Young soccer club making strong push

     By Todd Dewey
     View staff writer
      Southern Nevada's not recognized as a youth soccer hotbed.
      However, the Neusport Football Club Tabagators, a year-round team from the Silver State Girls Soccer League, are looking to change that perception.
      The Tabagators are one of the top 20 youth girls' soccer teams in the country and are the eighth-ranked under-14 team on the West Coast, trailing only a talented corps of nationally ranked California squads.
      The Tabagators recently gained even more respect by winning their second straight Nevada state title and placing third in a Western regional tournament.
      Composed of players from the west side of Las Vegas, the Tabagators lost 3-1 in the regional semifinals to the California South Slammers, but walked off the field with their heads held high.
      The eventual champion Slammers, who advanced to the national girls youth soccer tournament, are the top-ranked team in the country, and the Tabagators were the only team to score a goal against them at regionals.
      "It was very special (to place third)," Tabagators coach Saeed Bonabian said. "The girls felt good even though they lost that game. We got respect from everybody because we played them pretty even. It was a very competitive game. We were the only team that really gave them a game."
      With California teams owning the top seven spots in the country, as ranked by AV Sports, Bonabian was also pleased to be ranked eighth on the West Coast.
      "That is very good, because California has so many teams and so many numbers," he said. "For us to be ranked No. 8 is a big accomplishment. We're ahead of every (Western) state except California."
      The Tabagators rolled to a 12-0-1 mark in the regular season, then went 5-0 to claim their second straight Nevada state cup.
      They went 3-2 in the recent regional tournament in Pleasanton, Calif., blanking Wyoming (6-0) and Alaska (5-0) before falling to California North, 2-0.
      The Tabagators topped a nationally ranked team from Arizona, the Soreno Golden Eagles, 2-1, before running into the Slammers.
      "This is a good team," said Bonabian, who played soccer for the Iran national team and also coaches The Meadows School's boys' soccer team. "We were hoping to make it to the final, but when you run into California in the semifinals, it was kind of a 50-50 chance for us."
      In the semifinal, Ashley O'Harrow scored the lone goal for the Tabagators, who had two goals called back against the Slammers. Amanda Montenegro Higgins played outstanding defense against the Slammers and Danielle Ghaffari played exceptional in goal throughout the tournament and was the team MVP, Bonabian said.
      "Even the game we lost, she was the best player on the field. She had a sensational game in goal," Bonabian said.
      Ghaffari, who started in net for Bishop Gorman High as a freshman last year, is the only high school player on the Tabagators.
      "She's very athletic and a good leader," Bonabian said. "She's very strong."
      Rachel Gordon, the youngest player on the team, led the Tabagators in scoring, both in the regular season and in the playoffs. Gordon, who will be an eighth-grader in the fall, scored five of the team's 14 goals at regionals.
      "Her speed and her good ball skills (are her strong suits)," Bonabian said. "And she's a very hard-working player and very strong."
      Natalie Griffin blasted both goals against Arizona to send the Tabagators into the semifinals.
      "She usually ends up scoring key goals in key games for us," Bonabian said.
      Stephanie Chennault also came through when it counted for the Tabagators, who competed at regionals without two injured starters, Melyssa Docchio and Karlee Turley.
      Docchio broke her leg in the first half of the state cup final, but refused to leave the sidelines until the game was finished.
      "The team was left with only two subs for (regionals), but everyone stepped up to fill the void," Bonabian said. "The girls had a pretty good showing. We're proud of the accomplishments of both (Tabagators) teams."
      Other players on the under-14 team include Racquel Bray, Danielle Davis, Jessica Gaudet, Tori Healy, Jennifer Kandt, Mia Pierro and Jessica Torres.
      Three other girls recently joined the team: Jennifer Bianchi, Erica Jensen and Lauren Shields.
      Although the regional tournament is over, the Tabagators' season continues.
      The squad will compete in a tournament in San Diego during Labor Day weekend and also in the prestigious Surf Cup there during Thanksgiving weekend.
      They're also scheduled to travel to Europe next summer to compete in the Holland Cup and the Norway Cup.
      Bonabian, named the 2A Coach of the Year for his work at The Meadows, started the Tabagators, sponsored by TAB Contractors, in 1989. He said it's the only soccer club in town that doesn't charge kids to join.
      "All the girls work hard," he said. "And we usually end up in the finals."
      The Tabagators' under-17 team also won its second straight state title this year. Led by Cimarron-Memorial standout Vanesha Bailey, the under-17 team also won the Norway Cup and placed second in the Holland Cup last summer.