Sonoma
County Sol 2006
Year in Review
Sonoma County Sol completed its third
year of providing elite amateur soccer to North Bay fans of the sport. At
the end of the season, it is time to reflect on the accomplishments of the
last year that are the result of the hard work of the players, coaches and
volunteers that contributed to a successful year.
Women’s
Team Started
Fulfilling the vision that has always
been the intent of the founders of the Sonoma County Futbol Club, the Sol
fielded its first women’s team in 2006. First year head coach Emiria
Salzmann worked feverishly to organize and recruit an outstanding team from
the large pool of standout local and college players to compete in the 37
team Women’s Premier Soccer League rated the second best women’s soccer
league in the world. Sol amassed a 9-4-1 record and was defeated only once
at home, good enough for a fourth place finish in the Western Conference,
defeating every team except one at least once in the process
Men
Win National Amateur Championship Tournament
and Reach Second Round of Open Cup
The men’s team started out with a bang,
winning the Pacific Division Championship in the semi-professional
international indoor league known as Premier Arena Soccer League.
In outdoor soccer, the men’s team,
under the direction of head coach Dave Shaffer, finished third with an
11-8-1 record in the highly competitive Northwest Division of the National
Premier Soccer League. In Cup play, the men’s team again won the USASA
Regional Tournament, held this year in Seattle, propelling them into the
Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and the USASA National Open Championship Tournament
in Frisco, Texas.
In the Lamar Hunt Open Cup, (the oldest
soccer tournament in the U.S. which allows amateur sides to compete against
the best professional teams) Sol defeated the Ogden Outlaws of the Premier
Development League 1-1 on penalty kicks in the first round. The win
qualified Sol to travel to Charleston to play the United Soccer League First
Division Charleston Battery, losing 1-0 in a closely fought game against the
professional side in the second round. Sol was the highest placing team from
the National Premier Soccer League.
A major highlight of the season was the
USASA National Open Cup Tournament in Frisco, Texas, where the four
champions from the regional tournaments faced off. Sol defeated the FC Roma
of Dallas, Texas in the semi final by a score of 3-2. Roma was a quality
opponent that had previously defeated Chivas USA of Major League Soccer 0-0
on penalty kicks. Sol went on to defeat the Chicago Lightning 1-0 in the
National Cup final.
In 2006, Sol continued to provide
quality, elite level soccer for our fans and a place for local High School,
SRJC, SSU and other college players to develop and continue their soccer
careers while promoting the world’s most popular sport in our own community.
At least five SOL players in 2006 will play professionally in 2007.
Aug 4, 2006 Frisco, Texas
The Sonoma Sol men's team defeated the FC
Roma of Dallas Texas today in the USASA
National Cup Semi Final by a score of 3-2 in
double overtime. The win qualifies Sol to
play in the National Cup Final tomorrow at
8:30 am (Central Time) against Lightning of
Chicago. Chicago won their semifinal game
against Milford International of
Connecticut.
Sol did this the hard way. Since the
date of the tournament falls well after the end of NPSL play, many regular Sol players
have returned to college teams or other
obligations. Consequently, Sol traveled with
14 healthy players.
The scoring was a back and forth affair. FC
Roma started the scoring.
Michael Briceno
responded, scoring a late
goal and regulation ending with the score
1-1. A late foul against
Trevor Hurst in
the penalty area should have resulted in a
penalty kick but the referee swallowed his
whistle.
Roma opened the scoring in double overtime.
Thereafter,
David Briceno caught fire,
scoring two goals including one very late to
win the game and propel the team into the
final.
Roma is a quality opponent. Recently, in US
Open Cup play they defeated Chivas
USA of the MLS in penalty kicks after a 0-0
tie. This was the first time that an
MLS team has been defeated by an amateur
team in US Open Cup history.
The National Cup Competition is the oldest
and most prestigious soccer tournament in
the United States for any team playing in a
league of four or more teams affiliated with
the United States Soccer Federation and the
United States Amateur Soccer Association.
The competition began in 1914 for the Men's
Open Cup. In 1923, the Men's Amateur Cup was
added, In 1980 the Women's Amateur and Over
30 Cups were begun.
Each year, some 250
teams, playing in 8 divisions, participate
in the National Cup Competition.
Sol Downed by Battery 1-0 in Open Cup
June 28, 2006
The Sonoma County Sol lost a close game
against the Charleston Battery of the
professional USL First Division by a
score of 1-0 today in South Carolina in
the 2nd round of the Lamar Hunt U.S.
Open Cup. The game was played at
Blackbud Stadium in front of a crowd of
1300 people.
