The Newport Beach Slammers girls under-18 squad, which won the state
cup last month, reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Youth Soccer
Far West regional at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Park in Honolulu,
Hawaii, Thursday.
The Slammers, which features recent Corona del Mar High graduates
Alivia Mazura, Lauren Shepherdson and Paige Janes, won their pool
with three victories in the tournament that started Monday. The
Slammers represented Southern California after winning the final in
the Premier Cup Championship in May.
The Slammers won their pool when Mazura scored the game-winning
goal after converting on a through ball with about 15 minutes left, leading the Slammers to a 2-1 victory over Washington on Wednesday.
The Pleasanton Rage, representing Northern California, defeated
the Slammers, 4-0, in a quarterfinal Thursday.
On Monday, the Slammers defeated Hawaii, 7-0, and they defeated
Alaska, 1-0, the following day. Shepherdson, who made her first
appearance since rehabilitating from a broken foot, recorded an
assist on the first ball she touched in the 20th minute against
Hawaii.
