The Ceres Earthquakes competitive soccer program had two teams claim titles in their respective divisions while competing at the Stanford Summer Classic earlier this month in Palo Alto.
The Earthquakes 14-and-under girls squad collected three wins and one tie en route to a first-place finish at the eight-team event.
Forward Mila Zargoza led top-seeded Ceres in scoring with three goals and two assists.
Goalkeeper Janelle Mendoza allowed just one goal while posting three shutouts.
Lizette Tafolla (sweeper), Alexa Palacios (left back), Canyon Dermond-Cuthbert (right back) and Payson Toste (center back) led the Earthquakes’ defense.
“The team’s clicking really good right now,” head coach Javier Alvarez said. “There’s a lot of communication amongst players, which helps them out.”
Ceres shut out Albion 1-0 in the championship game on Aug. 11.
“They played collectively,” Alvarez said. “There was a lot of good passing. Hard work pays off.”
Zaragoza scored the winning goal during the second half.
“Pure joy,” Alvarez said. “There was a lot of emotion. Some of the girls had tears in their eyes. That’s what you strive for.”
“It was a back-and-forth game, literally down to the last second,” he added. “Our goalie had some good saves.”
The Earthquakes blanked Bay Oaks 3-0 on Aug. 11.
Ceres beat Roseville (1-0) and tied San Francisco United (1-1) on Aug. 10.
“They exceeded what was expected,” Alvarez said. “They worked hard all weekend. They were determined and showed grit.”
The Earthquakes will compete at the Come Up For Air Fall Classic, Sept. 14-15, in South Lake Tahoe.
“It’s our first out-of-state tournament,” Alvarez said. “I have really high expectations for them. It’s our second year of competition. I coached most of the girls in CYSO league. I picked some of the more advanced players.”
Ceres’ roster features 17 players, including Zaragoza, Mendoza, Tafolla, Palacios, Dermond Cuthbert, Toste, Aleah Alvarez, Ariani Alvarez, Sofia Alvarez, Alexandria Jimenez, Amariis Marquez, Sofia Mejia, Chantel Navarro, Julietta Del Hoyo, Kei-Ari Glover, Minka Mejia and Naomi Newton.
“We have young group of girls mixed with older girls,” coach Alvarez said. “Even though we’re a U14 team, there are girls that just turned 11. We have a lot of girls playing up an age group. We’re young. We develop what we have. Every girl gets playing time. Nobody gets left behind.”
The Earthquakes 15-and-under boys squad collected three wins and one tie in the 16-and-under bracket.
“We played up an age group,” head coach Alfredo Campos said. “We didn’t get scored on. That makes me really proud.”
“We were a lot smaller than the other teams,” he added. “We had to use our skill to win. We had to learn how to play smart. Opponents were getting frustrated.”
Ceres’ Julian Campos starred at goalkeeper.
“He shut out all four teams with help from his defense,” coach Campos said.
Ceres edged Ross Valley Breakers FC 1-0 for the title on Aug. 11.
Sergio Carrillo tallied the winning goal off a pass from Sergio Valenzuela.
“It was a big team effort,” Alfredo Campos said. “That’s what won us the game. The boys trusted each other.”
The Earthquakes beat Walnut Creek Surf Soccer Club (1-0) on Aug. 11, and bested Santa Rosa Empire Soccer Club (4-0) and tied Stanford Strikers FC (0-0) on Aug. 10.
“The endless practicing and conditioning really paid off this tournament,” coach Campos said.
Carrillo, Valenzuela, Izrael Alvarez, Roman Artiga, Julian Campos, Johnny Ceja, Cristian Espinoza, Tony Garcia, Juan Gudino, Jose Ibarra, Angel Leon, Wilbert Matute, Alonzo Oliveros, Yahir Orozco, Adriel Rodriguez, Santiago Rueda, Jose Tapia, Raul Vega and Jaiden Young make up Ceres’ 19-person roster.
The Earthquakes will play in the IR Academy Fall Cup, Sept. 28-29, in Elk Grove.
