The target continues to grow larger on its collective back. But that bull’s-eye in the middle looks more like a beckoning soccer ball to FC Blitz Orange 99, which heads into this month’s Surf Cup in San Diego with that target as well as a title that no girls soccer team from Hawaii has ever carried into the prestigious invitational:
That of USYS Far West Regional champion.
The under-12 team, unbeaten in its age group for six years of island play (with two ties), brought gold medals home from Boise, Idaho, upsetting top-seeded Surf Club, the Southern California champ, 4-2 on penalty kicks in the final. It capped a title run for FC Blitz, which finished second in its pool to that same Surf Club team; the quarterfinal and semifinal victories also came on PKs.
"This team is pretty resilient," said head coach Ric Ramos, who had been with the team since its formation. "What makes this group special is they are individually skilled and they’re good at setting goals. That’s abnormal for their age if you think about it.
"They work hard, they really want to do well. It’s been a good ride so far."
And an impressive one. About half of the 16 players have been together since the U-7 team, winning four state championships as well as four HYSA President’s Day Tournaments.
This past spring, the team — with players from around Oahu and one from Maui — played up in the HYSA U-14 premier division and finished second.
They will be competing in the 31st Surf Cup in the U-13 division since its age-group designation changed as of July 1.
The Blitz opens the tournament against the home team, the Surf Club, the same team it faced twice in Idaho.
"Yes, the home team on their home field," Ramos said. "It’s going to be a battle.
"It’s going to be tough to get out of the pool."
That was the same thinking last month, Ramos said.
"We just wanted to make it to the quarters," he said. "Somehow we did. Then somehow we made the finals, and then the finals."
The team advanced out of its pool with a 2-1-0 record, yielding one goal. That came in a 1-0 loss to Surf Club in the pool finale, following wins over the Oregon state champion (3-0) and the Washington state champ (1-0).
After edging Arizona 3-2 in PKs in the quarterfinals, the Blitz trailed 2-0 at halftime in the semifinals against California’s Eagles. Two second-half goals tied it and the Hawaii team won 5-3 on PKs.
The final was a scoreless draw in regulation. Again, the pressure was on Blitz goalie Jazzmyn Peralta.
She stopped two shots in overtime for a 4-2 victory.
"I think there’s more pressure on the shooters than the keeper," said Peralta, an incoming eighth-grader at Aliamanu Middle School who has been with the team for two seasons. "I just kept my composure and did what I had to do."
"It was exciting. It was fun."
Brooke Ramos, the coach’s daughter, said focus will be the key in San Diego.
"It’s pretty awesome that we’re the first from Hawaii to win (at the regional)," the incoming seventh-grader at Pearl Harbor Christian said. "Our pool is tough; we have a couple of teams we already played. They know us, but we know them.
"The targets on our backs are bigger. We have to stay focused."
They already know about discipline, on and off the field. Dietary recommendations are no soda, no sugar, no fast food.
"And you would think that it’s too early to think about college, but it’s not," Ramos said. "We’re always telling them that soccer can take you to the next level."
Several of the players already have been selected to the Olympic Development Program: Eden Kawabe, Taylor-Ann Marumoto, Shayla Padilla and Taylor Strong.
The other team members are Lauryn Cabudol, Jordan Hill, Kylee Kim-Bustillos, Brittny Iwaze, Gianni Weyers, Shay Nakahira, Bethany Nazareno, Kacie-Lynn Viernes, Alyssa Yoshida, Jaelynn Chargualaf and Ana Plunkett. Ramos’ assistant is former Mililani High coach John Uson.
