Walnut Creek U11 Soccer Team Wins State Cup Title

The Walnut Creek Soccer Club United U11 Boys traveled to Woodlands to play Central Marin for the Premier 1 Nor-Cal State Cup Final on Saturday.

The match went back and forth through the first half with Jake Gaines finally connecting on a corner kick to Jordan Burkes on a diving header to give United a 1-0 half time lead. Midway through the second half, United was called for a (questionable) foul in the box giving Central Marin the opportunity to tie the game, but Michael Jacobsen thwarted that attempt with a diving save at the side goal post.

Both teams battled for the remainder of the game, but Walnut Creek United held off Central Marin for a 1-0 win and the championship. Every player contributed to the win.

There was a great defensive effort by Ian Nicolas, Jake Gaines, and Kellen Dresdow.

Solid mid field play by Devyn Fisher, Cooper Tomkovicz, James Person, and Yanni Poylzos.

The forwards; Jordan Burkes, Ross Gruen, Bryson Patterson, and Nicolas Bland, played very well helping on defense while keeping the offensive pressure and having several attempts on goal. Finally rounding out a successful campaign was Michael Jacobsen with great goal keeping.

Christopher Rodd, the Head Coach and Trainer, guided this team for the last year to a record of 35 -14-6 ties while playing in the Premier Division for the first time starting in the Spring of 2010.

They collected many championships along the way that include Walnut Creek Summerfest, , , and . 

"The team started out ranked in the 50s and finished the year in the top ten," Rodd said. "They are the highest ranked team out of the 500 plus teams in Walnut Creek. There are over 2500 kids who play soccer in Walnut Creek and this is an elite group of 12 players from Walnut Creek and Concord. The boys are good players who work really hard. Their passing and work rate is what separates them from other teams in the state."