Four local AYSO teams traveled north to Bakersfield last weekend with dreams of making history. That dream was realized by FC Pali, Region 69’s U10 Boys EXTRA squad, which won the state championship in dramatic fashion Saturday at State Farm Sports Village.
Under the guidance of head coach Todd Sammann and assistants Sonia Borri and Allyson Sikola, FC Pali scored on a goal by Luke Sammann with 90 seconds left in overtime to defeat Mt. Diablo of Contra Costa County, 2-1, in the final.
After falling behind 1-0 in the second quarter and trailing throughout the third and fourth quarters, Akseli Kangaslahti scored on a header off Finn Johnson’s corner kick to tie the game with two minutes left.
Photo: Loren Montgomery
Neither team scored in the first five-minute overtime period and with time winding down in the second Johnson took a shot from the right wing, which Mt. Diablo’s goalkeeper parried across the face of the goal. The ball struck the far post and was headed back to the keeper when Sammann kicked the rebound into the back of the net.
In its morning semifinal contest against Thousand Oaks, FC Pali was unable to score until late in the fourth quarter, when Kangaslahti converted on a breakaway to tie the game 1-1.
In the first overtime period right back Jaxon Marsh scored on a volley from well outside the penalty area to give the Region 69 and Section 1 champions a 2-1 lead and they held on to earn a spot in the championship game.
FC Pali amassed a cumulative regular season and tournament record of 33-5-3. It won the Hi 5 Tournament in Fountain Valley in January, the Riverside Locomotion Tournament in February and the Section 1 title earlier this month.
Seven of the squad’s 11 players are Palisadians: Sammann (a third-grader at Seven Arrows); Johnson and Justin Sikola (third-graders at Calvary Christian); Marsh and Will Clark (fourth-graders at Canyon Elementary); Eli Weinbach, a fourth-grader at Curtis School; and Kangaslahti, a fourth-grader at Palisades Elementary. Rounding out the roster are Joe Borris, Jack Richman and Charlie Goetz of Santa Monica and Alex Shane of Westwood.
Region 69’s U12 Boys EXTRA squad advanced to the finals with an 11-0 victory over Section 2 champion Millbrae of San Mateo County. Josh Barad, George Gray and Will Jackson each scored two goals while Campbell Collar, Jake Lyon, Colton Peffer, Maximo Speiser and Ben Clark each added a goal for FC Pali, which was coached by Craig Collar and Corinne Briers.
In the final against Canyon Country, Barad scored to give Region 69 an early lead, but the Section 10 champions from Santa Clarita ultimately prevailed 4-2. Rounding out the state runners-up were Marshall Howe, Dylan Wolff, Taylor Strijdveen, Zach Hausner and Liam Conrad.
In the U11 Boys division, the FC Pali EXTRA team coached by Adam Davis, Sami Levi and Eric Winthrop took third place in Bakersfield. Despite saves by goalkeeper Lane Johnson and goals from Jacob Winthrop, Jonathan Smiley and Jonah Koepke, FC Pali lost its semifinal game 4-3 to Cypress. However, the Region 69 squad rallied to beat Long Beach 6-3 Saturday afternoon on two header goals by Peter Sussman off Alberto Levi corner kicks, and goals from offensive leader Cooper Robinson and defensive leader Jack North. Also contributing to the winning effort were Cooper Morrow, Addison Davis and Michael Kavounas. Others were Joshua Davoud, Owen Hooper and Gus Wibbelsman.
On Sunday, Region 69’s U11 Girls EXTRA team lost to Saugus 1-0 and Palos Verdes 2-1 to finish fourth in the state. Coached by Fred Kornfeind and Doug Masi, the Pali Strikers were made up of Sophie Larbalestier, Isabella Loef, Mollie Essner, Natalie Phillips, Maggie Kornfeind, Ari Brander, Noe Winter, Mia Emerson, Denali Masi, Skylar Levinsohn, Carly Myers and Anna Owens.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.
