Brigade reaches Round of Four

The Brigade, a Huntington Beach-based boys Under 13 soccer team,

reached the semifinal round of last weekend’s San Diego Surf Cup

Tournament, considered to be one of the state’s premier tournaments.

Brigade, which is comprised of players from Wolfpack, JUSA Alliance,

and AYSO teams, began their march to the semifinals by taking first place

in their pool. They defeated Tempe Power of Arizona, 2-1, in their opener

as Brandon Plummer scored early in the second half, and Jeremy Small

broke a 1-1 tie by scoring the game-winning goal with under two minutes

to play as Brigade won its inaugural Surf Cup game.

A goal by Kareem Khalil was all Brigade would need in a 1-0 second

round win over the Eastside Soccer Club of Washington, which put Brigade

in the quarterfinal round. There, a goal by Steven Kalogeropoulos in the

game’s opening five minutes, and a late goal by Khalil, secured a 2-0

victory, a shutout that was preserved by the play of defensemen Bryan

Osuna, David Sais, Jarrid Johnston, Brad Smith, Adam Beavor, Bryce

McKendry, and [ Stepping Column ]Kevin Fronk.

Defense also dominated Brigade’s 1-0 triumph over northern California’s

Ballistic, a match in which J.P. Smith punched in the lone goal to give

his team the a spot in the tournament’s semifinal round, where they fell

to the host team, Surf White, 1-0.

‘It would have been a dream come true to advance to the final in a

prestigious tournament such as the Surf Cup,’ Brigade Coach Alex Camargo

said, ‘and although that dream was not realized, the boys returned home

with a valuable experience they will never forget. They should be proud

of their accomplishment.’

Brigade will play host this weekend to the NHB Cup, and will get a

rematch against Surf White in a first-round game Saturday.

Brigade enters the tournament -- their final preseason tournament rrior

to the Sept. 11 start to the regular season - with an overall record of

11-4, which includes seven shutout victories.

Members of the Brigade boys Under-13 soccer team include Adam Beavor,

Kevin Fronk, Steven Kalogeropoulos, Bryce McKendry, Bryan Osuna, Brandon

Plummer, J.P. Smith, Brad Smith, Brendon Welch, Kareem Khalil, Jeremy

Small, Jarrid Johnston, and David Sais.