Local girls teams strong in Comstock

The 11th Annual Comstock Shootout Soccer Tournament hosted 96 girls teams this weekend from four states and six Carson City teams made it to the finals on Sunday.

With sunny skies and excellent fields, the girls played soccer at Edmonds Sports Complex and at Mills Park and enjoyed a rock-climbing wall in between games.

"We are grateful for the good weather and the hard work of all our volunteers," said tournament Co-Director Phil Williamson, who has been involved with the Shootout since its inception in 1994. "The soccer level of play improves every year and our local teams are getting better and better."

The U-19 Sierra Division winners were the Carson City Alliance, who defeated the FC Phoenix Kaos 1-0 in a tightly contested match. The Alliance team was cheered on by former teammate Erin Steiber, who now plays soccer for Lassen College and has signed to play for St. Mary's College on a soccer scholarship.

In the U-19 Cascade Division, the Mammoth Storm team beat the Davis Belles, 3-1 in the late afternoon game.

Two Carson City Capital teams played against each other in the finals for the U-12 Sierra Division. Carson City Freedom, coached by Tom Price, triumphed 4-1 over the Carson City "X," with Paul Aigbogun coaching. The teams frequently scrimmage against each other, so the game was hard fought but friendly.

The U-12 Coastal Division winner was the Carson City Extreme '93, coached by Jeff Riggs, who squeaked past the Reno Gunners with aggressive shooting and a tough defense. The South Lake Tahoe Lightning beat the Davis, California Dynamite team 1-0 in the final for the U-12 Cascade Division.

The two flight champions in the U-14 Sierra Division, the Las Vegas Tabagators and the Folsom Heat, dominated their opponents in the games leading to the championship. In the final, the Folsom Heat continued their scoring ways, beating the feisty Las Vegas team 4-0.

Two local area teams played in the U-14 Cascade Division final. The Carson Valley X-Press, coached by David D'Amico, scored one more goal than the Carson City Tidal Wave and coach Tracy Taylor, with the X-Press prevailing, 3-2.

In the U-14 Coastal Division, The Reno Stampede, with coach Tom Shrake, scored a 3-0 win over the South Lake Tahoe Nightmare, coached by Ed Cook.

For the U-16 Sierra Division championship, the Nevada Pride team, coached by Steve Asher, controlled the Ashland, Ore., Chaos team enough to win 1-0. The Sparks Freedom girls team, with coach Mike Dyer, beat the Reno Power team, headed by Alanna Makinano, in the U-16 Cascade Division.

The most enthusiastic cheers of the tournament came from the supporters of the youngest teams. In the U-10 Sierra Division final, the PHMSA Arsenal from the communities of Pleasant Hill-Martinez in the Bay Area, scored twice to beat the Concord (Calif.) Extreme girls, 2-0.

The U-10 Cascade Division championship featured the Davis Blaze, who scored a 7-0 victory over the PHMSA Pirates.

The Comstock Shootout Soccer Tournament has grown from 32 teams in 1993 to a 2004 total of 180 boys and girls teams, playing in two weekends.