The Sunnvyale AYSO Barracudas display the trophies that they won for finishing third in the area tournament. Members of the team include (front row, l-r) Michelle Camburn, Taisheka Hammett, Sarah Cousins, Michelle Mendes and Amy Fredrickson; (middle row, l-r) Emily Geriepy, Jennifer Hunt, Lauren Gully, Christina Fukumoto, Sarah Benjamin and Lauren Glaser; and (back row, l-r) coaches Barbara Fukumoto, Rhonda Hunt, Koji Fukumoto and Susan Benjamin. Not pictured is Claudia Eachus.
Barracudas third in area tourney
Girls soccer team plays with heart
By Dick Sparrer
It wasn't a very big Sunnyvale youth soccer team that competed in the girls under-12 AYSO area tournament over the Dec. 4-5 weekend.
But what the Sunnyvale Barracudas lacked in numbers, they made up for in heart. Because even with a small team, the Barracudas managed to win their bracket on Saturday and advance to the final round of four on Sunday.
The Barracudas ended up third overall in the rugged tournament, and they did it with just 11 girls.
The girls played "hustling, aggressive team soccer," said Barbara Fukumoto, one of the team's four coaches.
The Barracudas won their spot in the final four by winning their bracket on Saturday, playing without subs and sometimes short, according to Fukumoto.
Saturday's round of 16 include top teams from Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Mountain View, Los Altos, Ravenswood and Portola Valley. The Barracudas won three games that day to move on to the final round.
Taisheka Hammett starred on both ends of the field for the Sunnyvale squad. She scored a pair of goals and also saw time in the net as the goalkeeper for the Barracudas.
Amy Fredrickson and Claudia Eachus shared time in the goal with Hammett, and Jennifer Hunt and Michelle Camburn also saw duty as goalkeepers.
Lauren Gully and Jennifer Hunt played well defensively as the Barracudas recorded three shutouts in six matches.
Sarah Cousins and Christina Fukumoto each had two goals and an assist. Claudia Eachus added two assists, and Fredrickson had one.
Emily Gariepy, Michelle Mendes, Lauren Glaser and Sarah Benjamin also played well for the third-place Barracudas.
"The girls played six scrappy matches with heart during the two-day tournament," said Fukumoto.
Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
