BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:Former OCC player and coach continues to play

Former Orange Coast College soccer standout Brandee Craig is a member of the Southern California United women’s over 30 soccer team which will be competing in the U.S. Adult Soccer Association’s National Cup Finals tournament Aug. 3-5 at the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila, Wash.

Craig, a resident of Laguna Niguel, is heading into her seventh season as head coach of the Saddleback College women’s soccer team after previous coaching stints at Edison, Marina, and Fountain Valley high schools and Orange Coast.

She played at Edison High School, Orange Coast, and San Francisco State University and hasn’t had the desire to hang up the cleats. She still competes in adult co-ed, sand soccer, and 7-vs.-7 tournaments in addition to competing in triathlons. It was during a women’s over-30 tournament in Las Vegas she was playing in this spring that she broke her hand. That team, which also featured former national team players Joy Fawcett and Shannon MacMillan, won the tournament but Craig was forced to have hand surgery afterward.

“This was an over-30 tournament, but we also play in some open tournaments to play against the 18-year-olds,” she said. “The competition helps to keep us sharp.”

Her Southern California United team is made up of women throughout Southern California, from San Diego to Long Beach and from Redondo Beach to Corona. Craig is one of the few players from Orange County.

Southern California United won the Region IV tournament in mid-May by defeating Arizona Premier 1-0 and two-time defending national champion Forza of Seattle, WA, by a 3-0 score.

Craig’s team will face Region I champion New York Metropolitan Women’s Soccer League (NYMWSL) in the National Cup semifinals on Aug. 3, at 1 p.m. The winner will advance to the National Cup finals on Aug. 5, at 9 a.m. against either Region II champion St. Louis (MO) Soccer Club or Region III champion Houston (TX) Challengers.

The National Cup prides itself as the oldest and most prestigious soccer tournament in the country for anyone playing on a U.S. Soccer Federation or U.S. Amateur Soccer Association team. National competition for men started in 1914 while the women’s division was added in 1980. There will be eight national champions crowned during the weekend with both men’s and women’s competitions at the Open, Amateur, Over 30, and Under 23 levels. Over 250 teams participate in National Cup qualifying events.

— From staff reports