After a dominant performance throughout the American Youth Soccer Organization All-Star Tournament season, taking first-place in all but one tournament, the Paso Robles U12 Girls All-Star Team is heading to Bakersfield this weekend to compete for the Section 10 Championship.
The U12 Girls All-Star soccer team won the Region 741 Area Q Playoffs on Feb. 8 at Barney Schwartz Park which will send them to the Section 10 Finals in Bakersfield this upcoming weekend.
The Paso Robles U12 Girls All-Stars beat Lompoc in their last game of the day, 2-1, which guaranteed them enough points to advance to the next round of competition. The U12 Girls All-Star team is coached by Scott Bump and Allison Kimpton.
“These girls performed at a high level throughout the tournament season,” Bump said. “This particular team has been remarkable to watch from week one. They play as a team, know where each other are on the field, and each player contributes their part to create a sum greater than our parts. We played some excellent soccer teams over the past six weeks, but each week our girls played stronger, and have been the team to beat in every tournament.”
The Paso Robles girls outscored their opponents 9-2 in their three games during the Area Q Playoffs.
“Every one of these girls played their very best soccer,” Kimpton said. “They moved the ball well and used the entire field to stretch their opponents. It was nice to see them play at a high level, really focusing on connecting passes, and our defense was suffocating for our opponents. The result was multiple scoring opportunities for us and limited opportunities for the other teams.”
When asked about the weekend ahead, Bump noted, “This weekend is going to be challenging, these 16 all-star teams represent the very best players from over 66 cities representing a majority of the central part of the state. Section 10 is made up of eight areas that range from the high desert on the East, to the Central Coast on the West, the San Fernando Valley to the South, and Yosemite Valley to the North. Our girls have played some out of the area teams beating both Long Beach and Camarillo in tournaments a few weeks ago, but each of the teams at this tournament has won their respective area, they will demand our very best effort. We feel confident going into the weekend knowing our ability to score goals, our defense is second to none, and our goalkeeper is a stone wall.”
“This team does everything we ask of them,” Kimpton said. “They work hard in practice, share the ball, and play for each other and not for themselves. This is a generous group of kids that are a joy to coach. It was nice to see them win the Region, but it was really great to see them play good soccer.”