Sol started out
strongly with several threatening runs
by
Michael Briceno, playing at left
outside midfielder. Briceno also struck
a strong free kick which sailed just
over the bar early in the game. First
half play was even with each team having
chances, although Sol goalkeeper
Derek Shaffer was seriously tested
more frequently than Battery net minder
Keith Wiggan and much of the game was
played just over the half line in Sol
territory.
In the second half,
the Battery asserted more control over
the tempo and rhythm of the game.
The goal was scored in the 49th minute
by Battery midfielder Ben Hollingsworth
off a corner kick played by Troy Lesene.
Sol was required to defend more by
clearing with long balls out of the
back. This pattern remained until
stoppage time when a mad scramble in
front of the Battery goal resulted in
Sol's best chance. Quincy Amerikwa made
a strong run and pass to forward
David Briceno who got a shot off a
close in shot. Unfortunately, Wiggan
made the save and the Chaleston
defenders were able to clear the ball.
Shots were about
even with 12 for Sol and 11 for
Battery although many of the shots
from both teams were from distance.
Sol keeper Derek Shaffer made 5
saves including some of high
pressure, while Charleston's Wiggan
made 4.
Sol returns to Santa Rosa for their
final home regular season game of
the year Friday, June 30th at 7:30
against the Redwood City Ruckus. Sol
then goes on the road for games
against Redwood City and finally,
Salinas. Sol is in a 3 way race for
the two Divisional playoff positions
with the Sacramento Knights and the
San Jose Frogs.
Men
Lose at Home and Win on the Road in
Split
with San Jose
June 26, 2006 The Sol men’s team
didn’t change much in the two games with
the league leading San Jose Frogs.
Saturday, Sol dropped a 2-0 decision
against the San Jose team. In the first
half, Sol and the Frogs played a fairly
even game with only a few quality
chances. Early in the game,
David Briceno had a quality
opportunity getting behind the defense
but shot high.
Chris Daly banged a beautiful
looping shot from the midfield off the
upright on left side of goal for the
best chance Sol had in the first half.
The Sol defense did an outstanding job
of swallowing up the quick forwards of
San Jose. Michael Briceno was
particularly effective in controlling
the best that the Frogs had to offer.
In the 61st minute, Daly had a ball
stolen from him in the backfield by
midfielder Dan Oka who scored on
Derek Shaffer. Eight minutes later,
there was a breakdown in the Sol defense
and a Frog forward was again able to
score. There was some additional
confusion in the Sol defense which
resulted in a San Jose getting off a
couple of shots that were stopped by
Shaffer.
But in the end, the Sol offense was not
able to generate any goals and the Frogs
went on to win 2-0.
Michael Briceno was the man of the
match for Sol.
The teams were tied 10-10 in shots taken
while Shaffer made 4 saves and his
counterpart for San Jose made 3.
On Sunday, 13 players made the trip to
play San Jose in the second their second
game of the weekend series. Sol got its
revenge for the defeat at home the prior
evening with goals scored by
Miguel Santoyo, Chris Daly
and Michael Briceno.
Kyle Beattie was notable in defense
for Sol in the game on Sunday. Derek
Shaffer got his 6th shutout of the
season, aggregating an eye popping .63
goals against average.
As a result, Sol ended the weekend 10-6
and tied with Sacramento for second
place in the NPSL Western Conference
with a shot at the playoffs.
Next, the Sol travel to Charleston,
South Carolina for the second round of
the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on
Wednesday, June 28th. Sol is the last
NPSL team in the competition and is
competing for the $10,000 prize awarded
to the amateur team that goes deepest
into the tournament. The game will be
Webcast starting at 4:30
Wednesday afternoon:
Charleston, currently ranked 8th in the
professional USL First Division with a
4-3-3 record, represents the highest
rated league that Sol has every played
against. A victory over the Battery
will send Sol to Portland to play the
USL First Division Timbers on July
12th.
Friday night, June 30, Sol returns
home to face the resurging Redwood City
Ruckus who defeated the Salinas Samba
15-2 over the weekend. This will be the
final regular season home game for the
Sol and will be played at Nevers Field
at 7:30.
Sol 1-0 Over Rooks
June 16, 2006 A goal by
Brandon Boone in the 87th minute gave
Sol the win tonight against the Chico
Rooks.
Shaffer Save in PK’s
Propels Sol Past Ogden in to Win
U.S. Open Cup 1st Round
June 15, 2006 It took the
Sol men’s team 120 minutes and a great
save in PK’s by keeper Derek Shaffer to
defeat the Ogden Outlaws of the Premier
Development League in Lamar Hunt U.S
Open Cup action at Nevers Field in Santa
Rosa.
