G07 Shale Caps Winter Events with Championship

Monday, March 7, 2022

A dozen Spokane Sounders sides took part in a pair of winter tournament events – PacNW Winter Classic and Las Vegas Mayor’s Cup – in the first two months of the year, using some very positive results to rev up and prepare for a return to league play in the late winter / early spring.

The G2007 Shale girls capped the most recent event – the Las Vegas Mayor’s Cup – with a championship run. They kicked things off with a 2-1-1 run in group play with wins against Eastside Timbers Thorns and Chicago KICS FC City as well as a draw against Henderson LVSA. In the semifinals they blanked Chivas Denver Soccer Academy and claimed the title with a 2-1 result against Roseville Youth Soccer Club.

Also at the Mayor’s Cup, the G2010 South Rave girls reached the final. They advanced to the semifinals with a pair of draws in group play against Vegas United and Arizona SC. They downed Spurs FC in the semifinals 4-3, advancing to a rematch in the final against local side Vegas United.

Fellow G2010 side Valley Rave came away from the event with a winning record, rebounding from an opening loss with two big wins against Players SC Academy and Comba FC. The North Rave G2010 girls would wrap up a challenging event with a big win in their final outing against Silver State Soccer League.

On a roll of late, the G06 Shale girls finished the event unbeaten. They went 1-0-2 in group with 1-1 draws against Cook Inlet SC and Evolution SC to kick things off before downing Colorado Rapids Select 1-0 in the final group contest. They came up short of a semifinal berth but capped the event with another win against the Rapids, downing the North Burgandy side 2-0 in a consolation contest.

The G2003/04 Shale ladies went 2-2-0 in the event, showing outstanding resiliency by rebounding from two opening losses to win 1-0 and 2-0 against St Croix Academy and Elk Grove.

The G2009 Shale girls bounced back from a tough match-up against FC Dallas ECNL to post a 2-0 win against Albion SC LV and came up just short in their consolation against local side Nevada Rush.

In mid-January a trio of teams advanced from group play at the PacNW Winter Classic.

The G2003/04 Shale girls were nearly unstoppable at the event. They swept their group with wins against East Apex, host PacNW and Cascade Premier to reach the semifinals. They blanked Washington Premier 3-0 to advance to the finals before falling to Boise Timbers.

Also reaching semifinals were the G2003/04 GA and G2007 GA ladies. Both sides also swept their group slate – both with a trio of shutout performances.

The G03/04 GA squad posted wins against PacNW (5-0), Rogue Valley Timbers (2-0) and OL Reign (4-0) before falling to Steel United in the final four. Meanwhile, the G07 GA girls topped Boulder County United, Blackhills FC and host PacNW by the same 2-0 scoreline in each group game before coming up short in a close 1-2 result against Snohomish United in the semis.

The G2003/04 Rave RCL squad was also in action at the event, finishing with an even 1-1-1 record in a trio of close-fought contests decided by one goal that included a win over Washington Rush and a draw against Sound FC.

Also going 1-1-1 were the G06 Shale girls. After falling 1-0 to aforementioned Colorado Rapids Burgundy, they rebounded for a 1-0 win against Northwest Elite and a 1-1 draw against Lake Washington Premier.

Close contests were a theme at the event with the G2006 GA and G2005 GA both playing in a series of one-goal decisions. The G06 GA ladies opened with a 4-2 win against OVF Alliance before falling in tight contests against Seattle Celtic and Snohomish United. The G05 GA squad just couldn’t find any luck, coming up just short in three 1-0 results.

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