Alameda United U14 Boys Select Soccer Team Now 4-0 in League Play

Using the momentum generated and lessons learned from the previous week’s medal-winning performance in tournament play in Pleasanton, the Alameda United U14 Boys Select soccer team maintained its undefeated record in league play, winning a mid-season showdown of the number one (Alameda) and number three (Piedmont Highlanders) teams on Oct. 1. 

Playing at Rittler Park for the first time in three weeks, Alameda excited the home crowd by jumping to a 1-0 lead in the first minute of play. The team never looked back, cruising to a 7-1 win that ran its league record to 4-0 and its league-leading goals for/goals against ratio to 29-1. 

Keys to Win

Great passing and solid defense were the keys for this win. Alameda kept the ball and the pressure on Piedmont’s side of the field for much of the game, and played to open space effectively, according to Alameda head coach Ben Putterman. 

 “Now that we’ve seen the ball-control, pass-oriented soccer played by other strong teams during tournament and State Cup play, our guys are saying, ‘Hey, we can do that too,’” said Putterman. The first half, in particular, featured effective back-passing, through balls to forwards, and crosses.

First –Half Standouts

No one benefited more from Alameda’s superb passing than Jano Heljo, who scored the game’s initial goal on a through pass from Prawat Somwongsa, then added two more goals to have a hat trick by halftime. Somwongsa added a goal on a follow shot to give Alameda a 4-0 halftime advantage. 

Other Alameda first half standouts included midfielder Alex Achramowicz, who rang the crossbar twice with hard shots, and goalkeeper Ivan Garcia, who made a fantastic diving save to preserve the first-half shutout. 

Stingy Defense

To their credit, Piedmont came back and played strong in the second half, ending Alameda’s string of shutout halves in league play. But Alameda’s defense remained stingy and the offense continued to pass well and kept the pressure on. Case in point: a goal by Cameron Burns from his midfield position that came as a result of a cross from Garcia and a pass from Somwongsa. Garcia also scored on a left-footed blast, and Heljo added another goal. 

Alameda’s defensive standouts included stopper Raymond Lee (his best game of the season so far, according to his coaches), sweeper Osmar Vazquez, and right defender Carl Penney. Penney’s play this season has been “Gnarly,” according to Coach Putterman. 

Next Up

Alameda returns to action Oct. 8 against #2 Montclair in a noon game at Merritt College. Then on Oct. 9, Alameda hosts a preliminary State Cup ranking/seeding game against the Evergreen United San Jose Earthquakes at Rittler Park at 10:30 a.m.