Sol and the Outlaws squared off on
Wednesday under cloudy skies before an
enthusiastic crowd. First half action
was about equal with both teams
possessing the ball and manufacturing
many chances. Derek Shaffer came up big
for Sol several times in the first
half. While there was plenty of action,
the teams went into the locker room tied
0-0 at half time.
Sol didn’t take long to open things up
in the second half. In the 48th minute,
Michael Briceno, playing at outside
midfield passed a beautiful ball across
the front of the Outlaw defense to a
wide open Quincy Amarikwa, the UC Davis
sensation that recently joined Sol.
Amarikwa easily blasted the ball into
the back of the net.
The Outlaws answered in the 55th minute
when Noah Sharpsteen received a pass
from the midfield close in to the Sol
goal and smoked it into the goal passed
Derek Shaffer.
The remainder of the game was a midfield
scrum with very few dangerous chances
for either team.
As the game needed a winner to determine
who goes on in the tournament, two 15
minute overtime periods were played.
However, as often happens in overtime,
the teams played less wide open in order
to not expose themselves to counter
attack.
With no score in overtime, penalty kicks
were required to settle it. The first
kicker for the Outlaws missed his shot
wide left. Sol made no mistakes until
Amarikwa, who had a great game, took a
poor shot that was saved by Outlaw
keeper Mike Haynes. The first five
ended 4-4 and it was on to sudden
death.
Finally, Derek Shaffer, who had been
guessing the correct direction of the
Outlaws shooters most of the time, saved
the second sudden death shot while
Andrew Bailey and Dan Campbell made both
of theirs. The result was a 6-5 PK
victory.
The win qualifies Sol to travel to South
Carolina to face the Charleston Battery
of the professional United Soccer
Leagues First Division for a second
round game June 28th. A victory there
will send Sol on to meet the Portland
Timbers, also of USL 1st Division.
The Sol men (8-5-0) return to National
Premier Soccer League action on Friday
at 7:30 with a game against the fourth
place Chico Rooks (5-4-4) at Ernie
Nevers Field in Santa Rosa.. Sol is
fighting to keep one of the two top
spots in the conference in order to
qualify for the NPSL playoffs.
Lamar
Hunt U.S. Open Cup
June 4, 2006 Wednesday, June 14, Sol
will host the first round of the
U.S. Open Cup against the Ogden (Utah)
Outlaws of the Premier Development League (PDL).
The game will kick off at Nevers Field at 8
PM. The prestigious U.S. Open Cup allows
teams from all levels of American soccer,
amateur, USL and MLS, to compete.
Open cup games are not covered by season
tickets.
Men Down
First Place
Sacramento Knights 2-0
June 4, 2006 After three previous
loses to the first place Sacramento Knights,
it was time for the Sol men to get serious
about playing at Ernie Nevers last
Saturday. In what fans called their best
game of the season, the guys really got it
done. All phases of the game were working
including solid and well organized
defending, mistake free goalkeeping, hustle
and control in the midfield and danger from
the strikers.
The game was played most of the time in the
Sacramento half of the field. New phenom
Quincy Amarikwa, in his first year at UC
Davis, constantly dazzled the crowd and
Knights defense with outstanding dribbling
up the left side.
Tyler
and
Trevor Hurst and
Chris Daly were challenging and winning
balls and moving the ball from side to
side. The midfield was well served by
substitutes Erik Larson,
Andrew Bailey and
Daniel
Garcia as both goals scored came from
the midfield. The defense did not let
goalkeeper
Derek Shaffer to be bothered too much,
but when he was, he came up big with 3 saves
on the night.
By contrast, Knights goalkeeper Mark
Torguson was credited with 5 saves, although
his activity level was much higher than his
Sol counter part. He was in constant danger
and came up with some outstanding plays to
keep the game close.
Sol scored its first goal in the 71st minute
on a scramble for a loose ball in front of
the Sacramento net that was punched in by
Larson off the pass from
Tony Bussard.
The second Sol goal came in injury time when
Daniel Garcia bent a net busting goal into
the far upper corner of the net in an
unassisted shot from outside the penalty
area. Sonoma out shot the Knights 14-9.
The consensus of the observers was this was
the best game of the year for the men. The
win leaves Sol 7-5-0 in the NPSL and tied
for first place with the Knights for the
moment but with additional games to be
played by other teams.
The defense and midfield did a great job of
keeping the game in front of the Sacramento
net. For his troubles, central defender
Vinnie Laporta
was named the D & S
Player of the Game.
Sanchez Last Minute Goal Propels
Sol Men Into U.S. National Cup
Additional Men's Home Game Added
Friday May 26th
Against Redwood City Ruckus
May 22, 2006 An 88th minute goal by goalkeeper Beto Sanchez was
the difference between Sol and the Arizona Suhuaros in the Regional
Qualifying Tournament Championship game Sunday in Seattle. Sanchez,
inserted late in the game, scored on a diving header from a cross served
up by forward Trevor Hurst to win the game.
