Gryphons Soccer Club '01 Boys and '02 Girls Teams Win 2011 Norcal State Cup

Gryphons '02 Girls Red Team Captures State Cup Gold

After months of preparation and focused effort, the Gryphons '02 Red girls won the Norcal State Cup Gold medal in Manteca on November 20th by defeating Placer United Soccer Club Elite 4-0. The Gryphons final run to gold included an impressive spread of single elimination games marked by a 4-0 Quarter Final; a 4-0 Semi-Final; and a 4-0 Final.

Equally impressive were scoring contributions from many different members of the team, as well as the stand of defensive shut-outs from a mix of possession-oriented, but aggressive defenders.

"One of the things I'm most proud of, is the fact that we had significant contributions from every member of the team." said Coach Jen after awarding the girls with their first place medals in Manteca.

"In addition, we are starting to see a style of play emerge from this team that is based on technical skill, possession of the ball, and a desire to attack from all positions of the field. It it really fun to watch the girls playing the beautiful game at such a young age."

The Gryphons preparation began last July at team camp, and continued with rigor and purpose as the girls competed in two additional tournaments this Fall, and played up a year in the Fall Norcal league.

"While we try not to focus on wins & losses too much in these early years of competition, it is wonderful for the girls to have some gratification for the hard work and commitment they have demonstrated so far," said Coach Jen.

Also worth noting, is the 02G White team, who showed their future potential by competing very well in the State Cup second round games in Davis, CA on November 5th & 6th. After winning all three second round games of the weekend, the team fell just short of winning the quarter final game that would have sent them forward to semi-finals in Manteca.

To view results for all the games look here. Congratulations to the girls on this achievement.   The '02 Girls age group comprises two teams - 02G Red and 02G White - with players born 8/1/2002 - 7/31/2003. To learn more about the age group and its teams, look here.

Gryphons '01 Boys Red Team Wins 2011 Norcal State Cup

The GSC is proud to announce that our '01 Boys Red team are the 2011 Norcal State Cup Champions. This year 116 U10 boys teams from Northern California entered the NorCal Premier State Cup.

All of the teams played 6 preliminary round of games that determined seeding for the quarter finals.

On Sunday November 21st, the 4th seed Gryphons '01B Red defeated 5th seed Palo Alto and earned their way into Norcal State Cup Semi-finals to be played on November 19th against Cap FC United of Sacramento.

After defeating Palo Alto 4-2, the Gryphons 01B also topped Cap FC United 2-1, and went on to win the state championship against Burlingame Soccer Club with a 1-0 victory.

“This is an amazing accomplishment for the Gryphons 01B boys. We were clearly the underdog. All of the teams at the top State level had been there before. We were ranked 75th just a year ago in August 2010 and barely placed third in the bronze league in our own district. A year later we win the state cup. This is a clear testament for our training methods.” said coach Orhan who is a Fiorentina Master Coach and has been coaching the team for the past 2.5 years.

"The developmental progress of the Gryphons 01 Boys over the past 18-24 months has been tremendous, quite unprecedented. It validates the Gryphons Soccer Club commitment to the AC Fiorentina method of training younger players within the Club. More than the wins and the State Championship trophy, I am especially proud of these boys' developmental progress through good quality hard work, effort, and dedication. Congratulations to the boys and supporting families, and special credit to Coach Orhan and the rest of the age group coaching staff Coach Ayla and Coach Haluk, for believing, adhering to, and executing on an outstanding training curriculum" adds Andres Deza, Gryphons SC Director of Coaching.

To view results for all games look here. Congratulations to the boys on this achievement. The  '01 Boys age group comprises two teams - 01B Red and 01B White - with players born 8/1/2001 - 7/31/2002. To learn more about the age group and its teams, look here.      

About the Gryphons Soccer Club The Gryphons Soccer Club (GSC) is a non-profit organization that promotes youth soccer on the San Francisco Peninsula in California. Players come from towns all over the San Francisco Peninsula, including Belmont, San Carlos, San Mateo, Foster City, Redwood City, San Francisco and the South Bay. The GSC offers starter programs for the youngest of players (between 3 and 8 yrs old), as well as the Team Academy (for players over 8 yrs old). For more information about the GSC, visit their website at http://gryphonssoccer.com.