Submitted photo – The Emerald FC players celebrate their championship.

The U12 Emerald FC boys soccer team enjoyed a successful trip to the Junction City Gold Cup in Roseville last week, winning all four of its games on the way to a tournament championship.

And they won with some outstanding performances at both ends of the field.

In a round robin format tournament, the local travel club’s offense scored a combined 24 goals for an average of six a game.

They were just as dominating on defense, where they allowed just one goal over the four games.

The players utilized their speed and a strong passing game to get the better of their opponents.

“We had good, strong passing with a solid play from our midfield,” head coach Jaime Olea said. “Speed was a huge advantage for us.”

The Emerald boys got the tournament off to an impressive start, scoring four goals in the first half of a 5-0 win over Rocklin FC Onyx.

Salvador Olea helped set the early tone for the team with a pair of goals in the win.

At the other end of the field, goalkeeper Michael Cone made some good saves on the way to the shutout and got plenty of help with some standout defensive performances from Daniel Garcia, Benson Cheng and Emmett Brown

The local players continued to impress in their second game, cruising to a 7-0 win over the Sierra Gold Gladiators.

Salvador Olea continued to shine in attack and added four more goals in the win.

The Emerald boys would go on to beat Roseville Youth Soccer Club Grey 6-0, before closing out tournament play with a 6-1 tournament-clinching win over Granite Bay FC White.

Mateo Herrera, Lavell Washington and Salvador Olea each scored twice in the final win.

Several other Emerald players also contributed in tournament play, as the coaches went deep to their bench in hot conditions in order to keep their players as fresh as possible.

“The heat was a factor and our guys were tired at first but got used to it as the tournament went on,” Jaime Olea said. “Our subs allowed us to keep things fresh.”

Luke Colosio, Alonso Cruz, Ronen Hassler, Jaime Olea, Cesar Maldonado and Osmar Ruiz each also made their presence felt for the local travel club.