Earlier in the second half, midfielder Miguel Santoyo converted a
penalty kick which was awarded after Trevor Hurst was dropped after
beating the Arizona goalkeeper in the penalty area. Arizona evened
the score later in the second half, leading to Sanchez late game
heroics.
Sol was coached by Sol General Manager Laurie Hurst as head coach Dave
Shaffer was serving a suspension from a previous red card. Hurst late
game substitution of Sanchez proved brilliant in achieving victory in
the tournament.
The win qualified for Sol for the next round of the Lama Hunt U.S. Open
Cup. By winning the tournament Sol will represent the western region
against three other regional champions in the U.S. National Cup to be
held in Frisco, Texas the weekend of August4-6th.
The success at this tournament duplicates the achievement of the 2005
Sol team
The men next play at home Friday May 26, at 7:30 p.m. in a game that has
been added to the schedule. Redwood City Ruckus will travel to Ernie
Nevers Field to play what should be a home game for the Ruckus who was
unable to secure a field for the game. Sol season tickets will be
honored for the extra game.
Men's Team Wins in Seattle
Sends Sol on in Open Cup
May 21, 2006 Seattle Sol beat the Arizona Suhauros Sunday to win the
regional tournament. On Saturday, Sol played to a 0-0 draw against
the Chico Rooks in the Lamar Hunt Regional Qualifying Tournament, assuring
them of making it to the next round. With this, plus an 8-0 thumping of the
Suda Ca of San Diego, where new Sol forward Quincy scored 4 goals,
Sol won their bracket by goal differential and qualified to play in
the Tournament Championship game against the Arizona Suhauros today.
Sol's win on Sunday duplicates the success last year when they won this
tournament in Sacramento. Winning the championship game also sends Sol to
Frisco Texas for the U.S. National Cup to be held later in the summer
Sol Men Qualify for Open Cup
Saturday Home Game Postponed
May 17, 2006 The Sol men's
team has qualified for the U.S. Open Cup Regional Tournament
in Seattle which will take place this coming weekend, May 20
and 21st. Consequently, the men's game, which was
to take place at 7 PM on Saturday May 20th against the
Chico Rooks, has been postponed and will be rescheduled.
The women's team was scheduled to play at
5 PM on Saturday in a double header with the men. In
order to accommodate Comcast broadcasting of this game, the
Sol women will play at 7 PM Saturday.
Men Split Games
with San Jose,
Head to Open Cup
The men's team played two games against NPSL
newcomers the San Jose Frogs.
Friday Game: Frogs 1, Sol 0
Sol opened their series with the Frogs at home
Friday night. Sol was playing with several starters
either injured or unable to play due to penalties.
Among the missing was
CJ Sigler,
Tony Bussard,
Chris
Daly and
Trevor Hurst. Sol did welcome the return
of outstanding 2005 defender
Steve Purdy and his Cal
teammate Luke Sassano for the game. With Sol getting
off to a slow start, the Frogs tended to dominate
play in the first half of the game. Goalie
Jesus
Molina had to make several excellent stops to keep
Sol in the game.
Finally, Molina made an errant goal kick which went
directly to one of San Jose's front runners who
pushed it right back into the Sol net for the game's
only goal.
In spite of the loss, Sol played with more energy
and organization in the second half, but it was
apparent that with the loss of several key
personnel, the team was not clicking as usual.
Saturday Game: Sol 2, Frogs 1
Sol was able to sort it out and play better when
they traveled to San Jose the following day.
Determined to better their performance, Sol was also
bolstered by several newly arrived college players
from UC Davis including standout goalkeeper
Derek
Shaffer.
Sol scored a goal each by
Moises Medrano and Cody
Ericson, which was enough to seal the win.
Battle in Seattle
For the second year in a row, the men will go to the
U.S. Open Cup Regional Qualifying Tournament, this
year to be held in Seattle, Washington on the
weekend of May 20-21. Sol won this tournament last
year. Because of the scheduling conflict created by
qualification for the Open Cup tournament, the NPSL
game against the Chico Rooks, scheduled for this
Saturday, will be rescheduled.
Sol Men Play San Jose Home and
Away
this Weekend
May 10, 2006
The Sol men return to Ernie Nevers Field on Friday night to face
National Premier Soccer League newcomer San Jose Frogs at 7:30
p.m. The Frogs are currently in second place in the NPSL
Northwest Conference with a 4-2-1 record. Sol trails by a point
in third place with at 4-3. With a somewhat erratic record, San
Jose could prove a challenge for Sol as they have split with the
Sacramento Knights defeating them 5-2 in one game and losing
2-1 in another. Sol has been unable to defeat Sacramento this
year in 3 outings. The Frogs have also tied with Chico and
lost to the Salinas Samba,. giving that team their only win of
the young season.
