Congratulations to The ASE G00 Emeralds for wrapping up the summer tournament season with a 1st place finish at the Starfire Labor Day Cup in Tukwila, WA.  This tournament proved to be the toughest of the summer with a large contingent of exceptional teams.  The Emeralds kicked the tournament off in a hard fought battle with one of the top GU11 teams in the State, Washington Premier FC - Black.  "For our first game on turf this season, I think the girls adjusted very well", said coach Ryan Ollero.  On their way to the title, the girls battled through 3 pressure packed penalty kick shootouts.  Facing elimination each time, the Emeralds came away victorious including the championship game.  While the shooters did their part by making enough goals to survive all three shootouts, Marley Ollero was the key difference, stopping 11 of the 16 penalty kicks she faced.  "The penalty kicks put a tremendous amount of pressure on individual players at times, yet the experience will be invaluable going forward", said Coach Tracy Morgan.  “The girls handled the tense moments with incredible poise, while the parents and coaches all aged a few years on the sidelines”!

In addition to the Labor Day Cup, the Emeralds were crowned champions at the Rainier Challenge, Three Rivers Summer Kick-Off, and the Northwest Cup.  Over the course of the summer, the Emeralds did not suffer a single defeat and were crowned champions of all 4 tournaments they entered.  "We are seeing what an early start on training and competing at competitive levels can really do for the players and the program", said Coach Ryan, "All of their hard work and dedication over the last two years is clearly paying off."  Great Job girls!!