It was a clean Saturday sweep for the Earthquakes academy teams.
The U-17/18, U-15/16 and U-13/14 squads were all victorious against Juventus Sport Club, each scoring two goals and showing depth and promise. Toss in the U-13/14 team’s 8-1 rout of EBU Bay Oaks on Sept. 6, and the academy is a perfect 4-for-4 to start the season.
No wonder Earthquakes academy manager Fred Wilson is smiling.
In its season opener, the Earthquakes’ under-17/18 team rallied for a 2-1 victory at Cal State East Bay’s Pioneer Stadium, on clutch goals by Jonathan Partida and Zach Penner. The contest was played at a fast pace, the kind you might expect on opening day.
In the second game of the doubleheader, the U-15/16s, guided by coach Stephen Wondolowski, had two nice strikes and some brilliant goalkeeping from Jay Roundtree in a 2-0 win over Juventus. Tarn Weir scored off a well-executed set piece in the 40 minute, and Rei “reirei” Dorwart had the second goal in the 51minute off a cross from Kaya Fabretti.
“It was a growing day, and the kids learned something today which I liked,” said academy coach Marquis White after the U-15/16 game.
Over at John Mise Park in San Jose, the nicked-up U-13/14 squad took a 2-1 win over Juventus on goals by Adonis Diaz and Oscar Govea. The red-hot Diaz now has four goals in two games, and the impressive Govea had a “fantastic” game overall, Leitch said.
Movie buffs are probably familiar with Jay Roundtree’s dad, Richard, the cool action hero in the legendary movie Shaft (1971). Jay Roundtree was also unflappable fronting the Quakes’ net. He denied Juventus with at least four movie-caliber saves in about a five-minute span late in the game to keep the clean sheet intact.
“Bigtime saves at the end when we were falling apart. He saved the day for us,” White said of Roundtree. “I think one thing these kids don’t realize because we train at night, we come out in this heat and just wilt. Legs get tired, lazy passes. Everything’s a little bit slower, but at least we held on for a win. It was great.”
White said the talent level on the U-15/16s and U-17/18s is much deeper than it was last season, which could portend a bright future for both squads.
“I love competition because it keeps everything healthy,” White said.
In the 17/18 game, highly skilled Michael Anderson of Danville made things happen on the winning goal in the 80minute. He weaved through a horde of players on the left side, somehow keeping possession while tap-dancing near the end line, before hitting a cross to Bashti for the big finish to break the 1-1 tie.
Comebacks are nothing new to the U-17/18 players who made a living in that department last season at the younger age group.
“It just shows our team never gives up,” Anderson said of the victory. “I know it’s kind of cliché, but we always fight back and we’re always going for the win.”
Academy technical director Chris Leitch was pleased with the U17/18s victory and the team’s moxie, but would have liked to have seen a few more linked passes on the attack. He got three passes and a direct style; he wanted seven, eight or nine passes and more options. The second goal came on a “nice play,” on one of the few times the team got the ball wide, Leitch said.
Trailing 1-0 in the second half, the U-17/18 squad turned it up a notch. Zach Penner chipped a through ball to Alex Valencia, who made a nice cross to Partida for the goal.
Partida gave the kind of workmanlike effort the club has come to expect.
“We expect him to go box-to-box. We expect him to cover ground,” Leitch said. “We expect him to take care of the ball offensively, and we know he can score goals, so if he can chip in goals all the better. He’s our all-around utility man. He’s our Swiss Army knife. He’s our heart, too. So as he goes, we go.”
