The San Jose Earthquakes Juniors were finalists in the 2011 Mustang Stampede Tournament in Danville, CA over the weekend in the U-15 Premier Bracket.
The collection of U-14 talent was 2-1-0 in group play against North Bay Elite FC, Columbia Basin United FC and Mustang SC Internazionale, outscoring opponents 7-2 in the process.
In the semifinals, the Quakes faced second-place Group A finishers P.A.C. Atlas and secured a 1-0 victory.
"Our players really adjusted well to the high level of play in this tournament,” said Earthquakes coach Jeff Jenkins. “The size, speed and physicality of the athletes in this bracket is a step up for our players. I'm proud of our guys for pulling out the win."
The final was a rematch against Mustang SC Internazionale with the host club taking home the trophy on a 2-1 victory. It was the second consecutive Stampede title for the strong Mustang Inter team.
The Earthquakes U-14s were led by Danny Basulto, Isaiah Brown and Nils Langstrom. Basulto had three goals and Brown and Langstrom each netted twice. Keepers Edgar Benitez and David Heredia combined for three shutouts in five games.
"We came up short, but it was a good tournament for us and we had some great performances to build on for the rest of our fall season" Brown said. "We made it all the way to the final and proved we can play at this level. Not bad, especially when more than half our team is playing up a year."
