In a hard fought battle, the U12 boys Islanders outfought Sagebrush United 2-1, to capture their second consecutive NorCal Premier State Cup championship.
Midway through a closely contested first half, Fahmi Ibrahim lofted a beautiful, high arcing corner kick to the front of the goal.
Rising high above a crowd of Sagebrush defenders, Jason Ravetti aggressively pursued and headed the ball in to the back of the net, igniting a cheering explosion from the loyal and spirited Islander fan base.
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Late in the first half, attacker Cameron Spaulding blasted a ball past the Sagebrush defensive line that Will ‘The Thrill’ Osborn headed in to the goal for a 2-0 lead.
Spearheaded by Jason Ravetti, Jake Thorne, Cameron Ba and goalie Kyree Brown, the aggressive Islander defense thwarted multiple second half Sagebrush attacks on goal.
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Sending the Islander fans in to a cheering frenzy, Brown made many spectacular plays in goal; rising high in the air to deflect a lofting shot, smothering a one on one breakaway, and stopping a sure penalty kick to preserve the Islander lead and secure the State Cup victory. As the final whistle blew, the U12 Islanders celebrated their hard fought championship win.
In their second NorCal Premier season, coaches Griff Neal, Mbissane Ba, Paulo Altaffer and Mark Nutter challenged the players early in the season to develop more advanced skills and tactics that paid dividends in the team’s strong finish late in the season. Invaluable team manager Jane Neal organized and cultivated a strong team chemistry among the families and players.
Throughout the 2011 season, the u12 Islanders were led by their head goalie, Kyree Brown assisted with defense of Jake Thorne and Jason Ravetti.
Controlling the middle of the field, Conor Neal and Fahmi Ibrahim quarterbacked the extraordinary platoon of Islander midfielders Eduardo Franco and Yosi Fetahi. With lightning fast acceleration, speedsters Bryan Woo and Cooper Teare blazed up and down the right wing, while Naseem Gaskin and Matthew Yep flew up and down the left wing.
The offensive attack was led by the versatile Cameron Ba, Will Osborn, Derek Walrod, Cameron Spaulding, Luca van der Meer and Luca Altaffer, pound for pound the toughest Islander player. Congratulations to the U12 Alameda Islanders for an exciting 2011 season and for bringing home a second consecutive NorCal Premier State Cup championship to the Island of Alameda.
