Milpitas Panthers Girls Soccer Team Takes the Championships

The following article was submitted to Milpitas Patch by Freddie Cacao, assistant coach and team manager of the local, independent FC Milpitas Panthers 99G team.

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Over the weekend of Oct. 29-30, the FC Milpitas Panthers 99G - a Class 1 team that plays for the Milpitas Youth Soccer Club - participated in the SCC Breakers Halloween Cup, an annual tournament for Silver- and Gold-level competitive soccer teams, held at Cabrillo College in Aptos. 

On that Saturday, the Panthers defeated the Los Gatos Pride 1-0 The Pride is a past rival that is now playing in a different regional league.

Just like their previous match-ups, this game was very close, with each team displaying great defense. However, the Panthers were able to score in the second half of the game with a nice header into the goal that was set up by a well-placed corner kick. 

Later that afternoon, the girls defeated the up-and-coming OV Stingrays team by the score of 2-0.  The Panthers dominated play with nice ball control and accurate passing, minimizing their opponent's shot-on-goal attempts and maximizing their own time of possession.  This lead to easy goals for the Panthers while pitching a shutout on the Stingrays.

The next day, the team played its third game of the tournament against another old rival, the MVLA Monsoon White. The Panthers started out fast with three quick goals in the first half - a break-away set up by a nice pass-through, a hard shot from just inside the 18-yard box, and a great serve into the penalty box for an easy put-in.  The Panthers held MVLA scoreless in both halves for a 3-0 win.

This propelled the girls into the championship game later that afternoon with a perfect record and no goals scored against them. 

However, the Panthers faced a very tough Dublin Magic team which also had a perfect record in its respective bracket.  The Magic pressured the Panthers right out of the gate with their aggressive offensive attacks, generating numerous corner kicks and shots-on-goal while they dominated time of possession. 

Repeatedly, our girls thwarted the Magic's relentless attacks with outstanding defensive and goalkeeper play for a scoreless first half.  The opponent's pressure continued at the start of the second half and, after five minutes of play, the Magic took the lead by scoring on a break-away down the middle of the field. 

With their backs against the wall, the Panthers started their comeback with improved ball control and timely passing, generating more goal opportunities on their part.  The girl's persistence eventually led to the "equalizer" - a fantastic header from the backside that was set up with a beautiful looping serve from the left side over the Magic's defenders. 

The Panthers quickly sensed a win by continuing their exceptional play and, with less than two minutes left in the game, forced in the "winner" after our forward's hard shot to their goalie, making her momentarily lose control of the ball.  Then, a linemate quickly poked the ball away from the goalie's outstretched arms, and finally supported a mid-fielder's charge to the net and finished the job with an emphatic close-range shot into the goal. 

After the final whistle was blown, the girls raised their hands in triumph and rushed to each other to celebrate. 

It was a great effort from the Panthers, who were overjoyed with winning the Breakers Halloween Cup, but were very weary after a hard-fought championship game.