US Youth Soccer Eastern Regional Championships – Day 1 Recap
Preliminary Games, Day 1 of 3
Schedule, Standings and Scores
Eastern Regional Championships Website | Day 1 Photos
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WEST VIRGINIA (June 28, 2019) — More than 260 teams, including eight defending Regional Champions and two defending National Champions, kicked off the 2019 US Youth Soccer Eastern Regional Championships on Friday in West Virginia.
The seven-day event, which takes place June 28-July 4, features 12U through 19U Boys and Girls teams at the Shawnee Sports Complex and Barboursville Soccer Complex.
Preliminary games will continue through Sunday, June 30, while knockout rounds will take place July 1-4 at Shawnee Sports Complex.
West Virginia Youth Soccer Association is hosting the event alongside 14 other East Region State Associations including Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Eastern New York, New York West, Eastern Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania West, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Virginia.
Ginga FC 2002 Gold (CT) knows that every point and every game matters as it fights to advance. Ginga is taking advantage of the experience of competing at the 2019 Eastern Regional Championships as they look to be crowned 17U Girls Eastern Regional champions.
“[The Eastern Regional Championships] is a great environment for the girls,” said Ginga head coach Everson Maciel. “It is great competition. Every game counts, you lose a game you are out. It is a great experience for them.”
A few notes from Friday’s games:
12U Boys
NY Stars Premier Gravity (NY-E) shutout Alexandria Red (VA) as it posted five goals on the way to an opening, 5-0, victory. Five different players found the back of the net in the win with the first coming from Sebastian Valdes Soto a mere 13 minutes into action. Ty Olin added an insurance goal 11 minutes later which was then followed up just four minutes after with a goal from Kyle Rubino. Three minutes into the second half, Jayden Bias fired one past the goalkeeper to extend the lead to 4-0. In the 53rd minute, Samuel Bienvenu scored the fifth and final goal of the match for the NY Stars.
13U Girls
Coming off a regional championship crown last year, MRM Academy Coyotes Blue 06 (MD) shutout CT Rush Elite in their first group game to win, 2-0. The two teams went scoreless in the first half as both teams had difficulty finding the back of the net. Three minutes into the second half, MRM took the lead off a goal from Ellie Hodge. Gabrielle Wisbeckscored an insurance goal 11 minutes later as MRM never looked back on the way to a 2-0 victory.
14U Boys
Ukrainian Nationals 2005 Black (PA-E) earned a close, 2-1, victory against Beadling 2005 South Red (PA-W) as the defending Regional Champions move to 1-0-0 in group play. The teams came out at the first whistle ready to play as the first goal of the game came only nine minutes in from Ukrainian’s Ian Alicea. The lead was extended to two goals only seven minutes later after a goal from Stephen Davis. After Ukrainian held the two-goal lead for much of the first half, the deficit was cut to one by Beadling’s Tyler Harsch in the 31st minute. Beadling was unable to find the back of the net in the second half as Ukrainian held on to the narrow lead for the, 2-1, win.
15U Girls
The reigning Regional Champion, Philadelphia SC Coppa Swarm 04 (PA-E), began play with a, 2-1, win against SDA Utica 04 Blasters (NY-E). It was a close battle for 90 minutes as neither team was able to score in the first 40 minutes of action. The fight for the first goal continued in the second half as the teams went scoreless for much of the back half. Philadelphia finally took the lead late with a goal from Kaila Rahn in the 78th minute. Philadelphia did not hold the lead long, as SDA’s Olivia Lindsay scored the equalizer just a minute later. The game winning goal came from Philadelphia’s Mary Trudeau just one minute after the equalizer, pushing Philadelphia past SDA.
16U Boys
In a tightly contested 16U Boys matchup, FC Alliance 2003 (WV) and Arsenal FC of PA Navy (PA-W) each earned a point on day one of play as the two teams drew, 1-1, after 80 minutes of action. In a back and forth contest, Jacob Farley struck first for FC Alliance in the 24th minute. With a minute left in the first half, the equalizer for Arsenal came from Michael Sullivan to send the teams to halftime tied at one a piece. Neither team was able to score again in the second half and the game ended in a,1-1, draw.
17U Girls
In a physical match for 90 minutes, Ginga FC 2002 Gold (CT) and Alleycats 2002 (NY-E) finished in a, 1-1, draw to each earn a point. The Alleycats applied pressure early as it held control for much of the first half. A converted penalty kick from Ianah Mackey in the 31st minute gave the Alleycats the lead. Just before the halftime whistle, Aries Bell sent the teams to halftime knotted at one as she put Ginga on the board. The physical play continued in the second half as each team battled for the lead. The physical game continued in the second half as each team battled for the lead but there were few opportunities to score. The hard-fought match earned both teams a point as they head to the next round.
18U Boys
Pipeline Pre-Academy (MD) earned its win with a dominant, 6-0, shutout over Nova Boys 2001 Elite (MA). Brian Bond struck early for Pipeline with a goal in the 14th minute. Mark Lee extended the lead with 13 minutes left in the first half, giving Pipeline a, 2-0, lead going into halftime. Three minutes into the second half, Bryan Langford netted the third goal for Pipeline. Lee scored his second of the day two minutes later, while Casey Slater added one in the 57th minute before Lee concluded the scoring to earn a hat trick with his third goal of the game.
19U Girls
In a hard fought first round game, DEFC 00/01 (DE) pulled out a close, 2-1, victory over Allegheny Force FC 2000 (PA-W). After early back and forth play between both teams, Sheyenne Allen put DEFC ahead in the 22nd minute off an assist from Ashley Hughes. Eight minutes into the second half, Allen netted her second score of the day to give DEFC a two-goal lead. DEFC had a chance to extend its lead to three late, but a stop from the Allegheny keeper kept the deficit at two. Allegheny kept the pressure on the DEFC defense with two late shots on goal that were saved by the DEFC goalie. A late push by Allegheny cut the deficit to one with two minutes to go when Danica Johnson fired one past the keeper. DEFC earned an important three points as Allegheny was unable to find the equalizer before the final whistle.
Regional winners of the 13U through 19U age groups earn a berth to the 2019 US Youth Soccer National Championships, which will be played July 22-28 at the Overland Park Soccer Complex in Overland Park, Kan.
The US Youth Soccer National Championships will consist of US Youth Soccer Regional Champions in the 13U through 19U Boys and Girls age groups, as well as the US Youth Soccer National League qualifiers in the 14U through 19U Boys and Girls age groups to complete the field of 104 teams.
Daily reports and complete results from the US Youth Soccer Eastern Regional Championships are available on http://championships.
