Sunday night soccer for women draws a crowd in town

Julie Jo Maderia of Nail Genies maneuvers past a defender on Sunday. Del Norte Triplicate/Adam Spencer

A bouncy indoor soccer ball ricocheted off ceilings, walls and sometimes spectators. Cheers and tips, in a mix of Spanish and English, filled the air.  After the satisfying smack of the ball bashing the backboards behind the goal, the crowd went wild.

This is the fourth year of the Del Norte County Women’s Indoor Soccer league — the sole female-only adult sports league in the county. The league is for people 14 and older, including a handful of players in their 50s.

“I would probably never be able to get together with all of these women in the county without this league,” said Sarah Baumann, whose team the Nail Genies is currently in first place with a 3-0-1 record.

The Nail Genies had a 3-0 shutout victory over the Uzzies (2-1-2). Baumann said the win came as a relief after last week’s heated battle with Gordi Bras, which ended in a tie.

The Gordi Bras, sponsored by Gordi Bros. restaurant on Elk Valley Road, have been league champions the past three years. Currently they are ranked second with a 2-0-2 record. Gordi Bras shut out Eye Candy (2-1-1), scoring five goals on Sunday.

Jorge Gonzalez, owner of Gordi Bros., started creating leagues in the county where he grew up when he moved back from Sacramento.

“I moved back and soccer had fallen big time,” Gonzalez said.

At first he expected this indoor league would be co-ed, but when he saw enough interest, an all-female league was formed. There were 72 players that first year — six teams of 12.

Gonzalez played soccer on a Smith River adult league when he was only 13. He appreciated the opportunity and reciprocates by offering it to the high school players who want to supplement their high school playing time.

When he was 15, Gonzalez spent a few months on a U.S. youth soccer team traveling to play in Belgium.

“I just want to share my knowledge of the game I understand,” Gonzalez said as the action continued.

He coaches the Gordi Bras but can’t resist shouting out tips to all the players on any given Sunday.

In other games, the She-Devils (2-3-0) beat the Razors (1-3-1) by a score of 1-0.

The Razors redeemed themselves the same day with a 3-2 win against the Black Widows (0-4-1).

Games run from 5 to 9 p.m. at the fairgrounds every Sunday until mid-November.

If you decide to belly-up to the boards to watch next week, be prepared to duck.