Carson City Pumas shoot their way to Comstock title

On a day when records fell at the 12th annual Comstock Shootout boys age group soccer tournament, the Carson City Pumas set a new standard for offense Sunday in winning their Under-14-year-old Cascade Division championship.

The Anna Fernandez-coached Pumas defeated Antelope United (Sacramento) 7-5 in the final, which set a tournament record for most goals scored in a championship match, according to Comstock Shootout spokesman Fred Schmidt.

That was just one of several exciting contests waged on the final day of a two-day event that attracted 78 teams.

"It was a fun tournament," Schmidt said. "It was fun, but feisty. There were 19 red cards, and that set a tournament record, but we had some of the more exciting finals we've ever had."

The Pumas were one of five Carson City teams to play for division championships on Sunday.

One battle that went back and forth and was decided at the very end came in the Under-10 final, where the Concord All-Stars from the Bay Area defeated Carson in a penalty kick shootout.

Carson rallied from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits, and forced overtime with a goal in the final 15 seconds of regulation. The teams battled through two overtime periods before the issue was finally decided by penalty kicks.

The Carson Avalanche advanced to the Under-13 Sierra Division final before losing 4-0 to a Las Vegas Liverpool squad that is the defending state champion in its age group.

Of local interest, the Nevada Wonders defeated high-powered Las Vegas Premiere 5-3 in Saturday's preliminary play, only to lose against the Avalanche in an all-Carson semifinal earlier on Sunday.

In the Under-19 Sierra Division final, Reno Revolution emerged as 2-0 victors against the Jason Koop-coached Nevada Wonders, a team comprised of Carson, Douglas and Galena high school players.

The Reno Moon Dogs defeated the Nevada Wonders Fusion 3-0 in the Under-14 Sierra Division championship contest.

In the Under-19 Cascade Division final, South Lake Tahoe Real Madrid defeated the Rio Vista (Calif.) Arsenal in a match that was suspended midway through the second half after several red cards were issued.

The Reno Strikers defeated South Lake Tahoe Barcelona 3-1 to successfully defend their Comstock Shootout Under-16 division championship. Earlier, South Lake Tahoe advanced to the final with a win against Carson Anarchy that was decided by a penalty kick shootout.

Also, in the Under-12 Sierra Division final, Boise Blue defeated Boise Crimson 5-0. The Davis (Calif.) Fire Elite defeated Tahoe Thunder in the Under-12 Cascade Division final.

Overall, Schmidt described the two-day tournament as a success.

"We had a lot of exciting games; the fields were in beautiful condition, the Carson City Parks Department did a great job of getting them ready; and we had a lot of volunteers that made this all happen," Schmidt said, adding special mention for volunteer officials who worked the 126 games that were played Saturday and Sunday.

Soccer action returns to Carson City next weekend for the Comstock Shootout girls tournament, which will feature 96 teams.