Following the game on Friday, Sol heads south
to play San Jose on their home field on Saturday. San Jose
features several former Salinas Samba players that gave Sol
a hard time in the 2005 season. Also, several San Jose State
Division I players have signed with the Frogs.
Sol Men Downed By
Sacramento 5-2
May 7, 2006 While the women triumphed in Chico the men
struggled against the the Sacramento Knights Saturday night. The men
were defeated 5-2 in a chaotic game that resulted in four Sol
ejections and abandonment of the game in the 82nd minute.
Sol Downs Chico 1-0
May 5, 2006 Sonoma Sol defeated the Chico
Rooks tonight, 1-0 in an evenly played National Premier Soccer League
game played in Chico. Sol's lone goal came in the 89th minute on a free
kick from defender Adam Shields who took the shot from 20 yards out.
Keeper Jesus Molina earned the shutout in his first league game in the
goal for Sol and is credited with several outstanding plays.
The win solidifies Sol's qualification for one
of two top spots from the National Premier Soccer League's Northwestern
Division to the Lamar Hunt Open Cup Regional Tournament to be held in
Seattle, later this summer.
Sol continues its road trip, playing the Sacramento
Knights Saturday night in Sacramento. This will be the 3rd meeting of
the two teams this year. Sacramento is 2-0 against Sol going into this
game and is the only team to defeat Sol this year.
Sol-Knights Rivalry Resumes Again This
Friday
April 26, 2006 Sol and the
Knights tangle again this coming Friday at 7 pm on Ernie Nevers Field in
Santa Rosa. At stake are the two top positions that qualify for the U.S.
Open Cup Regional Tournament to be played in Seattle in June. Sol
currently leads the conference with 9 points and a record of 3 wins and 1
loss. The Knights and the Chico Rooks are tied for 2nd with 7
points off 2 wins and 1 tie each. Both teams have played one less game
than Sol.
Sol Men
Suffers First Loss to Knights on Sunday
April 24, 2006 An exhausted Sol
men’s team faded in the second half of their National Premier Soccer League
game against the Sacramento Knights suffering a 4-2 defeat. Their first
road trip of the season began on an up note with a 2-0 win in Salinas
against the Samba Saturday night. Traveling the next day to Sacramento, Sol
put up a strong first half depositing two goals in the back of the net from
Tony Bussard and Tyler Hurst. Sol went into the locker room ahead 2-1.
In the second half, Sacramento came out
strong and scored two quick goals within 5 minutes to put the Knights up
3-2. Former Sol standout forward David Briceno scored the goal that turned
out to be the winner. The Knights added an insurance goal late in the
game.
Coach Dave Shaffer said that fatigue
played a factor as Sol had to survive 180 tough minutes of soccer on the
road, while the Knights were fresh and at home with no game the prior day.
While disappointed with the loss, Shaffer seemed satisfied returning off the
tough road trip 1 and 1.
Sol Men 3-0 After Win in Salinas
April 23, 2006 A first
half goal in the 20th minute by
Tony Bussard
proved the game winner as Sol defeated Samba in Salinas Saturday 2-0.
A free kick taken by Adam Shields
bounced off the Samba keeper and was finished by Bussard. Shields had
his second assist of the night in the second half when his long throw was
put in the net by CJ
Sigler. Both teams had numerous opportunities to score, including a PK
attempt by Samba that went off the post. The Sol men play the
Sacramento Knights at 3:00 p.m. today in Sacramento.
Bussard Draws a Deuce
as Sol Downs Ruckus Saturday
April 17, 2006 Santa
Rosa-Sonoma County Sol welcomed Redwood City Ruckus to the National Premier
Soccer League the hard way on Saturday night, administering a 2-0 defeat
Ruckus, playing only its second game in the NPSL, got a full dose of Sol
forward Tony Bussard
who scored both of the goals in the onslaught. The Sol defense played well
enough to give goalie
Beto Sanchez his first shout of the season.
The scoring opened in the 35th minute
when a hard charging run up the middle by midfielder
Miguel Santoyo who
drew the Ruckus defense as he played a beautiful pass out to his left to the
unmarked Bussard. Bussard beat the keeper with a clinical finish. Bussard
completed the scoring in the 60th minute when substitute forward
Mark Cipolla made a strong run up
the right side, played the ball to Bussard who made a beautiful chip over
the hard charging goal keeper. Ruckus defenders made a valiant attempt to
clear the agonizingly high, slow ball sailing toward the goal. In the end,
however, the two defenders ended up merely picking themselves out of the net
like tuna on a bad day.
