Crushers win Tri-Section Tournament

Mike Sciacca, Independent

Going where no AYSO Region 143 (Huntington Beach/Westminster) girls’

Under-10 Division team had gone before, the Crushers captured the

division’s AYSO All-star Tri-Section Tournament championship in Upland.

They needed to survive two intense five minute overtime sessions to

win the crown, but they did, beating Norco, 3-2 and Arcadia, 1-0.

Amy Nunez’s goal off a Kalie Swain assist gave the Crushers the

Tri-Section championship. By winning the tournament, the Crushers

finished as the No. 1 girls’ Under-10 Division All-star team in Southern

California AYSO.

Approximately 3,000 teams entered girls’ Under-10 Division AYSO competition in Southern California.

“This went over and beyond anything that I could ever have imagined,”

said Kerry Kraiss who, along with Eric Swain, coaches the Crushers.

Defense dominated the final, where the Crushers received outstanding

performances from Caitlin Bohne, Julia Redmond, Breanna Flynn, Elise

Nordin, Swain, Nunez, Kendall Kraiss, Jordan Snyder, Michelle Lewis,

Allison Howard and Andrea Gonzalez. Goalie Keely Toma, who worked the

entire match, came up with several key saves.

The semifinal match against Norco leading up to Sunday’s final proved

equally challenging to the Crushers, who also needed two overtime periods

to get the win. Nunez scored on a Kraiss assist and Nordin scored off a

Bohne feed to give the Crushers a 2-0 lead, but Norco fought back to tie

the score at 2-2 and force overtime.

In the first session, Redmond scored what turned out to be the winning

goal off an assist by Nunez.

The Crushers will be honored during an on-field awards ceremony at

halftime of the Los Angeles Galaxy’s May 5 soccer game at the Rose Bowl.