It was a perfect year for the Shake 'n Bake U14 girls soccer team. Based out of Turlock, the team finished 19-0 in the Turlock Youth Soccer Association, taking them all the way to the Division IV State Cup—The Founders Cup in Modesto—as they dominated their opponents in a six game span.
They rallied into the quarterfinals after winning three straight, which took them into a matchup against the Clovis U14 Galaxy, where they controlled a 4-1 result. A semifinal bout against the Placer Rocklin Strikers saw the strong Turlock squad shutout the Strikers, 3-0.
The Shake 'n Bake girls of Turlock faced the Clovis Heat in the championship round, and, led by Hailie Verdin on the offensive side who knocked in three goals, the team rammed through a 4-2 victory.
“Last time we went undefeated was 2005. I have had this group of girls over the last few years and have been able to build around them for the last few years,” head coach Tony Mendoza said. “This is the best support I have seen from a group of kids; it’s a very special team to me.”
The Turlock team shined from both the defense and offense throughout the season . In the Founders Cup tournament, Turlock outscored opponents 27-6 in six contests.
Finishing with a 9-0 regular season record, Turlock was able to outscore its league opponents 92-8, averaging just over 10 goals per game and allowing less than one.
“Everybody we played, we seemed to have control of the game and it has been impressive,” Mendoza said. “I have one of the best finishers in the league in our team MVP Hailie Virden.”
Turlock started off the Founders Cup by beating down the SF Vikings, Castro Valley and Rocklin Strikers by a score of 6-0, 6-1 and finally 4-2.
Goalkeeper Bryana Azevedo saw two clean sheets in the state tournament. Also helping the defense this season was Natalia Campbell, a third year player for coach Mendoza.
“We rebuilt the defense and it’s the first time using Natalia as a defender. She was our main sweeper; we had a smaller defense but they were quick and we're smart when executing,” Mendoza added. “Right when we started off I knew we had a good offense, we rebuilt our defense and they all became solid to match as well.”
The Shake 'n Bake are now done for the season. They will, however, be moving up to a more competitive division. They will also be joining Turlock FC in competing in U.S. Clubs Soccer this spring, debuting in the bronze division.