Sol is still in early season form as 5
new players were inserted into the starting lineup. More change will occur
after the 1st week in May when Division I college players and
Sonoma State team members will have completed their spring seasons and can
join the team
Sol and Ruckus were each credited with
9 shots. Sol shot 4 on goal while Sanchez is credited with saving 5 shots on
goal.
Sol’s next two games are on the road,
Saturday in Salinas and Sunday against the Sacramento Knights. The game
against the Knights will be particularly interesting as Sol will face former
teammates David and Michael Briceno, now playing for the River City squad.
Sol Downs Samba 2-1
in Wet Season Opener
April
7, 2006 Santa Rosa-Sonoma County
Sol Men opened the 2006 season with a 2-1 victory over the Salinas
Valley Samba in what alternated between soccer and water polo. A hardy
band of 100 fans braved the elements to greet the new team at Ernie
Nevers Field Friday night.
Santa Rosa
scored first early in the game when newcomer
Moises Medrano struck after a
Daniel Garcia corner kick was misplayed by Samba goalkeeper
Christian Materazzi. The result was the ball dropping to Medrano who hit
it from the top of the box and in for the goal.
Samba
responded in the second half when forward Ronnie Silva exploited a gap
in the Sol defense for an unassisted breakaway goal. Sol waited until
late in the game to reply, when forward
Travis Britt
scored off the header just moments after being inserted into the game.
The play started with
Carlos Barrajas
making an outstanding run down the right side and crossing the ball to
CJ Sigler who
redirected to Britt’s head for the game winner.
Sol seemed to have the better of the run of play and possession
during the entire game. Sol took 10 shots to 5 for Samba. Sol keeper
Beto Sanchez
made 4 saves of shots on goal, while Materazzi is not credited with
any. The wet surface changed the game with the ball skidding further
than usual.
Midfielders Daniel Garcia and
Andres Flores
were particularly impressive in the domination of the midfield and, of
course, CJ Sigler (left) continued to come up big on defense, matching his
physical stature.
Tyler Hurst
received a concussion in a head to head encounter that sent him out of
the game.
The game was marred by 7 yellow
cards and 1 red card with Sol earning 3 of los amarillos. The red card
was issued late in the game when Samba Ivan Campos took Sol defender
Vinne La Porta down from behind with a nasty slide tackle.
Sol next meets the Redwood City
Ruckus, coached by former MLS standout Tim Martin. Ruckus is one of two
new teams in the Northwest Conference of the National Premier Soccer
League. Ruckus is anticipated to bring a strong roster which has
developed under a club system in the area. Ruckus is also rumored to
have a strong group of college players available after the Spring NCAA
season is over in early May including last year’s Sol NPSL All Star
Steve Purdy.
Sol Men Set to
Kickoff
Season Opener at Home April 7
Youth Soccer Players in
Team Jerseys Admitted Free
The Sol Men kick off their 3rd
season on Friday April 7th at 7:30 with a game against Salinas Samba.
Samba, a thorn in Sol's side throughout the history of both teams,
promises to once again bring an exciting and challenging game to Ernie
Nevers Field at Santa Rosa High School.
The Sol Men are coming off an
extremely successful second season in 2005. Sol won the Western
Division Championship of the NPSL and USASA Region IV Championship, The
undefeated Midwest Division Champion Detroit Arsenal finally beat Sol in
overtime, 1-0, in the National Premier Soccer League championship game
in Santa Rosa in a closely contested game that featured several early
missed goal scoring opportunities for Sol and exciting defense and
goalkeeping by both teams.
The Sol Men took time off from
outdoor play but kept winning with the indoor team which took the
Pacific Division Regional Championship of the Premier Arena Soccer
League during the winter.
Coach Dave Shaffer has picked a
team that features a core of returning players and some exciting new
talent. Here is a review of the players on the Sol Men's roster for
2006:
Goalkeepers
Coach Dave Shaffer has signed four goalkeepers to date. Beto
Sanchez, a SRJC alum and member of the six- time State Cup Champion
Santa Rosa United Heat returns. In addition, newcomers include indoor
starter Jesus Molina and Matt Brabetz who will compete for playing
time. Derek Shaffer, who alternated games with Eric Kronberg in 2005,
is expected to return when the college spring season has concluded.
Kronberg, a 2005 NPSL All Star, is now playing with the Kansas City
Wizards.
Defenders
Returnees include 2005 NPSL All Star central defender CJ Sigler, solid
Tyler Hurst, and the tough but skilled Andres Flores. They will be
joined by San Francisco State alum Kyle Beattie and brothers Adam and
Marcus Shields from Santa Rosa Junior College. Adam is a 2005 JC All
American and Marcus played on the State Championship SRJC team.
