The Alameda Soccer Club’s Islanders 2012 Girls Red team won the Stanford Summer Classic D1 U11 Gold division championship on Sunday, 14 in Palo Alto.

The Islanders opened the two-day tournament with a 1-1 record in round-robin play in Bracket B. They trounced San Mateo County Football Club 2012 Girls Academy RDP, 11-0, in the first match on Saturday, Aug. 13 at Jane Lathrop Stanford (JLS) Middle School. Later that day they fell, 2-1, to Monterey Surf Soccer Club Monterey Surf G 2012 Pre-Academy at the Cubberley Community Center.

The Islanders finished the round-robin in third place in the nine-team tournament. Their third place standing qualified them for the four-team championship bracket. In the semifinal on Sunday, Aug. 14, the Islanders found themselves down 2-0 in their rematch against Monterey Surf Soccer Club Pre-Academy. The Islanders battled back with two goals by Marina Evans to force a tie. The match was decided by penalty kicks with goals from Manu’ata Hafoka and Scarlett Anderson earning the Islanders a spot in the championship game versus 1974 Newark Football Club 2012G Orange.

In the title match, the Islanders struck first with a goal in the first five minutes of play. The defensive play by the Islanders’ back line — consisting of Kasey Gonzalez, Hafoka, Andersen, and Ashley Williamson — kept Newark away from the Islanders’ goal for the next 40 minutes of play. With four minutes left in regulation Newark tied the game with a strong cross that deflected off a player and past the Islanders goalkeeper.

Tied at the end of regulation, the match continued with two, five-minute periods of golden goal play. With two minutes left in the second period, Leah Garfinkle stole the ball from an attacking Newark player. She advanced the ball down the left side of the field until she reached the Newark defense. She switched the attack to the other side of the field by playing the ball to center midfielder Ava Devine who quickly found Islanders striker Addie Searcy who was open on the far side of the field. Searcy dribbled behind the Newark defense and kicked in the winning goal past the Newark goalkeeper.

The semifinal and final matches were played at JLS Middle School. The U11 tournament matches were played in 9v9-player format and two 25-minute halves. The Islanders 2012 Girls Red team is coached by Herdlyn Evans and Adam Garfinkle.