Group winners decided at US Youth Soccer Region III Championships

GREENSBORO, N.C. (Via US Youth Soccer) — Sunday brought an end to exciting preliminary games at the 2017 US Youth Soccer Region III Championships at BB&T Soccer Complex at Bryan Park in Greensboro, N.C. and Ivey Redmond Soccer Complex in Kernersville, N.C. The chase for the Regional and National Championship continues for teams who have qualified to move on from their preliminary groups.

14U Girls Florida Elite (FL) played in an important matchup today, and Coach Craig Harrington was pleased with how his team has played during Region III Championships. Although Harrington is proud of the way his squad has performed, he is only focusing on the task at hand, and not looking too far ahead.

“The whole season comes down to this tournament. We have worked very hard to get to this point. It is good to play teams from around the region and not just in Florida,” Harrington said. “It would be rewarding to make it to the National Championships, but right now we are just thinking one day at a time and focusing on our next upcoming opponent.”

Here are a few recaps from the final day of group play…

Girls Recaps

14 Girls
Cabot Soccer Association (AR) and Florida Elite (FL) fought until the final whistle blew, but Florida Elite got the 2-0 result. The first goal for Florida Elite was scored by Alexi Pitt in the 39th minute. In the second half, Reese Wheeler from Florida Elite scored off of a corner kick to make the final score 2-0. In group play, Florida Elite came in first place in Pool D and will face Lady Lobos Rush Premier (TN) in one of the Quarterfinal matches being played on Monday, June 26. Florida Elite is coming off of a fantastic start to Region III Championships, only giving up one goal in the last three games.

15U Girls
On the final day of preliminary play, Covington YSA Tigers 02/03 (LA) and 02 CSA North-Cab Predator (NC) tied 1-1. Four minutes into the match, Covington’s Maggie Sides dribbled through several defenders, got past the goalie, and slotted the ball in the back of the net. The rest of the first half was scoreless, but in the second half of play, CSA’s Nicole Rojas Lemus scored the equalizer in the 67th minute. Both teams had a great defensive presence in the match. With the result, CSA North-Cab advanced to the quarterfinals, and will play Tennessee SC 2002 Showcase (TN) on Monday, June 26th.

16UG
In an extremely close battle between two teams in the 16U Girls division, UFA 01 Premier (GA) edged out Lonestar SC 01 Red (TX-S), 1-0. The lone goal of the game was scored by UFA’s Isabelle Moratti in the 38th minute. UFA 01 Premier had a great defensive backline for the remainder of the game, and with the win, they have clinched a spot in the Region III Championships Quarterfinals. In addition, UFA 01 Premier did not give up a goal in the first three days of preliminary play.

17U Girls
After a hard fought battle between CSA 2000 Lady Lobos Rush Premier (TN) and Solar Chelsea 00 Bates (TX-N), the Lady Lobos came out on top, 2-1. The Lady Lobos struck first in the 12th minute when Kambria McGee found the back of the net. The rest of the first half was scoreless, but 17 minutes into the second half, Solar Chelsea’s Melissa Blanchette tied up the game at 1-1. The final goal of the match came just two minutes later, when Lady Lobos player Nora Tillmanns scored in the 59th minute. The CSA Lady Lobos won Pool B and will advance on to the Region III Championships Quarterfinals.

Boys Recaps

15UB
In the span of nine minutes, Solar Chelsea Red 02 Stricker (TX-N) was able to score two goals and defeat SCUFC 02 Elite (SC), 2-0. The goals came in the 21st and 29th minutes from Haden Biering and Riley O’Donnell. In the 15U Boys division, Quarterfinal matchups are set. Solar Chelsea took first place in group D, scoring ten goals in just three games, and will face Ives Estates Thunder Premier (FL) on Monday, June 26. SCUFC will also play on Monday against 02 CASL Red North (NC).

17U Boys
Birmingham United SA (AL) and ACYS Spirit United (FL) both had impressive performances on the final day of preliminary play, but Birmingham United edged out ACYS, 1-0. The lone goal of the match was scored in the 43rd minute by Birmingham’s Irvin Rodriguez. Birmingham United advanced on to the Quarterfinal matches, and they will be up against 00 Tulsa XL Rangers on Tuesday, June 27.

18U Boys
In a North Texas matchup, Solar Chelsea 99 Sawyer (TX-N) soared past the Dallas Texans 99 Red (TX-N), 5-0. Less than fifteen minutes into the match, Solar Chelsea’s William McLeod found the back of the net for the first goal of the game. In the 23rd minute, nine minutes after McLeod’s goal, Trevor Martineau doubled the score to 2-0. In the 32nd minute, Ian Meece added another. Late in the second half, Trevor Martineau and Ian Meece both scored their second goals of the match. In preliminary play, Solar Chelsea scored nine goals and only gave up three.

Regional winners of the 13U through 19/20U age groups earn a berth to the 2017 US Youth Soccer National Championships, which will be played July 24-30 at the Toyota Soccer Center in Frisco, Texas.