the midfield.

Sol comes into the game with a 1-0 record, defeating the Salinas Samba on the road last week by a score of 3-1.

May 5, 2007 Sol began its season on the road with a 3 to 1 win against the Salinas Samba on Saturday. On a poor field and with windy conditions, Salinas opened the scoring early in the first half with counter attack. With a bunkered down defense, Samba held Sol at bay during the remainder of the first half. Patience paid off for Sol when a break down in the Samba defense resulted in a goal by Brandon Boone early in the second half. This broke open the Samba defense and David Briceno scored two more goals to seal the win for Sol.

Sol opens its home season next Saturday, May 12, when they will face the Santa Cruz Breakers, a new team in the NPSL