Pleasanton Rage team wins soccer championship Pleasanton Rage team wins soccer championship (August 02, 2002)

Under 17s beat Minnesota in national finals

A Pleasanton Rage soccer team won the national title in the under-17 girls competition near Washington, D.C., last Sunday, defeating a team from Tsunami, Minn., 2-1 in a hard fought championship game.

After trailing 1-0 at halftime, the Rage came back strong in the second half. Applying constant pressure, the team tied the game on a Tina Estrada goal. With nine minutes left in the game Kelsey Quane put in the winning goal. The Rage tightened up on defense and preserved the 2-1 victory.

The Rage team also received the Snickers Fair Play Award given to the one team in each age group at the 48-team tournament, as selected by referees, state representatives and the National Championship Committee. The award-winning teams are recognized for displaying positive conduct on the field toward their opponents and game officials throughout the competition. The Rage's Cori Alexander received the Adidas Golden Gloves Award, which honors the top goalkeeper in each age group.

"Unbelievable!" exclaimed Philippe Blin, Rage Director of Coaching. "I'm very excited for this group of girls. They have fought through much adversity this year and pulled together to make their dream come true."

Team Coach Jay Fischer added: "This was an amazing win for a team that has worked extremely hard and supported each other through all of the ups and downs that we see in competitive youth soccer. I'm extremely proud of this group."

This is the first national championship for the Pleasanton club and the first for a Northern California team in any of the participating age groups since 1998, according to Karen Baker of 2,500-member Pleasanton Rage Soccer Club.