Under blue skies and sunshine, players from near and far once again took to the fields for the Dungeness Cup.
After a year’s hiatus, the revived youth soccer tournament saw 41 teams battling for top spots in 10 divisions at the Albert Haller Playfields in Sequim during a three-day tournament held Aug. 3-5.
“Everyone came together,” tourney director Molly McAleer said.” Sequim Junior Soccer, Storm King, Kiwanis, the City (of Sequim) was awesome … it was a true community event.”
The Dungeness Cup started in 2012 but was postponed in 2017 before McAleer and the Sequim Women’s Soccer Booster Club picked up sponsorship to help bring a number of teams from Kitsap County, Kent, Gig Harbor and beyond to the peninsula.
McAleer said connecting with StarfireSports in Tukwila — an organization that helped with vendors, referees, scheduling, online registration, games, reporting and overall protocol for this year’s Dungeness Cup — was key.
“Starfire came in clutch; it was July 26th before we knew we’d have enough teams,” McAleer said.
“(The tourney) is only going to get better,” said coach Juan Carlos, whose Storm King BU16 squad took second place in their Dungeness Cup division.
“It’s nice to see Sequim get a tournament (again),” he said.
“This was our first tournament,” Carlos said, as his players now gear up for an end-of-the-month tournament at the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila. “This was good preparation for that (tourney), to see where our weaknesses and strengths are.”
See full results and more about the tournament at www.dungenesscup.com.
Division champions, runners-up
Includes championship game score
• Girls
GU9-10 — Champion: Kitsap Alliance FC 2009A (by points)
GU11 — Champion: NK Eclipse (3-1); runner-up: Stork King GU11
GU12 — Champion: Storm King G07 (2-0); runner-up: Harbor Premier G07
GU13-14 — Champion: Storm King Girls U13 (2-0); runner-up: Silver FC 06
• Boys
BU9-10 — Champion: Storm King BU10 (1-0, PKs); runner-up: Harbor Premier B10 Green
BU11 — Champion: Kitsap Alliance B08 (6-0); runner-up: Storm King Legend BU12
BU12 — Champion: Storm King B07 (3-2 PKs); runner-up: NK Kraken
BU13-14 — Champion: Harbor Premier B05 Green (4-0); runner-up: Kitsap Alliance B06
BU15-16 — Champion: Nortac Sparta B03 (3-0); runner-up: Storm King BU16
BU18-19 — Champion: Storm King B1 (5-1); runner-up: JCSC Pumas 2001.
Organizers and coaches at the 2018 Dungeness Cup are all smiles following championship games that rounded out the three-day tournament on Aug. 5. Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell
Ashton Smith of Storm King works his way through the Nortac Sparta B03 midfield in the BU16 championship game on Aug. 5. Nortac topped Storm King, 3-0. Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell
Ky Anderson rips a shot into the lower left corner to clinch a win for his Storm King BU07 squad, as the local team edged NK Kraken 3-2 in penalty kicks in the BU12 title tilt. Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell
Porter Little and Storm King BU16 takes on the Nortac Sparta B03 squad at last weekend’s Dungeness Cup. Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell
James Mason of Storm King BU07 helps his squad finish in a regulation tie against NK Kraken; Storm King eventually won on penalty kicks (3-2). Sequim Gazette photo by Michael Dashiell
