Published August 8th, 2018
CC United 16U Boys win silver at National Junior Olympics
Submitted by Stewart McGuire
Players, front row, from left: Luke VandenBerghe, Mac Darin, Jagger Beeken, Marcell Urban; back row: Logan Estes, CJ Indart, Soren Jensen, Tom McGuire, Jack Larsen, Mark Laurlund, Dash McFarland, Daniel Viscia, Ryan Lenahan, Tommy O'Connor and Coach Kirk Jensen. Photo Kelley L Cox / KLC fotos
The CC United Water Polo Club's 16U Boys team won the silver medal in the top championship division at the National Junior Olympics held at Stanford July 21-24. The team was one of only two Northern California teams in any age group to medal in the division. For head coach and club founder Kirk Jensen the achievement was particularly significant - for his club, for a special group of friends and teammates who have played together for over five years, and for his family (Jensen's son Soren plays on the 16U team).
For CC United's 16U team, the road led to strong finishes at tournaments including KAP7 International and Futures Super Finals, and ultimately, to the top seed at the National Junior Olympics. Going 5-0 early in the tournament, CC United made it to the semifinals along with So Cal, San Diego Shores and Pride (from Southern California). With a particularly strong showing across the team, CC United beat San Diego Shores 8-4 to advance to the championship game.
Continued strong performances from players like Soren Jensen, Jack Larsen, Tom McGuire, and Dash McFarland kept the score tied through the first half of the championship game against So Cal. McFarland delivered an especially solid performance during the final game with three goals. Fighting to the end, the team never gave up but finished the game a few goals shy of victory with a 6-9 final score. In a sign of the character Coach Jensen helped develop in the team, CC United celebrated their achievement alongside the So Cal players, many of whom have become good friends over the years.






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