MAZDISNIAN and LYNN, SMU Players of the Week!!!
May 14 2012 - Manu Appelius
KEON MAZDISNIAN and JASPER LYNN (B11) are SMU Players of the Week....For more details, click here:

SMU B11 win Championship game at Cinco De Mayo Soccerfest
May 14 2012 - Staff writer
Excellent weekend for the B11, who bring home first place at the Riverside FC Annual Cinco De Mayo Soccerfest.
The boys won their group at ease on Saturday, beating The X-treme Black 3-0 and then Riverside FC 6-2. On Sunday morning, they faced a feisty Hemet Juventus FC team that was able to hold them to a 0-0 tie. The game went to penalty kicks, with SMU converting 4 out of 5 and Hemet only scoring two.
The final game was a rematch against The X-treme Black. SMU was immedately in control, scoring 3 goals in the first 12 minutes. The boys never looked back, bringing home the win with a 5-1 score. B11 are coached by Federico Bianchi, with assistance by Manu Appelius. Good job boys (and girl!). SMU is proud of you!!!

SMU PLAYERS OF THE WEEK!!!
May 07 2012 - Manu Appelius
SAKI WATANABE, LAUREN KLOTZ, CAITLIN BREMNER, CAROLINE GLUCK, SYDRA GIANASSI, KAITLYN NYMAN, MAYA GRAY, EMILY LURIE, ERIN JONES, JANET COLEMAN-BELIN, KENDALL KLOTZ, ELLA SINFIELD, EMMA KATZ, MORGAN SASAKI, KIRSTEN ORTEGA, NADINE CURTIN, SLOANE WILSON (G15) - State Cup Champions!!! Congratulations girls! SMU is proud of you!
For details on State Cup run, please read article below...

For details on past and present players of the week, click here:

SMU G15 MAKE HISTORY!!! STATE CUP CHAMPS!!!
May 06 2012 - Staff writer
Santa Monica United G15, coached by Manu Appelius and John Andrade, made club history today at Veterans Park in Pomona.
The girls infact are the first ever SMU girls team to win the prestigious State Cup/Presidents Division and are advancing to the US YOUTH SOCCER PRESIDENT'S CUP REGIONALS competition in Denver next June, where they will play as Cal South representatives.
It was a hot but breezy day today in Pomona, where the girls kicked off at 1.15 against Arsenal FC Red. After a slow start, which saw them struggle against a very physical and aggressive team, SMU slowly took control of the game. The girls were able to better possess the ball and started to create problems for the Arsenal defense. The best chance came at around minute 30, when Kirsten Ortega had a perfect shot from outside that hit the crossbar and bounced back on the field.
0-0 at half time, the game continued in the second half with a territorial domination from SMU. Although the game didn't see either team create a lot of chances, Santa Monica kept getting closer and closer. With about 20 minutes to go, Sloane Wilson recovered a ball in the center of the field and, after winning 3 tackles, was able to play an amazing through ball for Maya Grey whose perfectly timed run from the left flank found her all alone in front of the goal with the goalie desperately coming at her. Maya slotted the ball to the far corner, showing amazing control and composure and scored the winning goal.
Arsenal was never able to create great chances, but two or three scrambles right in front of the goal in the final 5 minutes kept everybody in attendance on edge.
Arsenal attempted several shots from the distance, which were always blocked at ease by SMU's goalie Erin Jones. At the final whistle the entire team exploded in wild celebrations for a well deserved win...
...and to think that the girls started the campaign with a first round 3-1 loss to TVSA Hawks Black. That immediately put them in a do or die scenario. The next day they beat Wolfpack and Manchester Red 2-1, both games coming back from behind. In the game against Manchester Red, they were tied 1-1 with 8 minutes to go. A tie in that game would have eliminated them.
The winning goal, put them instead through in first place. Two weeks later, they faced Camarillo Eagles in round of 32 and convincingly beat them 5-0. The following day, they played a feisty Capo FC team. Despite of a 2-0 lead at half time, the girls were forced to overtime and then penalty kicks, where they finally prevailed 6-4. On the same day, they faced FC Ventura for the quarterfinals. Down 1-0 with 15 minutes to go, the girls found the strength to tie the game with a few minutes to go and once again went to overtime and penalty kicks. After 8 rounds of pks, they finally prevailed 8-7.
Incredibly, the girls faced again TVSA Hawks Black in the semifinals yesterday. This time they won the game, with a 1-0 result that was more heart and scrappiness than quality.
Finally, the girls left the best performance for last. The Arsenal team was a worthy opponent, but SMU just wanted it more and played with more quality, earning this well deserved historical title. Great job girls!!! SMU is proud of you!!!

