It was only three minutes, but that was all took for the Vikings to gain the advantage over the Beavers in the Big 7 championship game.  The game was closely contested throughout, ending with ties at the end of the first quarter, 4-4, halftime, 8-8, and the third quarter, 11-11, but DVC opened the final period with four quick goals.  “We played poorly for three minutes,” said Coach Eric Black, “and that was all it took.  We answered with a furious comeback and had DVC reeling, but we just ran out of time.”  ARC earned the third seed for the NorCals and will play Modesto this Friday at 2:15 at Cabrillo College in Santa Cruz.  If the Beavers are able to pull off a win, they will advance to the semifinals and a probable rematch with DVC.

In the first round of the Big 7 Tournament, the Beavers edged the Bear Cubs to advance to conference championship game with Diablo Valley.

The Beavers continued to improve against quality teams.  In the final match of the tournament, and their second against an opponent nicknamed the Falcons, the Beavers again dropped a close match.  ARC evened the score at 10-10 with 1:30 left in the game, but Cerritos outscored the Beavers in the waning moments.  Jure Belamarich completed a five-game spree by totaling 16 goals.

The Beavers dominated the Falcons in what Coach Eric Black described as a “good team win.”

In the second game of the day, the Beavers were edged by the Panthers.  ARC was able to tie the game with 2:30 left to play in the match, but Chaffey regained the lead and held on.

The Beavers opened the weekend tournament in San Luis Obispo with a convincing win over the Gauchos.  Jure Belamarich led the offense with three goals.

The Beavers dropped the non-league match to the Vikings as ARC found it difficult to sustain any offense.

The Beavers improved to 3-0 in Big 7 play as they avenged a one-goal loss to the Bear Cubs earlier this season.  Jure Belamarich led all scorers with six goals.

The Beavers remained unbeaten in Big 7 play as Sebastian Cordoba finished with five goals and Jure Belamarich threw in three goals.

The Beavers opened the second day of the tournament with a solid win over the Mustangs. Sebastian Cordoba had four goals in a big win for ARC.

Against the top-ranked Rustlers, the Beavers showed flashes of what Coach Eric Black is looking for in his second-year program, but not enough to handle the state’s best team.

The Beavers played the Vikings in a second game at Rio Americano High School.  Following the women’s match, ARC took on No. 2-ranked Long Beach and found itself down early and unable to cut into the Vikings’ margin.

The Beavers opened up conference play with a narrow win over the Blue Devils.  ARC had beaten Merced convincingly earlier, and with South power Long Beach waiting for later in the afternoon, the team came out a little flat in the rematch.

The Beavers came out very flat against the Tigers and never got into the match, but for the second consecutive contest ARC went against an older, more experience team—providing a helpful tune up before this week’s Big 7 opener against Merced.

The Beavers came up short in the score, but turned in a solid team performance against GCM. Jure Belamarich led ARC with six goals, and freshman Antony Heiland added five to lead the offense.

CUESTA TOURNAMENT

september 16, 2006

 Long Beach 11, ARC 2

4-4 Overall

0-0 Conference

The Beavers missed too many scoring chances in the loss to the Vikings.  ARC failed to convert any of its 6-on-5 scoring opportunities.  For the second consecutive tournament, Jure Belamarich finished with 19 goals to lead the offense; he also had 10 steals in the four games.  Keepers Robert Blakely and Barrett Carlton combined for 34 saves in the tournament and, according to Coach Eric Black, were “solid all weekend.  They split time and both played well.”

Because the Cougars are a perennial water polo power, the setback was seen as a quality loss by the coaching staff.  Down only 6-4 at the half, the Beavers played through foul trouble to stay in the contest, but were unable to capitalize on opportunities in the second half.

The Beavers picked up a big win in the tournament’s second game, topping the Pirates, who are ranked in the state’s top ten. ARC was up 5-1 at the end of the first quarter, but fell behind 10-7 at the end of three. The offense, led by Jure Belamarich, put up six unanswered goals to earn the win.  Belamarich finished with nine of the team’s goals.

WEST VALLEY TOURNAMENT

september 9, 2006

The Beavers trailed the Blue Devils 6-2 at the half, but erupted for 13 goals in the second half to cruise to the win. Jure Belamarich finished the tournament with 19 goals and 13 steals to lead the offense.  Keeper Robert Blakely totaled 20 saves in the four games.  Everyone was able to play in both ARC wins.

Santa Rosa 5, ARC 4      

1-2 Overall  

0-0 Conference

Missed opportunities again played a key role in the outcome of the match as the Beavers only capitalized on one of 11 power plays.  The Bear Cubs scored with 12 seconds left in the game to earn the win.

september 8, 2006

ARC 12, Cabrillo 6                                     

1-1 Overall  

0-0 Conference

The Beavers evened their record with their first win of the season against the Seahawks, giving notice that the team will be much more competitive this fall.  ARC was able to control the game from the start.

The Beavers opened the season with a tough loss to the Mustangs. ARC missed prime scoring opportunities by finishing only 2 of 12 on power plays.