In the right direction

Jackie advances the ball

Well it took me eight games to figure it out, but the Blue Diamonds are now calling themselves the Blue Diamondbacks. The Dbacks put in another good fight on Saturday, but fell to the Red Firebirds 6-2.

The girls played with only seven players, but put on one of their best showings of the season. The overall play was the most aggressive of the season. A couple of first half injuries slowed the Dbacks momentum, but they continued to press on offense.

Karsyn and Jackie moved the ball into the Firebirds zone several times in the first half, keeping the flow of the game fast and furious. Jackie had two scoring chances stopped by the Firebirds pressing defense.

Juhi and Anna played an impressive game on the backline, stopping several chances by the Firebirds. The two defenders provided great support in front of Nandini and Emily who split time in goal.

Whitney prepares to shoot!

Two second-half goals by Whitney demonstrated that the team is headed in the right direction. Both goals were setup by great lead passes that sprung the play.

Alyssa had two golden scoring chances. The first came on a rifle shot that bounded off the right post, then another chance was snuffed out by the Firebirds goaltender on a play in tight.

More [Game 8 photos available here] (112 photos on 6 pages)

Game 7 Photos

Here are some [photos from Game 7]

Best showing of the season

The Diamonds (or is it Diamondbacks?) played their best game of the season on Saturday, although they fell to the Black & Yellow Bumblebees 4-1. The team showed off their defensive skills, keeping the Bumblebees to two goals in the first half.

Anna, Samantha, Lauren and Emily anchored the backline, stopping numerous attempts to generate scoring chances. The two were frustrating the Bees offense, by clearing one ball after another.


Karsyn made three key saves in goal, including a shot that grabbed out of the air, as it sailed in chest high.

With help from the midfielders, the Diamond(backs) played one of their best positional games of the season. There were several passes that quickly turned into counter attacks. The Diamond(backs) finally broke through with a fantastic goal by Nandini early in the second half to cut the Bees lead to 2-1.


Alyssa, Jackie and Melanie created several scoring chances by punting the ball past the older and more experienced Bees fullbacks to open up the offense in the second half.

It was great to see the girls moving the ball with passes. The “swarm” offense is starting to evolve into an attack complete with passes and gritty attacks.



[Game 6 Photo Album] - 84 photos

Tornados pack too much punch

The Blue Diamonds turned in another great effort on Saturday afternoon, and showed signs of significant improvement over the season’s first two games. Moving from SA 6 & Under to SA 10 & Under (skipping 8 & Under) has been a major jump for the girls, but they’ve weathered the storm.

The Diamonds suffered their third loss of the season, but the effort and development are improving with every game. It’s clear that passing the ball has been a priority in the game plan, and every player demonstrated that they are capable of moving the ball.


Whitney and Alyssa both scored second half goals, demonstrating that the offense is on the verge of breaking through.

Juhi was aggressive in the goal and snuffed several Tornado scoring chances. Jackie and Nandini both had great offensive games, advancing the attack on several occasions. Lauren, Anna, Melanie, Samantha and Karsyn all had strong games at midfield and on the backline.



[Game 5 Photo Album]

Blogging the 2006 Spring Season

Hi Blue Diamonds Family, Friends and Fans -

My apologies for not kicking this off sooner, but it's been a busy few weeks. I will blog the 2006 Spring Season as much as possible, but as you can see, I've already missed the first few games. I will try and update schedules and any other relevant info as time permits.

I'm not quite sure if Blue Diamonds is even the offical team name this season, so I'll update it (if necessary) as soon as someone clarifies what the team name is :) Feel free to email me (or Sonya).

Looking forward to a great season,
Mike (Karsyn's Dad)

PARENTS OF NEW DIAMONDS: Please note that as a matter of general online security, I do not publish personal information (other than first names) such as email addresses, phone numbers, addresses or last names. I will link to game photos, so if you are a Blue Diamond parent and don't wish to have your child's photo published, please send me an email and I will omit them from this blog.

Spring 2006 Schedule

I will post the complete Spring Schedule here once I receive an updated copy.

Spring 2006 Snack Schedule

Spring 2006 Snack Schedule (subject to change)

• 5/20 – Jackie
• 5/27 - Need volunteer
• 6/03 - Juhi


* In addition to snacks & drinks, please bring a bag or two of ice in case of injuries.

Photos Anyone

If any Blue Diamond parents would like photos from this past season, I'd be more than happy to burn a cd for you. Just let me know which photos you'd like.