Midfielders
2006 sees the return of Chris Daly of the D-2 2002 National Championship
SSU squad, as well as former Mexican pro Carlos Barrajas and teenage
sensation Miguel Santoyo. Joining last year's class are Gustavo Reyes
and Daniel Garcia.
Forwards
Back for more are hardworking Brandon Boone and 2005 NPSL All Star Tony
Bussard, both of SSU 2002 National Championship team, and the skillful
Trevor Hurst. Joining them are bulldog Travis Britt and Moises Medrano
of SRJC, SSU alum Brandon Parker and Mark Cipolla.
Sol will host 10 home NPSL games
this season starting on Friday, April 7th. The home opener will be
broadcast over Comcast Cable. Four other Men's or Women's Sol games
will also be broadcast by Comcast.
Ticket prices
|
|
Single Game |
Season Pass |
|
Adult |
$7 |
$50 |
|
Student/Teens (13-18) |
$5 |
$35 |
|
Children (6-12)
|
$3 |
$25 |
|
Children 5 and under are
admitted free |
Players in youth soccer clubs will
be admitted to the first game free of charge if they wear their team
soccer jersey.
Season passes allow admission to a
total of 17 home Sol games, 10 Men’s and 7 Women games. This is a
particularly good value for the avid soccer fan.
The Family Package Season Pass
allows 2 adults and up to 3 children season passes for a low price of
$150. More ticket information. More Ticket
Information
Sol
Indoor Team Downs Chico 10-6,
Qualifies for National Tournament
March 4, 2006 Behind a strong performance by goalkeeper Jesus
Molina, a standing room only crowd of 250 saw the Sol Men's Indoor team
down Justin Selander and the Chico Big Foot in a PASL playoff showdown
at Sports City. With the win, Sol qualifies to play in the PASL
National Tournament on March 17 and 18.
Chico started the scoring when Justin Selander and a teammate caught the
Sol defense napping in the first moments of the game. With Sol's defense
pushed up, a 2 on 1 situation was created which Selander finished with
ease. Sol answered with a left footed power shot by Michael Briceno and
sprinted into the lead with an amazing back heel volley shot from Miguel
Santoyo. Chico answered back and the 1st quarter ended tied 2-2.
The second quarter was all Sol starting with goals by Daniel Garcia
assisted by Trevor Hurst, Miguel Santoyo and David Briceno off the pass
form Tony Bussard. Going into half time, Sol was up 5-2.
The third quarter saw Chico score twice while Sol was held to a penalty
kick taken by Michael Briceno which resulted from a foul on Santoyo. Score:
6-4 at the end of three quarters.
In the final period, Selander scored his third goal and Chico scored
another, However, goals by Tony Bussard (D Briceno assist) and Dan
Garcia (Trevor Hurst assist) kept Sol ahead. Trevor Hurst topped off
the evening by welcoming a substitute goalie for Chico to the game with
two 1 vs 1 situations that resulted in two goals. Sol finished its
final home game with the score Sol 10, Chico 6.
While Chico held the Sol scoring down slightly from their February 26th
13-12 win at Chico, keeper Jesus Molina and the Sol defense did an
outstanding job of keeping Selander to 3 goals and reducing Chico's
total goal output to half of their previous score. Molina made several
acrobatic saves that kept Sol in the game with the hard shooting Big
Foot team.
The win qualifies Sol to compete in the PASL National Championship
Tournament March 17 and 18. The top 8 teams from all over the United
States and part of Mexico will compete in a round robin tournament in
two locations (Chico and Sacramento). The two winners on the 17th
will play the for the Championship in Stockton on March 18th.
Sol Wins Indoor Soccer Division
Championship in Nail Biter
February 26. 2006 Sonoma Sol
defeated the Big Foot Team in Chico Saturday night to win the indoor
crown of the Pacific Division-Premier Adult Soccer League by a score of
13-12. In keeping with the Mardi Gras time of year, the game featured an
orgy of goals by both teams, with Sol forward
Trevor Hurst
feasting on the Chico defense for 6 tallies in the game. Former Santa
Rosan Justin Selander, playing for Chico, returned the favor with 6
goals of his own.
Sol went up on Chico 4-0 in the first quarter of play and was never
behind during the entire game. At the half, Chico slightly narrowed the
deficit to 4-1. The scoring took off for both teams in the second half.
Selander scored often off free kicks and his ability to get the hard
shot off quickly. Hurst used his superb 1 on 1 skills to blow by the
defense, with numerous assists from teammate Miguel
Santoyo.
