| Kooiman's Crew Captures Cup |
By: Erin Murphy
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| Posted: Friday, May 7, 2010 12:59 pm |
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| Arsenal celebrates their National Cup title. |
Coach Noah Kooiman’s Arsenal FC GU12 team knocked out the Slammers, 3-1, in late March to claim the 2010 National Cup GU12 championship title. From the forwards to the midfield to the iron-gate defense, it took every single player on coach Kooiman’s roster team to get the job done.
“The players didn’t play where they normally play but they came together and did well,” Kooiman said. “It was one of the biggest achievements for the team.”
Despite the championship title bragging rights, it has not been a typically easy year for the squad. The team started out the campaign with a smaller roster of 14 players and dealt with a few injuries in the beginning of the season. However, they made the necessary adjustments throughout the year, coming in second under the Slammers in the Coast Soccer League’s GU12 Gold bracket and when it came to National Cup, all of the girls stepped up their game.
The Arsenal girls are a talented bunch, but there is reason that they have stepped up their game – Kooiman brings out the best in his team.
“He is dynamic motivator, a risk taker and a brilliant coach,” Arsenal goalie Katelyn Carter said. “He sets the bar high and just when you think you are about to reach it, he raises it six inches higher. He adores us and pushes us to the next level all at the same time. We love him for that.”
While every player on Arsenal is vital to the team’s success, there are a few team leaders who helped pave the way for success. Strikers Marissa Everett and Leah Pruitt are both unpredictable up front and great at creating opportunities for themselves or others on the team to finish.
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| Arsenal goalie Katelyn Carter |
Center midfielder Nicole Leggio anchors the middle for Arsenal. She handles the job well, is always calm under pressure and can score from anywhere. Defender Carly Gamble is a natural born leader, who has a strong work ethic to go with great communication skills. She is not afraid to lead the team when the going gets tough. Danika Bowman started with the team as a striker but has since moved to the sweeper where her size and speed are hard to match. Elizabeth Nunez is a rock solid defender, who has stood the test of time against some of the best strikers in the league.
“I pride myself on shutouts,” Kooiman said. “The defense anchors the game to buy off time for the offense to do their job. We have a great goalkeeper [Katelyn Carter]. She came from a Bronze team last year to Gold this year and she has improved every month of the year.”
Arsenal outscored the competition in the tournament, 15-4. Everett lead Arsenal’s scoring with five goals with Leggio coming in at a close second with four. Amberleigh Garcia bagged two goals while Pruitt, Courtney Gazmarian, Ayana Robles and Rola Badawiya contributed a goal apiece.
Arsenal will participate in eight competitions this summer including the Surf Cup, So Cal Blues Cup, the Arsenal Summer Classic and the Far West Regionals in New Mexico.
Kooiman will utilize the time this summer to focus on system of play and how to get creative with the team. The tournaments will also be a time to help the team gel with one another as they have added an additional three new girls to the roster.
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