Santa Rosa United's Under-11 girls claim state crown

Santa Rosa United can claim its second State Cup soccer title this season after the U-11 girls brought home the winner’s trophy last weekend.

The Hurricanes endured weeks of rain delays before finally vying for the state title against San Juan Spirits in Modesto; a game that was played, yes, in the rain.

“We went almost a month longer because of the water,” first-year U-11 coach Ralph Montes said. “It was an extra month of training for the kids.”

But in that extra month, Montes had the team work on penalty kicks. At every practice, every member of the team took a crack from the spot.

Good thing, because after a 2-2 tie in both regulation and two golden goal periods, the final match went to penalty kicks.

Emma Jane Cochran, Emily Ott and Cassidy Carpenter netted goals, while goalkeeper Trinity White got a crucial save for the Hurricanes.

“It’s a magical season for these girls,” he said.

You can reach Kerry Benefield at 526-8671 or kerry.benefield@pressdemocrat.com, on Twitter @benefield and on Instagram at kerry.benefield.

EDITOR’S NOTE: An earlier version of this story had an incorrect spelling of Emily Ott’s last name. This story has to updated.