The Team NorCal High School Select (16U) and 2022/23 (14U) teams trekked up to Petaluma for the Gold Rush Tournament and found the motherlode -- first place gold for both teams!
Saturday Boys U16 HS Open
HS Select did the trailblazing on Saturday. <Insert Details>
Sunday, Boys U14 2022/23
14U Attackman Aidan Niklaus and 14U Goalie sensation Martin Johnson experienced the great Saturday success playing with the High School team, and knew everyone would be wondering -- could the Team NorCal 2022/23 14U team keep the streak alive all the way through Sunday as well?
The first game of the day against Sacramento Aces Black started with some missteps and perhaps some nerves on the Team NorCal bench. The team had some sorting out to do and rythm to find, and looked a little out of step. Many of the players were making their first appearance in a real 14U game and nobody really knew what would happen as the teams tested each other in the opening moments of the new 14U season.
Aidan Niklaus found the net first, followed by goal from Greg Laursen who also went on to assist Evan Wong for the third goal of the game. Caden Stark set up an assist to Aidan Niklaus and Team NorCal pulled ahead to a 4-0 lead.
The halftime coaching from Greg Hollingshead, Jonny Glazier, and Steven Harman focussed on cleaning up the ground ball/possession game, marking up a little better on defense, and settling the offense, and the boys responded. Greg Laursen and Evan Wong each scored another goal, Lucas Corum found the net, and we can proudly announce that additional scoring from Josh Gnovel, Evan Foster, and Jack Denebeim each scored in their first official 14U Team NorCal roster appearances.
Another good sign at the start -- the stingy defense of Steven Head, Charlie Pellegrin, Beckett Knuff, Jack Park, and Will Park did a fine job of denying the opponent and when the threats did get through Martin Johnson displayed a tour de force total domination in the cage -- a shutout to start the morning, score 11-0. It would be the last Team NorCal shutout of the day.
Game 2 against Sacramento Aces Purple was about as completely a different story as could be. Team NorCal went ahead on goals from Aidan Niklaus and an assist from Niklaus to Lucas Corum, but the Aces Purple team responded, tied the game, and went in to the lead. This made for some great uneasiness on the Team NorCal sideline, as Aces Purple seemed to have an answer for each threat and Team NorCal was frankly having trouble again with pace of play and unforced mistakes.
Team NorCal 14U was certainly up against a different challenge this time, keeping the game close but unable to tip the score in their favor. As the game played out it became clear that victory would go to whoever made fewer mistakes, as both teams were relentless on capitalizing on errors with the Aces punishing Team NorCal on failed clears while Team NorCal created an advantage on faceoffs and ground ball possession. Evan Foster scored 2 goals and then Aidan Niklaus went in to put-on-a-clinic mode, scoring 4 more goals including one assisted by Josh Gnovel. The final at the end of regulation, a 7-7 tie.
So a key faceoff and an exclamation point goal from Aidan Niklaus who scored the key 8th, overtime, and game-winning goal. That’s right an overtime final, 8-7 OT. It was neck and neck practically the entire game and then some.
Going in to the lunch break the Team NorCal 14U boys felt strong. Not invincible knowing that a tie outcome the end of regulation proves only that anybody could have won that second game, but confident that luck was on their side even if it was the luck created with hard work. All the better.
As bracket play began the boys faced a rematch with the Aces Purple team and put forth a truly admirable display of sportsmanship and competitive spirit. Aces Purple was outmatched but payed hard the whole time, never capitulating and making each Team NorCal success hard earned. Ronit Batra cracked the seal with the first goal on an assist from Aidan Niklaus, who next assisted Elliott Wilk and then scored one for himself on an assist from Owen Lee, Owen’s first tournament at 14U. Batra scored again followed by Evan Wong, who went on to earn a hattrick in the game. Charlie Goodwin, also in his 14U debut, contributed 2 strong goals, on on an assist from Lucas Corum who also scored a goal, and Josh Gnovel found the net twice more showing solid consistency in generating results game to gam. Aidan Niklaus scored 2 goals, Austin Yoder scored on a nice finish, as did young 12U eligible Tommy Ducker in his first day on the 14U field. Another 12U eligible player Jake Purpura scored the capping goal, on an assist from his brother Andy Purpura. Andy had a remarkable 4 assists that game facilitating the offense, though certainly that last assist to Jake was the sweetest.
And the table was set, Championship game. And another rematch, against Sacramento Aces Black, the team from the overtime game earlier in the day. Yes the Team NorCal 2022/23 14U boys could sense the Aces would be back to complete some unfinished business. So the coaches prepared the team mentally for a tough rematch, warning against taking much comfort in the earlier win knowing that would only fuel the Aces rage and will. But Coach Hollingshead and Coach Glazier also reminded the boys, they are a better team than they demonstrated on the field. True, Aces Black was helping us make mistakes, but the reality was that we knew we could be much better under duress and in competition than what we showed the first time.
It worked. The boys understood and went in to the Championship to resolve some unfinished business of their own. Without mercy the Team NorCal 14U boys went ahead 4-0 and forced the Aces in to a timeout. In the huddle Coach Harman pointed out the strategy -- the Aces coach wanted to make adjustments and rally his players, and hoped that we would stand around patting each other on the back saying just keep doing what you’re doing. But do not fall for that! We have to anticipate the Aces will come out of this timeout in a fury and rather than sitting on our heels we need to play even more furiously. The message was to expect an onslaught and build the lead anyway.
The boys took the message to heart and played a fantastic team game, together building on the lead. The Aces continued pressing back, chipping away at the lead, keeping it close hoping for a push at the end, but the game was essentially won in that first quarter and it was clearly Team NorCal’s game to win. There was a tense moment when the Aces scored some unanswered goals to pull within 2 but the Team NorCal 14U boys regrouped and drove the message home, stretching the lead in the second half to be the undisputed Champions with an 11-5 victory.
Scoring in the Championship was spread across many players, with Evan Wong scoring 2 goals in a defining performance. Evan Foster tallied the first goal of the game and an assist, Lucas Corum put up 2 assists, and Ronit Batra also got an assist as did Austin Yoder on a nice heads up play. Josh Gnovel and Elliott Wilk each notched a goal and an assist. Special recognition, with 6 goals in the championship and well-noted delivery in clutch moments throughout each of the games, an ovation to the Team NorCal MVP of the Gold Rush Tournament Aidan Niklaus.
