Richmond Kickers U-14 Girls Elite win championship at 2012 Disney Junior Showcase
The Richmond Kickers U-14 Girls Elite, coached by Mike Burke, overcame a disappointing 3-0 loss to Pitt Greenville SA 98 Stars of North Carolina in its opening match to rally and win the Girls U-14 Premier championship at the recent 2012 Disney Junior Showcase.
Following the opening loss, the U-14s defeated the Louisiana state champions, Mandeville SC Lakers 2-0 and defeated Clay County SC 5-2 and earned a wild card spot into the semifinals, where they defeated United FA of Georgia 3-0 to advance to the finals.
In the finals, it was a rematch of their opening loss, and this time the Kickers U-14s were up to the challenge, winning 2-0 over Pitt Greenville SA in a physical match that saw the Kickers score both goals after halftime.
Other local teams made the trip to the Disney Junior Showcase also, with FC Virginia SYA 98 finishing 2-1-0 in Bracket B of the Girls U-14 Showcase bracket, but unable to qualify for the semifinals, finishing one point out of the final semifinal berth. FC Virginia SYA 98 defeated Southern SA Chelsea 99 Elite 1-0 in its first match but falling in its second match of the day, 2-1 to Jacksonville FC 98/99 Elite. FC Virginia beat Lake Norman SC 98 Eclipse 4-0 in the final game, but just missed out on the semifinals.
On the boys’ side, Baltimore Bays Colts finished 2-0-1 in Bracket B of the U-11 Championship bracket, picking up a 4-1 win over Tampa Bay United North Red 01 and a 1-0 win over Concorde Fire Central Black of Georgia and, in between, sandwiching a 1-1 draw with Maitland SC GOSA of Florida. However, Bays fell to Clay County SC Rangers 02 Black of Florida 8-1 in the semifinals.
In the Boys U-13 Showcase bracket, Calverton SC Cerritos SA of Maryland finished 1-1-1 and did not advance to the semifinals, while Bethesda SC Blue, playing in the Boys U-12(11 v 11) bracket, also finished 1-1-1 and did not advance to the semifinals.
In the Boys U-14 Showcase, three area teams featured in different brackets. Braddock Road YC 98 Elite finished third in Bracket A at 1-2-0, opening with two losses before scoring a 3-2 win over Charlotte United FC 98 Gold. In Bracket B, Pro Futbol 98 of Maryland finished 1-1-1, defeating NWC Alliance SC 98 Black of Ohio 2-1 and tying Dallas Texans 99 Red 1-1 to finish third in Bracket B. Bethesda SC Blue at 2-1-0, had the best showing, but it, too, was unable to advance to the semifinals even after wins against Pinecrest Premier 98/99 Blue of Florida (4-2) and FC Blazers 98/99 of Massachusetts (2-1). Its only loss came 2-1 to the top of Bracket C, Dallas Texans 9 South.
In the Boys U-14 Premier bracket, Thunder SC United of Maryland finished 1-1-1, getting a 6-1 win over Meninos Da Vila – Escolinha Santos FC of Brazil and a 1-1 draw against Florida Rush 98 Nike.
