Rocklin FC's under 18 girls win 2021 Bend Premier Cup

The Rocklin FC 04 Navy girls' soccer team emerged victorious at the 2021 Premier Cup in Bend, Oregon as they took down the Bend FC Timbers 2-0 in the final on Aug. 8. "They were still adjusting to some new formation changes and a more attacking style of soccer, but it all clicked in this tournament," coach Bart Paduveris said. The team won four of their five games in the tournament and the only game they lost was against Northstate Soccer, which went straight to penalty kicks due to the smoke and air quality. The Rocklin 06 Navy boys under 16 team also played at the Premier Cup and had a game cancelled, due to smoke. "It was extremely difficult going straight to penalty kicks in both games because it eliminated the road to a championship for the boys and made it more difficult for the girls," Paduveris said. The girls' first game was a 5-0 victory against the Washington Timbers where Emily Farley scored two goals and Sara Murphy scored one goal with one assist. Game two was a 4-1 win against Sun Valley that featured two goals from forward Sophia Lees. The score of the fourth game was 1-0 against Kidsports Springfield and the lone goal came from Katie Francis, who beat out three defenders. Francis also scored the first goal against the Timbers off of a free kick in the final. "Right when I struck the ball, I knew it was going in and it felt as if a huge weight was lifted off my chest," Francis said. "When the final whistle blew, I ran to my teammates and gave them all a big hug. It was an amazing feeling to be able to celebrate with all my best friends." The 04 Navy girls had double digit shooting and scoring opportunities in each of their Bend Premier Cup games. For Paduveris, this was his first season coaching the girls' team. He is also in his fifth season coaching the 06 Navy Boys team, who finished second at the Bend Premier Cup. The boys played in the NorCal Summer League leading up to the tournament, finishing second with a 4-2 record. "They had a good run with some competitive teams for Summer League, which led to their success in Bend," Paduveris said. At the Premier Cup, the boys captured silver with a 2-2 record. They lost their first game in a 1-0 heartbreaker as Rocklin had nearly 20 scoring opportunities, yet they were unable to put anything in back of the net. In the second game, the boys got some momentum back when forward Camden Osecheck came through in the last few minutes to put them on top 4-3. Their third game was cancelled, due to smoke, but they won their final game against the Bend Timbers 3-1 with solid play in the midfield from players such as Diego Perez, Kole Smith, Gage Harrison and Trenton Giddings. Rocklin FC kicks off their fall season on Aug. 27 with opening ceremonies at Johnson-Springview Park.