Soccer travel team takes tourney title

The Central Oregon Rush Strikers struck soccer gold when they won the Kohl's American Cup recreational soccer championship in the U12 division, October 18 in Salem.

The youth soccer team, consisting of kids from Sisters and Redmond, beat the McMinnville YSC Grizzlies by a score of 2-1.

The Rush Strikers trailed 1-0 at halftime, but rallied behind Sisters sixth-grader Colton Mannhalter's two goals and a strong defensive effort.

Many of the Rush Strikers from Sisters have been together for three years, playing under coach Chris van der Velde. This season, when older players moved on to U14 teams, the kids from Sisters didn't have the numbers to form a complete team. The same thing happened to the Redmond U12 team, so the two groups got together.

Joe Kiblinger, of Redmond, is co-coaching.

"We're two parents trying to keep kids who love soccer playing," van der Velde said of himself and Kiblinger.

The kids from Redmond and Sisters know each other pretty well, said van der Velde. They have been playing against each other for the past few years and they've bonded together well this season. He said the team plays in synch on the field and has an effective passing game.

"When you have good passing you can control the game," he said.

The first three games of the Kohl Cup were won by the Rush Strikers by scores of 7-0, 5-1, and 4-0. Rush Strikers playing in the Kohl Cup were Colton Mannhalter, Mack van der Velde, Jaden Bachtold, Dyut Fetrow, Cole Graham, Humberto Ruiz, Tanner Sande, Nakota Sanders, Tristan Steen, Eliceo Bernabe, Ernesto Chavez, David Edwards, Connor Kiblinger and Carlos Montanez.

"My goal is to keep them together and give them an understanding of the game so they are prepared for high school," van der Velde said.

He wants the kids who like the game to keep playing, since there isn't a team at the middle school. The kids practice twice a week, once in Sisters and once in Redmond. Most weekends they play other recreational teams in Central Oregon. The Kohl Cup was the team's first tournament this season, and some players will go on to play in Oregon Youth Soccer's Biokleen Tournament, November 14-15.