Semi-Final

On Saturday the Sunrise Elite Boys U-14 soccer team met Miami Lakes in a semi-final contest in the state tournament. The game was played on a dry, windswept field in Cape Coral under a clear blue sky. It was a classic defensive struggle with the Lakes team packing six defenders in front of their goal and Sunrise relying on their stalwart back line of Brian Torrez, Paulo Ayrolla and Stephon Hohn with help from Roy Blicher and Alex Valle when needed.
 

     The midfield was a minefield and whoever possessed the ball became an instant target for the defenders. Yellow cards fluttered like hungry butterflies as the referee sought to control the battle. Sunrise continually tried to penetrate the midfield with quick passes only to be met by the wall of defenders. A series of corner kicks by both teams was thwarted and the first half ended with no scoring as the goalies were never severely tested.
 

     The second half began with the wind in favor of the Lakes team and they tried to take advantage with long passes over the midfield to their speedy outside attackers. But the Sunrise defense time and again proved equal to the challenge. Then, more than halfway through the second half, Sunrise was awarded a free kick from well outside the penalty area. Daniel Mendes lofted a windblown ball toward the Miami goal and the keeper could not get a firm grasp of it. The ball fell to the ground amidst a writhing group of players from both teams. Lucas Diniz, as he has so often in this tournament, nudged the ball across the line for Sunrise with the game's first and ultimately only goal.
 

When the referee's whistle finally signaled an end to the contest, a jubilant cry was issued from the Sunrise team and its fans. Two of the titans of South Florida youth soccer had met and Sunrise had emerged the victor.
 

Final

     The Sunday match up for the championship found Sunrise facing Strictly Soccer who had achieved a 4-1 victory over H. C. United the previous day. The weather was again cloudless, with a breeze blowing from north to south. The game began in a tightly controlled fashion as each team exhibited respect for the other and no clear advantage was seen. The midfield was tightly constricted and the forwards from both sides were smothered by the defenders. Strictly Soccer gained an edge in corner kicks and their superior height put pressure on the Sunrise goalie Jason Soroka who made two outstanding saves on close-in tries. The first half ended scoreless and both teams went to their benches to try to come up with a winning strategy.
 

     As the second half opened it became clear that Strictly Soccer, with the wind at their backs, were going to try to push forward with long passes. This strategy seemed to work as they began to test the Sunrise keeper with shots from all over the field. Most were off the mark but one seemingly harmless shot along the ground somehow eluded the keeper and Strictly Soccer took a 1-0 lead. With about twelve minutes left in the game one of the forwards from Strictly raced toward a loose ball in the penalty area in front of the goal. Soroka charged out to try to gain possession but he bumped the other player before either one could get control of the ball. The referee ruled interference in the box on the part of the goalie with an automatic red card and a penalty shot awarded. The shot was good and Sunrise was down 2-0.
 

     For the rest of the game Strictly Soccer played eight men back and cleared every ball with long, time consuming shots the length of the field. Time finally expired.

     The Sunrise team, although disappointed with the loss, finished second in the state in their first year of existence. The future looks bright for this talented group of young men and their coach Pedro Magallanes.
 

For more information about tryouts contact the team manager by clicking here.