CHAMPIONS - Boca Jrs 96 Boys of El Dorado Shootout
EL DORADO, CA -- The chants of the Yellow Submarine rang across Cherry Island after the final penalty kick of the U12 Final game. Three times a charm as the old saying goes. The Boca 96 boys finally got over the hump and won the El Dorado "Joe Ribaudo" Shootout. This was the first local event of the year for the boys as it posed a different feel. Instead of trying to knock off the Mustangs and the Santa Cruz Breakers, teams were looking to knock the Boca boys out of contention. A player said, "Every game was like a local derby match, intense and very competitive. And Coach Brandon replied, “It was a good learning experience for our boys."
Boca Jrs 96 first faced off wwith a tough Cal Rush team that gave the boys a run for their money. After things settled down, the boys took control and finished the game in stylish fashion 3-0. ,Next up was a very competitive Placer Team. The two teams matched up during spring league with Boca prevailing 4-0, but this time the game had some more bite to it as Placer had a few guest players from their U13 boys team that were playing up. Final score 2-0 Boca Jrs 96. Sunday’s game against San Juan had many familiar faces. San Juan jumped off to a quick start and surprised the Boca boys as they were down 0-1 in the first 5 minutes. The boys settled down and came away with a convincing 4-1 victory.
The finals was a great match against the El Dorado Crew. The boys jumped out in convincing fashion, precise passing and good team defending. A fantastic 2v1 between Ed Wilson and Alec "Iain Rush" Edelmeyer produced on the best goals of the tournament. El Dorado equalized in the second half to push the game into penalty kicks. It was the third game of the day and the boys were physically and mentally tired, but they concentrated enough to finish 3 of 4 pk's to capture the title. Alex Waldron was fantastic during the tournament, and he saved his best performance for finals, saving 3 El Dorado shots to bring the cup home. The "Boca Koolaid" has never tasted sweeter.
The tournament was also special as it was a memorial to the late Joe Ribaudo, father of Melissa Ribaudo Cavitt. The Cavitt Family and Boca Jrs boys paid tribute to the El Dorado club for acknowledging Joe in their tournament. His big smile will always be upon us. Awesome performance Boca, both on and off the field!
