Comprised of players from Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Redondo Beach, the Sand and Surf Soccer Club Girls Under-15 team concluded a successful postseason reaching the semifinals of the U.S. Youth Soccer Western States Regional Tournament in Snohomish, Wash.
Coached by Jennie Gouveia, the squad tied the Colorado representative 3-3 before defeating Northern California 4-1 and Oregon 6-1 to win its pool. Sand and Surf advanced to beat Alaska 3-2 on penalty kicks in the quarterfinals, then fell to eventual champion Hawaii 3-0 who defeated Colorado 2-1 in the finals.
Sand and Surf earned a berth in the Western States Regionals after finishing as runner-up to LA Galaxy South Bay Gold in the Cal Cup President’s Division.
“I would describe the team as the Little Engine that could,” Gouveia said..”These girls have learned about adversity and now they can see all their perseverance paying off. I base a lot of our team meetings on John Wooden’s book The Essential Wooden: A Lifetime of Lessons on Leaders and Leadership. I think creating a positive foundation for the team to build on is very important. We end every practice and game with a simple cheer: ‘Family.’ Win, lose, or tie they will still play for each other and be the very best they can be for the benefit of the team.”