There are over 300 photos to choose from in the Blue Diamonds 2005 Photo Album.

Send Send me (Mike L) and email, and I'll cut you a disk.

Congratulations Diamonds, Family & Friends!

The Diamond players, friends and family enjoyed a great post game celebration at De Anza Park following the team’s victory over the Froggies on Saturday. Each player was rewarded for their great play this season by Coach Hank with a trophy and a gift bag.

I mention this event, because it was not only an opportunity to congratulate the players on their great season, but it was also a chance to say thanks to all the parents and coaches who dedicated countless hours of time and energy during the season.


Coach Hank can’t be thanked enough for his commitment to the team. His dedication to family, community and sport is something that we can all use as a great example for our children. Sunnyvale is a better place because of people like Coach Hank.

Coach Darren should also be thanked for stepping up and taking the reigns during a game this season while Coach Hank was out of town. Trying to get nine little girls to listen to you, much less play as a team is a feat in itself. Bravo to both coaches.


All the parents should also pat themselves on the back. The players may not appreciate it now, but the shuttles to practice & games, the team events, and the parental support during games is something that they will thank you all for someday.

Having a winning record is nice. Having a winning set of parents that support their children is just plain fantastic.

Congratulations to you all!

Hope to see everyone in a couple of months for the start of the spring season.

Diamonds end a wonderful season with an exlamation point!

The world’s greatest 8 & Under girls soccer team wrapped up their fantastic 2005 Fall Season on Saturday with a 6-2 win over the Green Froggies. The Diamonds finished the season with a 9-1 record after knocking off the Froggies for the second time this season. Their only loss came while playing with three players absent against the Red Firebirds earlier this season.

The Diamonds scored at will on Saturday, running up a 5-0 lead before the Froggies could muster a goal of their own. Melanie scored a fantastic goal and had several shots from the close range to lead the Blue Diamonds.

Alyssa had another multiple-goal game, including a shot that sailed over the goaltender’s shoulder and found the net in the top corner. Whitney was forced to limit her shots to her left foot by Coach Hank because she was peppering the Froggies goal with shots early on. Even that handicap couldn’t slow her down as she would score with her off foot in the second half.


Jackie would tally in the first half then move to the goal where her keen game instincts would initiate immediate counter attacks after making saves. Samantha, Lauren and Karsyn all had strong games on offense and defense, and made several centering passes to spring teammates on breakaways.

Anna shut out the Froggies in net in the first half, and then played at forward and defense. Christene played one of her strongest games of the season, using her speed to blow past Froggies all over the field.

What was most impressive about the game was the Diamonds play against older opposition. The Froggies were short handed, so their coach asked to sub in the older siblings of two of the Froggie players. They proved no match for the Diamonds who moved the ball at will.


The Diamonds scored an amazing 43 goals, averaging 4.3 goals per game, and only allowed 20 (2.0 goals against per game).

The only disappointment on Saturday was not getting another shot at the Red Firebirds. With a full roster, the Diamonds may have gone undefeated this season.

More [Game 10 Photos]

Diamonds extend win streak to four games

The Diamonds continued their dominance on Saturday with a 6-1 victory over the Pink Dolphins. The victory was the second of the season over the Dolphins, resulting in a +10 goal differential between the two teams. The Diamonds scored three goals in the first half of the game and tacked on two more to extend their win streak to four games.

The highlight of the game was a fantastic goal by Lauren, which capped the Diamonds scoring. The feisty forward took a centering pass at midfield before carrying the ball up field and firing a shot past the goaltender from 15 feet out.

Melanie had a strong game with several shots that had to be smothered by the Dolphins goaltender. Alyssa scored at will in the opening half, recording a hat trick before halftime. Jackie also played a strong game at midfield, making several outstanding passes on the counter attack.


Whitney and Karsyn also added tallies to propel the Diamonds to the second straight game with five or more goals. The Diamonds have tallied five or more goals in five of nine games this season.

Anna, Christene and Samantha clamped down on the Dolphins offense, only allowing a single goal late in the game. The Diamonds have allowed an average of 2.00 goals per game this season, which is one of the reasons that have been so successful.


Coach Hank rewarded the team after the game by allowing each player to douse him with a water fire extinguisher. The coach has shown an affinity to water this season, having volunteered as the target for a dunk tank, water balloons and now the fire extinguisher.

More [Game 9 photos here]