Playing the strong defense that carried them through the tournament, the FC Salmon Creek Nemesis won a girls soccer regional championship on Sunday.
Two early goals put the Nemesis in command and they beat Rebel SC Elite of San Diego 3-1 in the final for the girls under-15 tournament at the U.S. Soccer Far West Regional in Boise, Idaho.
The Nemesis advance to the U.S. Youth Soccer National Championships next month in Texas.
Goals three minutes apart gave the Nemesis a 2-0 lead 14 minutes into the match. First, Makie Quigley headed home a corner kick from MacKenzie Ellertson. Moments later, Ava Benedetti finished a cross from Baylee Groom.
Ellertson scored on a free kick from a sharp angle in the second half to make it 3-0 for FC Salmon Creek.
“My attacking personalities did their jobs today,” Nemesis coach Tina Ellertson said. “We had about four good looks at goal and we put three in. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
The early lead was plenty for a team that outscored its opponents 18-6 over six matches at the tournament.
“I told the girls all week that championships are won by playing solid team defense. My girls defended well all week,” Tina Ellertson said.
The state champion representing Oregon, the Nemesis beat champions from Northern California, Southern California, Washington, Idaho, Colorado and Nevada during the weeklong tournament.
