Champions crowned at US Youth Soccer Region II Championships

FOX CITIES, Wis. (Via US Youth Soccer) – After five days of play, champions were crowned at the 2015 US Youth Soccer Region II (Midwest) Championships in Fox Cities, Wis. Winners in the Under-13 through Under-19 Boys and Girls matches earned a Regional title and a berth to the 2015 US Youth Soccer National Championships July 21-26 at the Mohawk Soccer Complex in Tulsa, Okla.

Two defending champions – Under-15 Boys Sporting KC Academy (KS) and Under-17 Boys Chicago Magic PSG Preacademy (IL) – attained a second consecutive Regional title and will get another shot at the National Championships.

+Watch: Every US Youth Soccer Region II Championship Match on YouTube

Missouri Youth Soccer concluded Regionals with five champion teams. Kansas Youth Soccer was represented by three champion teams, Ohio South had two, and Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, and Nebraska each had one champion.

Regional Championship Teams:

# Advances to National Championships as Region II representative. U-14 Boys LFSC Geerling White (MO) and U-14 Girls CUP Gold 00/01 (OH-S) to represent National League
Highlights from Finals Matches:

Under-13 Girls: PSG MI Gators 02 Orange (MI) 2-0 TFA Elite 01 (OH-S)
With five straight wins, PSG MI Gators 02 Orange (MI) wins the Under-13 Girls Region II Championship. Their final match versus TFA Elite 01 (OH-S) saw a competitive, scoreless first half. Midfielder Emily Mathews was the key factor in the second half for PSG, getting a pair of goals in the 53^rd and 60^th minutes for the win.

Under-14 Girls: CUP Gold 00/01 (OH-S) 2-0 Campton United Navy (IL)
CUP Gold 00/01 (OH-S) defeated Campton United Navy (IL) 2-0 to become the Under-14 Girls Region II Champ. The match remained scoreless after the first half, but saw a CUP Gold advantage early into the second half. Anna Podojil scored her eighth tournament goal in the 40^th minute, pushing her to the top of the U-14 Girls goal scorers leaderboard. Jordyn Rhodes gave CUP Gold a second goal in the 61^stminute, and the Ohio South’s backline held strong for the shutout and the victory. Due to their US Youth Soccer National League accomplishment, CUP Gold will advance to Nationals as the National League representative, and Campton United Navy will advance as the Region II representative.

Under-15 Girls: Futura Pink Panthers Elite (MO) 2-0 Cleveland FC (OH-N)
Futura Pink Panthers Elite (MO) defeated reigning champs Cleveland FC (OH-N) 2-0 to take the U-15 Girls crown. A Hallie Klanke cross in the 55^th minute to Futura teammate Grace Heenan resulted in a 1-0 lead after Heenan won the ball from two defenders and the keeper and tapped it in the back of the net. In the 77^th minute Kassidy Newsom capitalized on a penalty kick opportunity to put Futura up 2-0, and ultimately give them the win.

Under-16 Girls: Futura Academy Forte Elite (MO) 4–0   Lou Fusz – Wipke (MO)
A 4-0 shutout win versus Lou Fusz – Wipke (MO) gave Futura Academy Forte Elite (MO) the U-16 Girls crown. Rylan Childers got a pair of goals in the match – a swift goal within seconds of to put Futura in the lead, and a late goal in the 79^th minute which pushed her to the top of the U-15 Girls scorer leaderboard. Kayla Deaver added to the win with a goal in the 6^th minute, and Kassandra Ginther scored in the 40^th minute. Not once did Futura give up a goal in all five tournament matches.

Under-17 Girls: KHA Red (OH-S) 2–0 Michigan Jaguars 98 Green (MI)
A pair of Alexandra Powell gave KHA Red (OH-S) a 2–0 win against Michigan Jaguars 98 Green (MI) and the Under-17 Girls Region II Championship. Powell produced quick results, scoring just four minutes into the match. In the 75^th minute, KHA’s Jamiera Lunsford ran the ball down the right flank and split the defense by passing the ball to teammate Haley Jordahl. Jordahl cut and passed the ball to Powell who connected with it in the center of the box for the 2-0 win.

Under-18 Girls: KC Metro Dynamos (KS) 3-1 Strike FC Premier 1 (WI)
Last year, KC Metro Dynamos (KS) finished as a Region II Championship finalist. This year, they came back with a vengeance, eager for the crown, getting a perfect 3-0-0 record in preliminary play, and winning five straight matches to become the 2015 Under-18 Region II Champs. In their final match today versus Strike FC Premier 1 (WI) KC Metro Dynamos took control immediately with a Brooke Prondzinski in the 1^st minute. McKenna Vento tied the match with a Strike FC goal in the 19^th minute to take the match to a 1-1 tie at the half. KC Metro forward Prondzinski still had lots of fuel in the second half and in the 73^rd and 84^th minutes produced two additional goals to get a hat trick and a 3-1 win.

