Rage earns high points in Warm-Up tourney Rage earns high points in Warm-Up tourney (September 02, 2005)

80 teams compete in pre-season competition
by Jeb Bing

The Pleasanton Rage hosted 80 girls soccer teams from northern California last weekend for its 6th annual Soccer City Warm-Up, the annual prelude to regular season play at home clubs.

With the tournament using a complex point system based on goals scored, not on games won, the Rage under 17s earned 26 points, losing out to the Walnut Creek Soccer Club in last Sunday's championship game, which finished with 27 points.

The Rage Under 19s came close with 25 points, winning its consolation game against the Rage Blue 2-0.

Coach Ron Lambert said the U-19s defeated the Sacramento Arrows 1-0 in the opening game, won the second game against the Roseville Extremes 3-1, and then went on to defeat Pacifica 1-0.

He said the tournament's point system allows each team 6 points for a win, 3 points for a tie, and no points for a loss. Each goal scored earns the team 3 additional points up to a maximum of 3 points per game. A shut-out gives the team an extra point, so the magic number is 30 points for a perfect three games in the contest.

"Our team was almost there, but the one goal made against us by Roseville put us in the consolation game, not the championship," he said.

Player Christy Payne was injured in the game with Roseville and was carried off the field. X-rays later showed she had suffered a severe sprain, which kept her out of the competition for the rest of the weekend.

Lambert said the tournament is more about "bragging rights" than head-to-head competition and gives coaches a chance to check out their new squad.

"As the tournament is called, this is really a warm-up for coaches and their teams," said Lambert, whose daughter Naomi, 18, played left fullback on the team. "This was really the first time we were together as a team, so now we'll start regular practice and be ready for our season opener on Saturday, Sept. 10."

Lambert, who lives in Valley Trails with his wife Pamela and their three children, has just been named offsite coach of the girls varsity soccer team at Foothill high School. Naomi just graduated from Foothill, where she played varsity soccer, and now attends Las Positas College. Another daughter, Kalene, is a freshman at the school. The couple also has Dillon, 2, who Lambert calls their "bonus baby." Lambert works in the landscape section for the city of San Leandro, where he has been employed 17 years. With his regular working hours 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., he said he has a perfect schedule for getting to his coaching job at Foothill in time for practice and just as school lets out, giving him a place to park.

Lambert said club soccer, including Rage games, will be played to Nov. 7, when high school varsity games will begin. His Rage team will be reunited three months later and start practicing for the club cup tournaments, the highly competitive end-of-year games that often determine college scholarships and offers.
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