Infinity SC fares well in Utah's State Cup

By Jason Turner
Published:
Sunday, May 24, 2009 2:33 AM CDT
It wasn’t the ending they were hoping for, but a pair of youth girls soccer teams from Cache Valley took a significant step forward in challenging the best clubs in the state.

Locally-based Infinity Soccer Club had two teams advance to the championship round of a prestigious state tournament. The two-week 2009 Spring State Cup concluded Saturday in Orem, and it’s the first time a local club — girls or boys — has ever played for a State Cup title.

“It’s kind of a neat thing because we kind of made history here in Cache Valley,” said Sherri Dever, Infinity’s director of coaching. “... It’s a great accomplishment.”

Unfortunately for Infinity’s U11 and U12 squads, they struggled a bit against a pair of teams from the renowned Utah Avalanche club in the finals.

The U11 Infinity SC 98 Premier team was defeated by Avalanche 98 Premier, 6-1, while Infinity SC 97 fell to Avalanche 97 Premier Black, 3-0.

However, both teams made plenty of noise at the tournament before bowing out. For starters, both squads were dominant during pool play. The U11 squad outscored the opposition 18-3 over the course of three matches, while their U12 counterparts didn’t allow a goal in three pool games and found the back of the net an eye-popping 19 times.

“The girls worked very, very hard,” said Robson Chaves, who coaches both teams. “They pushed it to the limit, their parents too, and look at the results. It’s very exciting.”

In the quarterfinal round, the U11 squad beat Hobble Creek Storm 98, 5-3, and then edged Sparta 98 Premier, 2-1, for the right to play for all the marbles. There were 14 teams in the U11 bracket.

It should be no surprise the 11-year-olds made it to the finals, considering they won the regular-season title with a record of 8-2 and had two of the top three goal scorers in the league.

Demi Lopez and Takesha Saltern netted a combined 31 goals during the regular season, with Lopez leading the way with 17. Other team leaders for Infinity SC 98 Premier are goalkeeper Samantha Loosli, defenders Brianna Sims and Berkley Hellstern and midfielder Hannah Anhder.

Evidently, the U11 team also displayed good sportsmanship at the Spring State Cup as none of the players were issued yellow or red cards.

As for the U12 squad, it rolled over Avalanche 97 Premier White, 5-2, in the quarterfinals before pulling out a 3-2 overtime victory over LaRoca Premier — one of the state’s most respected clubs — in the round of four.

Unfortunately for Infinity SC 97 Premier, it couldn’t replicate its strong play in the finals against the Avalanche team — a squad the local girls beat at home 4-3 during the regular season. In fact, this Infinity squad is 4-2-1 against Avalanche Black over the past two years, Chaves said.

When talking about the U12 team, Chaves gushed about the play of offensive leaders Erin Richenbach, Alexis Sims, Annalee Davidson and Hayley Oldham, midfielder Madison Siddoway and backline stalwart Katelyn Whipple. Sims also logs in some minutes in the back, while Viridiana Gomez and Rebecca Jenson shared the GK duties.

The U12 squad went 6-2-2 during the regular season and competed against 15 other teams at the Spring State Cup.

And while a chance at capturing that elusive State Cup championship will have to wait a little while longer, the possibility certainly became that much more realistic.

“The teams from smaller places can beat the teams from big places with proper training and proper technique,” Chaves said. “... I think we showed that this season ... and it’s a big thing for Cache Valley.”

For more information about the tournament, go to www.uysa.org and click on the Tournaments State Cup link.