Under-19 Girls: Gretna Prima 95/96 Green (NE) 2-0 Cleveland United White (OH-N)
Gretna Prima 95/96 Green (NE) defeated reigning champs Cleveland United White (OH-N) 2-0 to become the U-19 Girls Champions. Michelle Xiao, who has been on several U.S. Soccer youth and women’s national team rosters, was a major part of the win with two first half goals. In the 13^thminute, Xiao was assertive with a turnover and blasted the ball to the top right corner of the net for the lead. In the 24^th minute, Gretna forward Cassandra Legband raced down the right flank and crossed the ball to Xiao who struck it in for the 2-0 score.

Under-13 Boys: Sporting JB Mann (MO) 1-0 SC Waukesha 01/02 (WI)
A Riley Dubbs goal in the 61^st minute gave Sporting JB Mann (MO) the Under-13 Boys title. Their challenging match versus SC Waukesha 01/02 (WI) went into halftime 0-0. Riley’s game winner in the second half, along with Sporting’s unbreakable defense preserved their undefeated streak in all five tournament games and gave them a ticket to Nationals.

Under-14 Boys: LFSC Geerling White (MO) 2-1 Cincinnati United CUP Gold (OH-S)
LFSC Geerling White (MO) defeated Cincinnati United CUP Gold (OH-S) 2-1 to earn the Under-14 Boys Region II Championship. Bradley Fritsche scored in the 11^th minute to give LFSC a 1-0 advantage that carried over to halftime. CUP Gold’s Isaac Brooks found the much desired equalizer in the 62^nd minute, but Tristan Stotler’s late game heroics secured the win, scoring in the very last minute of play. Due to their US Youth Soccer National League title, LFSC Geerling will represent the National League team at the National Championships, and CUP Gold will advance to Nationals as the Region II representative.

Under-15 Boys: Sporting KC Academy (KS) 3–1 DM Menace Red (IA)
Sporting KC Academy (KS) wins their second consecutive Regional Championship after getting a 3-1 win versus DM Menace Red (IA). Jackson Wood gave Sporting KC a good start with a 15^th minute lead, and Abdu Kikhia doubled the Sporting score in 65^th minute. Edsel Fernandes put DM Menace on the board in the 67^th minute. In the 80^th minute of play, DM Menace got a third goal after Roman Knox shot an unstoppable penalty kick strike to the left post to win 3-1.

Under-16 Boys: Sporting St. Croix (MN) 2–1 (PK) FC Wisconsin Nationals U-15/16B (WI)
In a match that went to penalty kicks, Sporting St. Croix (MN) defeated FC Wisconsin Nationals (WI) to become the Under-16 Boys Champion. In the 8^th minute, Sporting’s Gladimyr Jeudi placed himself perfectly in the center of the box and scored from a cross ball. In the 61^st minute Trey Goodnetter evened the match for FC Wisconsin, taking the match to overtime. As both teams fought to find the tiebreaker, time ran out resulting in penalty kicks. Sporting St. Croix came out successful in the penalty kick round, as they did in yesterday’s semifinal, to win the match and remain undefeated in the tournament.

Under-17 Boys: Chicago Magic PSG Preacademy (IL) 3–1 Alliance Academy 98 Black (MI)
Chicago Magic PSG Preacademy (IL) earned back-to-back regional titles (their third overall with a 2011 title) after defeating Alliance Academy 98 Black (MI) in the U-17 Boys final. Finneas Johnson gave Alliance the first lead of the match with a goal in the 6^th minute. In the 14^th minute, from a throw in play, Kalenga Selemani, surrounded by defenders gained possession and shot the ball to the corner of the net for the equalizer. Achara Ifunanyachi kept the Chicago momentum going with a pair of goals in the 41^st and 86^th minute. Selemani and Ifunanyachi took the top of the 17 Boys scorer leaderboard, each with five tournament goals.

Under-18 Boys: Kansas Rush Academy Blue 96/97 (KS) 2-1 (PK) Chicago Fire Raiders Elite (IL)

Kansas Rush Academy Blue 96/97 (KS) defeated reigning champs Chicago Fire Raiders Elite (IL) in a penalty kick shootout to take home the U-18 Boys crown. Back to back goals in the first half resulted in a 1-1 score that carried through to the final whistle and overtime. In the 16^th minute, Tyler Robbins received a through ball on the left wing, and slid the ball past the keeper for the lead. Kansas recovered quickly a minute later when Ethan Bowman crossed the ball to Tony Mok who headed it in for the tie. Both teams fought until the last minute of regulation but when the match went to penalties, Kansas Rush Academy prevailed.

Under-19 Boys: St. Louis Scott Gallager (MO) 1-0 Michigan Wolves 96 (MI)
St. Louis Scott Gallager (MO) takes home the U-19 Boys crown with a 1-0 win versus Michigan Wolves 96 (MI). Early in the match in the 13^th minute, Kaleb Jackson received a beautiful long pass, controlled the ball and slotted it into the left side of the net. That goal held up the entire match for the victory. St. Louis Scott Gallager’s backline remained firm the rest of the game, and got the shoutout to maintain their undefeated streak.