Two Aliso Viejo soccer teams, AV Adrenaline and OC Leopards, traveled to Carson City, Nevada, to win first place at the Western States Championships, March 25-26.
Both teams played two games. The OC Leopards, a boys team representing the U9 EXTRA age group, coached by Ken Mangat, faced harsh weather conditions during its first game, at 9 a.m. The mountains were snowy. Playing Palos Verdes, the team had to get used to the ice on their cleats, wearing thermals to keep warm.
“They were out of their element but they quickly adjusted,” Mangat said.
His team won, 1-0, holding the lead from the beginning in a solid defensive effort. His team then played Manteca in the finals, winning 3-0, devouring pizza after and celebrating first-place medals.
“The kids enjoyed every minute of the experience,” Mangat said. “It was a once in a lifetime thing.”
The other team, AV Adrenaline, a girls team representing the U11 EXTRA age group, coached by Elliott Sarabia, played Pasadena Altadena in the first game. It was even at first, and the team was shutout in the first half. “The second half, we came out and absolutely took it to them,” said Sarabia, whose team edged out the 2-0 victory.
“The second half, we came out and absolutely took it to them,” said Sarabia, whose team edged out the 2-0 victory.
In the finals game, they played Thousand Oaks. The team played its best ball of the season; it was knotted 1-1 at the half, but the team surged forward in the second half to win, 4-2, in a dominant fashion.
“They were just absolutely ecstatic,” Sarabia said. “We had set challenges and goals for them at the very beginning of the season and these athletes hit every one of those check marks. Every time we put a challenge in front of them, they hit it and exceeded expectations.”
Both teams made their communities proud, as two teams coming from Aliso Viejo showed the talent level coming from South Orange County.
“I think we’re right on par, if not better than anybody, especially in the Western United States and probably the nation,” Mangat said. “These kids have the athletic talent and the drive to compete at any level, and I think the fact that you have two Aliso Viejo teams being able to go to a tournament like this and dominate, it really speaks for itself.”
“We’re giving our players an opportunity to compete on a more national level, which is really exciting because it motivates them to want to get better,” Mangat said. “Hopefully these two teams have set the stage for continued success in Aliso Viejo as well as South Orange County.”