The Santa Monica AYSO Girls U19 soccer team wound up their season and pre-season play with an impressive undefeated 9-0-1 record to become the 2016 AYSO Area 1P champions. Area 1P is comprised of nine regions in Los Angeles including Beverly Hills, Culver City, Hollywood, Los Feliz, and Central Los Angeles.
As champions, the team represented Area 1P at the AYSO Section One tournament in Chino held on November 19 and 20. AYSO Section One is comprised of 70 AYSO regions from Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino Counties as well as Western Arizona and Southern Nevada.
The Santa Monica girls faced two tough teams on the first day during pool play. The team continued their impressive win streak with an early morning win against the champions from Area 1G, Ontario (2-0). The team’s afternoon game pitted them against the champions from Area 1U, Walnut, where the squad pulled off a come-from-behind 2-1 victory that clinched their berth in the semifinals on Sunday.
The first game on the second day of the tournament proved to be a bit more challenging for the team. The opponent was a team Santa Monica has faced several times in past tournaments, North Torrance from Area 1D. The girls fought hard to the end, but were handed their first loss of the season (0-2). In their final game, Santa Monica finished off Arcadia (4-2) securing 3rd place in the Section One tournament, and finishing their 2016 season with an impressive 12-1-1 record, scoring 58 goals while allowing only 8.
Coached by Sammy Romo, team members include: Katelyn Chacon, Jaden Ferguson, Hanna Gratch, Jodie Jepson, Emily Katz, Connor Keegan-Lloyd, Hope Mathias, Bianca Monroy, Joyce Ophoff, Amanda Padilla, Rachel Pekelney, Maryam Pierce, Taylor Pike, Monica Quiros, Samantha Romo, Val Romo, and Kate Zemke.