NAVARRO, JONES, ORTEGA, BELL, PINDUS and CASTILLO, SMU Players of the Week!
Apr 29 2012 - Manu Appelius
ANDY NAVARRO (B16), ERIN JONES and KIRSTEN ORTEGA (G15), MELISSA BELL (G13), MYLES PINDUS and ALEXIS CASTILLO (B16) are SMU Players of the Week.
For more details, click here:

SMU TEAMS DOMINATE THE WEEKEND
Apr 29 2012 - Manu Appelius
Great weekend for SMU!!!
G13 are Simi Valley Spring Cup Champions (check separate article).
G15 win 3 games in State Cup/Presidents to advance to the semifinals next weekend.
B16 go 3-0 to win their bracket in first round of National Cup and advance to round of 32.
B15 go 2-0 to win their bracket in first round of National Cup and advance to round of 32.
B15 Blue go 1-0-1 to advance to round of 32 of National Cup.
Well done boys and girls!!! SMU is proud of you.

SMU G13 Simi Valley Spring Cup Champions
Apr 29 2012 - Manu Appelius
The SMU G13 Team emerged as champions of the the Simi Valley Spring Cup, going 4-0 against some very good competition.  The girls scored 12 goals in four matches, while only conceding three.  The team got off to a hot start against the Palmdale Thunder thanks to some great connecting and the finishing prowess of Melissa Bell, who had a hat trick in the match and was the team's leading scorer over the weekend.  Big wins against two very physical and aggressive opponents, Ambush and Blackout set the girls up for a final match against a tough SCV Magic group. SMU's commitment to possession allowed them to "let the ball do the work," important as it was their fourth game in the heat.  The girls found the back of the net three times and maintained their defensive focus throughout the match.  It was clear they wanted this one!  Extra sweet as one year ago they came oh so close, losing the final in PK's.  Congrats, girls!  A job well done.

BIRD and KOH, SMU Players of the Week!!!
Apr 23 2012 - Manu Appelius
TOBY BIRD and MATTHEW KOH (B15)...players of the week...
For more details, click here:

WATANABE, ORTEGA, OCHOA, ANGELO, BOASBERG and MITCHELL - Players of the Week!
Apr 15 2012 - Manu Appelius
SAKI WATANABE, KIRSTEN ORTEGA, DYLAN OCHOA, PATRICK ANGELO, CHLOE BOASBERG, SARAH MITCHELL are SMU Players of the Week!!!
For more details, click here:

SMUG15 GET FIRST PLACE AT ECLIPSE COLLEGE SHOWCASE!
Apr 01 2012 - Manu Appelius
SMUG15 went 3-0 this weekend at Eclipse College Showcase, to capture first place in the Predator Bracket at UCI.
The girls opened the weekend with a very convincing 3-0 win over Capistrano Capo FC. With 2 goals scored in the first 5 minutes, the girls controlled the tempo of the game, adding a third goal before half time. The defense, playing for the first time with a flat-4 zonal system, never really gave up opportunities. The team as a whole displayed good understanding and control of the new defensive system. Saturday afternoon was the highlight of the weekend. After a scoreless first half, the girls went down to a talented Laguna Niguel SC Silver Elite team early in the second half. After dominating the rest of the game, but missing several opportunities, the girls tied with 3 minutes left in regulation and scored the winning goal with 5 second left on the clock! The team showed tremendous composure and was able to create chance after chance, never losing sight of the game plan. A well deserved win and an exciting finale of the game for spectators in attendance.
Sunday morning, the team was a little more sluggish and tired. They still easily took care of a Manchester Red team, bringing home an impressive 3-0 win.
Well done girls! SMU is proud of you.