Chula Vista FC B2009 Villa Socal’s State Cup Finalists!

What an amazing run for our Chula Vista FC B2009 Villa team! Coach Hernan Maldonado had this to say about his boys’ performance: “Going into the State Cup, my expectations were high. I believe that having high expectations is always the key to success.” Coach Maldonado then spoke about how he kept his team motivated during the tournament: “The way I kept the boys motivated was through my biggest influence, the late Kobe Bryant. We channeled an old clip where he speaks about ‘Finishing the Job.’ They all knew what the goal was and what he was alluding to.” The boys sure enough got Coach Maldonado’s message. He also spoke about the moment when he realized that this tournament had become something special and how he helped his players keep their composure during the penalty kicks series: ‘The moment I felt that we could make the championship game was our comeback win in the Round of 16. The boys secured a comeback 4-3 victory against California Athletic and showed the championship mentality needed to make a run. Penalty kicks are always exciting and filled with pressure. What I always told my players was to enjoy the pressure; they earned it, and it’s a privilege to be in these positions.”

Here is how the tournament unfolded:

Our boys started the tournament with a heartbreaking 0-1 loss to Express SC. However, they bounced back the next day to destroy East County Surf, 6-2. The boys had to wait two weeks to come back to action because of their games being rained out. The break seemed to have given them that extra energy, and it showed when they beat cross-town rivals, Rebels SC, 4-1, to advance to the Round of 16, in which they beat California Athletic SC, 4-3, to advance to the quarterfinals. None of us could have imagined what these boys’ future had in store for them. Winning a penalty kick series in a dramatic fashion is always a dream that soccer players might have had in their lifetime. But these boys not only accomplished this once. They did it TWICE in a row!! The first one came at the expense of Murrieta Soccer Academy during the quarterfinals. After the game had ended in a 0-0 tie, the boys outscored MSA, 4-3, after Lin Galvez scored the deciding PK to advance to the semifinals. Then, for an encore performance, the boys did it again against TFA Antelope Valley. The game ended 1-1, and then it was decided in the same dramatic fashion, 5-4, with Lin again making the winning penalty kick to send the team to the Championship game. Not only was Lin a hero with his amazing poise to score those two crucial penalty kicks, but you always must have a great performance from the team’s goalkeeper. And Dylannh Vergara made it possible by stopping those crucial shots to give his team a chance to win the game. The final game’s score against Bakersfield Alliance Atlas was irrelevant. These boys faced a team that scored 45 goals in the tournament. So, what they accomplished by making it this far is what really counts, and we at Chula Vista FC are very proud of them. This includes players, coaches, and of course the most important component of all our teams: The parents. Without them, we would not have the privilege of coaching their sons and daughters in our club.

Coach Maldonado was also very grateful to his team: “I would like to thank everyone for the support and encouragement through this run. I would like to give all the credit to these young men who fought hard for me. They deserve all the recognition for our performances. Thank you, boys, for an unforgettable season!”

Congrats again Coach Hernan Maldonado and team for your awesome performance!!

Here is the roster:

Coach

Hernan Maldonado

Team Manager

Celina Ali

Players:

Ezra	Abiy
Geovanni	Aguilar
Abdullah	Ali
Jaeden	Arvizu
Adrian	Ascencio
Jorell	Baluyot
Diego	Campos
Cesar	Delgadillo
Lin	Galvez
Angel	Gonzales
Matthew	Jung
Allen	Legault
Sebastian	Luna Valdez
Marcos	Medrano
Nathan	Nguyen
Dimitri	Salim
Angel	Torres Valencia
Dylannh	Vergara