The Santa Monica United Girls 97 team grabbed second place at the storied Las Vegas Showcase tournament this past weekend, and missed finishing first by just a single point.
Playing in the New York New York division, the team won three of four games, two by shutout, and nearly came back from a 3-0 deficit in its only defeat. In four games, SMU found the back of the net 10 times with seven different players earning a goal or an assist.
"This team has really focused and made themselves into a force that must be reckoned with," said coach James Tonner. "They turned in complete games — from defense to offense, goalkeeping, set plays, every aspect of the game — and against some very good competition. It's no wonder that they caught the attention of dozens of college coaches over the weekend."
The tournament attracts more than 300 college coaches for women's soccer from all over the country. Santa Monica United was the only club from L.A.'s Westside that played in the girls U17 age division.
The Las Vegas Showcase is a premier soccer event in the U.S. Coming from as far as Hawaii and New Jersey, more than 400 U.S. and Canadian girls teams played in this year's Las Vegas showcase.
Contact Frank Kosa at piefilms@roadrunner.com or (310) 383-4502.
