Sequoia FC U18s lead the way on busy weekend for local club

By barstoolfanatics on April 25, 2023 • ( Leave a comment )

Submitted photos – The Sequoia FC U14 girls team

It was a busy weekend for Sequoia FC, with four of the local travel club’s teams traveling to the Bay Area for a pair of games each.

The Sequoia teams play in the competitive NorCal Premier Spring League, fielding boys and girls U18 and U14 squads, as well as a U12 coed team and one for U10 girls.

The four older squads all traveled for games on Saturday and Sunday and enjoyed plenty of success.

No team more so than the club’s U18 girls, who won both of their games by one goal, beating San Pablo United 2-1 and Silicon Valley 3-2.

“Both teams we played against were competitive and forced us out of our comfort zone,” head coach Taylor McMillin said. “Sequoia did a great job deciding when to be selfish individually and when to slow down and possess.”

Eureka High standout Lila Ekholdt scored in both games, including netting a hat trick on Sunday with what McMillin described as an “incredible performance.”

Arcata’s Alia Prentiss also found the back of the net with a first-half strike against San Pablo.

But it was the team performance that most impressed the coach.

“They were committed to work hard on both sides of the ball while excelling in their individual roles,” she said. “And I believe that’s why the team was able to find a win in both matches.”

The Sequoia U18 boys, meanwhile, split their two games against older opposition, beating San Ramon FC U19 3-1 on Saturday and following that with a two-goal loss to Ballistic United U19.

Fortuna’s Jesus Herrera scored a hat trick in the win, with assists from Arcata’s Cruz Aguilar and Daniel Davidson.

Eureka’s Caleb Green anchored the defense with a strong performance at center back, while the busy Adrian Magana-Reynosa had a good game in attacking midfield while playing all 90 minutes.

The Sequoia FC U14 boys

The club’s U18 team includes players from Fortuna, Eureka, Arcata and McKinleyville high schools and is coached by Eureka coaches Eddie Garcia and Juan Florez.

The U14 boys team, meanwhile, is competing in the NorCal Premier league for the first time this season and also went 1-1 over the weekend.

The local boys comfortably beat Napa United 8-2 on Saturday and followed that with a 4-2 loss to Mill Valley United on Sunday.

“The team has come a long way and it showed on the field this weekend,” coach Francisco Medina said. “We have been working hard to get the results and this was definitely the time the whole team stepped up.”

Goalkeeper Mason Beauchamp provided a strong last line of defense in both games, while up front Henri Jowaisas scored four goals in Saturday’s win.

The Sequoia FC U18 girls

Isai Aguilar added a pair of goals in the victory, with Henry Shanahan also scoring.

Defender Luis Gonzales had a big game in Sunday’s loss with “some great interceptions and an overall standout performance,” according to his coach.

Dylan Collart and Levi Grossman each scored in the loss, with strong midfield performances from teammates Dakota Grosveld and D’Alessandro Medina.

“The score does not reflect the game that was played,” Francisco Medina said.

Rounding out a busy weekend for the local travel club, the Sequoia U14 girls competed well in a pair of one-loss defeats.

The local girls fell 1-0 to WESCO United and 4-3 to North Marin United.

“The girls showed a lot of heart and passion out on the field this weekend,” coach Isaiah Dairo said. “The girls were moving the ball very positively on Saturday and Sunday. Keeping possession of the ball in the final third has been a challenge, but this weekend despite our losses we were able to get a couple goals in the back of the net.”

Goalkeeper Peyton Graney showed a lot of promise with a big penalty kick save, with teammates Kaitlyn Barres, Emily Mather, Claire Delaney and Amabel Miranda each also impressing over the two games.

The Sequoia FC U10 girls team also has been training this spring and attended a first NorCal play date event in San Ramon over the weekend.

The team is coached by Cal Poly Humboldt assistant coach Brian Bianucci.