Cardiff Mustangs girls competitive soccer team moves into state semi-finals

The Cardiff Mustangs competitive soccer club recently announced that its girls 2007 competitive soccer team has advanced to the Cal South State Cup (“State Cup”) semi-finals, a huge accomplishment for a local club. The team competed with 58 teams from Southern California in the Presidents Division. State Cup is the largest youth soccer tournament in the country on its 42nd edition. The Mustangs team dominated in seven games, shutting down teams from all over Southern California to move into the semi-finals. If they girls win the semi-final game, they will move on to play one last final game to take the State Cup.

“We’re all very excited about playing in the semi-finals,” said Simone Louie, Mustangs Girls 2007 player. We have come along way over the past few years because of our coaches and ability to maintain a core group. We’re ready to play this weekend and hope to come home with two more wins to take State Cup.”

The team of 17 girls, all born in 2007 has steady progressed over the past five years. Many of the girls have played together for over five years, with some playing together since their rec Cardiff Soccer team.

Under the guidance of the Cardiff Mustangs’ director of competitive coaching and captain of the San Diego Sockers, Kraig Chiles, teams are formed and flighted appropriately for development based on skill at tryouts. In 2015, the team started in the lowest level bracket in the Presidio League. The team consistently developed technical skills, tactical awareness and overall game IQ with their coaches to move up brackets each year of subsequent play. Today the team plays in Cal South San Diego Development Academy (SDDA) Flight II Gold division, under coach Chad Hagerty.

For the 2020-21 season, the team will transition to Jeff Hughes, who joined the Mustangs recently from the Albion U.S. Development Academy program. Hughes also played for the San Diego Sockers and Ontario Fury and his wife, MaryBeth Hughes, coached the team prior to Hagerty. The Mustangs typically transition teams to new coaches every 2-3 years, however, the entire coaching staff works with all teams. For example, the Mustangs have specialty training programs, goalie clinics, and competitive player camps and clinics for players to learn high level skills from coaches with an array of high-level soccer backgrounds. This also makes the program very fluid. Coach Philip Belman stepped in on a few of the State Cup games continuing the girls winning streak when Hagerty had a family wedding.

“The girls advancement into the semi-finals is contributed to their hard work and dedication combined with the coaching program at the club,” said Chiles. While I am extremely proud of this team, there are many teams in the club that have advanced the same way over the years and there are players who have gone on to play in college. The Mustangs is all about the community of our players, parents, coaches, and board coming together and making the kids better people on the field and off. The entire community is cheering for the girls.”

The girls were scheduled to take the field again in the semi-finals on Saturday, March 14 but due to the coronavirus outbreak, the event has been postponed.

Mustangs 2007 Girls Red Team includes Kinsley Handy, Simone Louie, Rae Randall, Sienna Tesan, Angelina Thielman, Oliva Capaci, Kennedy Cormier, Campbell Glauser, Makena Howard, Laila Kaul, Nasira Keita, Gabby Marquez, Taylor McLeod, Britt Mohler, Riley Platenberg, and Mia Pullman. --News release