Michael Briceno scored with a net busting goal from outside. Other
scorers for Sol:
David Briceno (1),
Tony Bussard
(2), Tyler Hurst
(2) and new Sol member Marcus Shields (1)
The game ended thrilling fashion in the last 18 seconds when with Sol up
12-11, Hurst stole the ball from the Chico goal keeper who had come out
with the ball at his feet. Hurst stopped to kill a bit of time as the
keeper had given up on recovering the ball and finally put the ball away
for the 13th goal. Chico immediate came back and scored in the 12th
second and was threatening again at 2 seconds when Sol goalkeeper Jesus
Molina came up with a big save to preserve the win.
With the win, Sol qualifies to enter the PASL National Playoffs which
start with another game against Chico next week here in Santa Rosa. The
day and time will be announced. The winner of that game enters an eight
team tournament that is played on Friday, March 17 with four teams
each in Chico and Sacramento. The two winners that emerge from
the March 17th games play for the National Championship in Stockton on
March 18th.
Men's Exhibition Schedule Released
February 13, 2006 Sol men will play their first
exhibition game on March 7th at 8:00 at Lucchesi Park in Petaluma. Sol will
play Art MacMurroughs from Santa Rosa.
More.
Jan 29, 2006 Sol indoor team defeated Salinas Samba 15-4 on
Saturday Jan 28 at
Sports City.
Former Sol Keeper Eric Kronberg
Drafted
by MLS Kansas City Wizards
Jan 20, 2006 Former Sonoma County Sol
goalkeeper
Eric Kronberg was drafted in the
2006 Major League Soccer (MLS) Superdraft today by the Kansas City Wizards.
His selection came in
the
fourth round and he was one of only three goalkeepers among the 48 players
chosen. Wizards coach Bob Gansler said of the 6'5" keeper "Just his
physical presence scares the you-know-what out of you. We got him to get
the competitive juices flowing between him and Bo (Oshoniyi) and Will (Hesmer).
I thought at the Combine, he was the most impressive goalkeeper there."
Kronberg, 22, who played his last two years at Cal, was born and raised in
Santa Rosa. He graduated from Montgomery High School in 2001 and played his
early collegiate years at Fresno State before transferring to Cal. As a
youth, he played with the Annadel and Santa Rosa United clubs of the Santa
Rosa Youth Soccer League. He also played for four years on the Cal North
State Team and two years on the Region IV team of the Olympic Development
Program.
Kronberg played for the Sonoma County Sol of the
National Premier Soccer League for the last two years and was a 2005 NPSL
All Star. He joins former Sol teammate and 2004 All Star Troy Roberts in
Major League Soccer. Roberts, who also attended Cal, was picked in the
first round of the 2005 Superdraft by the Los Angeles Galaxy where he
enjoyed a very successful first season.
The Wizards will report for physicals on Tuesday,
January 31st and begin preseason training on Wednesday, February 1st. The
2006 MLS regular season will kickoff on Saturday, April 1st.
Men's Tryout Dates
January 7, 2006 The open tryout for the Sol men's team will be
on January 25 at 8:00 PM at Lucchesi Park in Petaluma. The second
tryout, for returning players and by invitation will be held on February
1st, at 8:00 PM at Lucchesi. There is $10.00 fee for all those trying
out.
Bussard Hat Trick Leads Sol Past CV
Exress 9-4
January 7, 2006 Over 200 Sol fans jammed the Sports City indoor
facility tonight to enjoy Sol overwhelming CV Express of Turlock 9-4 in
a battle of the unbeaten. The win propels Sol into undisputed
possession of 1st place in the Pacific Division of the Premier Arena
Soccer League. Forward
Tony Bussard led the Sol scoring with 2
goals in the first quarter and 1 in the fourth.
Sol got off to a fast start, scoring 3 goals in the
first 15 minute period.
Brandon Boone started the scoring 3 1/2
minutes into the contest. Bussard's two goals in the 1st period put an
end to Sol's scoring until the fourth period when
Miguel Santoyo, Andres Flores
each scored 1,
Michael Briceno scored two and Boone
and Bussard each scored their last goals.
In between, Sol sagged and CV Express rallied on the exceptional play of
goalkeeper Carlos Navarro who nimbly parried numerous Sol shots. This
allowed CV to score 3 goals in the middle periods and briefly tie Sol
before Michael Briceno scored his first goal in the fourth quarter. In
the end, the fitness of the Sol players seemed to take over in a 6 goal
fourth period avalanche.
Sol keepers Jesus Molina and Matt Brabetz split time in the net.
Sol plays CV Express in Turlock next Saturday. Sol returns to Sports
City January 28th at 7 PM to play the Salinas Valley Samba.
2006 Sonoma
County Sol
