FC Elk Grove Edge Wins Association Cup

The FC Elk Grove Edge
Front Row- Katrina Vina, Taylor Marti, Jessey Santos, Mackenzie Lusich,
Skylar Houze, Nae'Lani O'Neil, Taylor Chaplin, Anne Engilis Back Row-
Kacey McCarley, Sophia Ugarkovich, Sarah Brown, Maddie Gruver, Simone
Walker, Ashlee Kaiser, Sami Skinner, Ashtyn Butler

The FC Elk Grove Edge won their third straight Northern California
Championship by winning the Association Cup last Sunday, beating the
Butte Intensity 1-0 in a thrilling overtime victory. The Edge played six
games over the last three weekends going 5-0-1 on their way to the
title.


The tournament began in the first weekend in January with three games in
pool play. The Edge played a tough Manteca Rangers team to a 0-0 tie on
Saturday morning. Saturday afternoon the Edge took on the Clovis
Crossfire and were staked to a 1-0 halftime lead on a goal from distance
from Ashlee Kaiser. The Edge pulled away in the second half getting
goals from Sarah Brown, Maddie Gruver and Jessey Santos. The Manteca
team matched the Edge's results with a 4-0 win of their own leaving both
teams in a dead tie with one game left in pool play.

The Edge came out Sunday on fire scoring 6 goals in the first half
against San Francisco Athena Black on their way to a 7-0 victory. The
Edge received two goals each from Sarah Brown and Katrina Vina and one
goal from Anne Engilis, Simone Walker, and Nae'Lani O'Neil. Manteca won
their final game 2-1 but the tiebreaker went to the Edge sending them
into a quarterfinal match versus the Kingsburg Extreme.

The Edge battled to a scoreless first half with the Extreme goalie
turning away the Edge with one great save after another. The Edge
finally broke through midway through the second half with a goal from
Gruver and she finished the scoring a few minutes later with her second
goal of the game. The Edge controlled the middle of the field with great
play from Sophie Ugarkovich, Santos and Engilis.

Next up was a second team from the Clovis Crossfire club. The Edge
struck first with a goal late in the half from Walker giving the Edge a
1-0 lead at the break. Gruver scored a goal in the second half giving
the Edge a 2-0 victory and sending them into the finals against the
Butte United Intensity.

The Edge defense was stellar the whole tournament led by Skylar Houze,
Sami Skinner, Taylor Marti, Kacey McCarley, Taylor Chaplin, Kaiser, and
O'Neil.

In the championship game the Edge and the Intensity battled to a
scoreless draw for 70 minutes sending the game into sudden death
overtime. The Edge almost won the game late in regulation when Ashtyn
Butler fired a shot from just outside the box that looked like it was
going in, but was pushed over the top of the bar by the Intensity
goalie.

The first 10 minute overtime period was scoreless and the teams switched
halves for the final 10 minute period. If no goal was scored in the
final period, the championship would be decided by penalty kicks. The
referee announced there was only 30 seconds left when the Edge played a
ball into the penalty area and with the Intensity goalie charging out to
clear the ball, Gruver hustled in from her left wing spot and blocked
the goalies clearance deflecting it into the goal and giving the Edge a
1-0 victory.

Edge goalie, Mackenzie Lusich, posted six straight shutouts on the
team's march to the title.