Kicked off to a great start. Pictures and News coverage

Here is the SLO City News Article (Download PDF)

From  timespressrecorder.com By TPR Staff ( Online Article here )

The De Portico Union goalie misses the ball ing a game against Santa Barbara All Stars during a beach soccer tourney in Grover Beach on Saturday, May 31. //Phil Klein/Contributor
Soccer players of all ages kicked up the soft sands last weekend at Pismo State Beach during the San Luis Obispo County YMCA/Copa Cabana Beach Soccer Tournament.

When the dust finally settled on the inaugural tournament, a Nipomo team was among the champions.

Teams of all skill levels in youth, adult and coed divisions played five-against-five games during the event May 31 and June 1 at the end of West Grand Avenue in Grover Beach.

The Nipomo Sand Storm, made up of 11 soccer players from Nipomo High School, captured the championship in the girls 17U division.

The team blew into the tournament with a fury Saturday, winning both its games by the same score of 6-0.

In its first game Sunday, the team claimed an even more decisive victory, winning by a score of 7-1.

Then in the championship game, the forecast for victory seemed uncertain, as the Sand Storm only had a slim lead at 2-1 after the first period.

But the players whipped themselves into a virtual tornado, racking up point after point as they rolled to a 12-1 victory.

The Grover Beach tournament, which also included live entertainment and food, was only the second for the team.

In its first tournament at the end of April in Port Hueneme, the team placed second, said Mike Neel, one of the Sand Storm coaches.

Neel said the Sand Storm hopes to travel to San Francisco and El Segundo this summer for other Copa Cabana Beach Soccer Tournaments.

Games consist of three 12-minute periods, with two minutes of rest in between.

For more information, visit www.copacabanabeachsoccer.com.

Posted Friday, June 6, 2014