US Youth Soccer Frontier Conference crowns several division champions

FORT WORTH, Texas — The 2020-21 US Youth Soccer Frontier Conference season continued over the weekend, as 65 North Texas, South Texas and Oklahoma teams across the 14U-19U Boys and Girls age groups competed at the Rolling Hills Soccer Complex in Fort Worth, Texas.

This marked the last event weekend for the 2020-21 Frontier Conference regular season. Teams will conclude their Frontier Conference seasons by playing their remaining self-schedule and make up games over the next few months, as the top spot is still up for grabs in a few age groups.

Following the action in Fort Worth, eight teams have now clinched Premier I Division titles, while a number of other sides put in strong performances over the weekend to secure victories and move up in the standings.

In the 18U Boys age group, Solar SC 03B De Leon (TX-N) had a chance to clinch the Premier I Division title for the second year in a row when it took on Houston Dynamo South 03 PA (TX-S) on Saturday.

Houston struck first when a Solar defender turned the ball over in front of the net and a Houston player was able to capitalize on the opportunity by putting the ball past the keeper in the 10th minute. Solar responded quickly when multiple players combined passes to find Braden Shuey at the point. Shuey set up Ryan Greener, who made a run into the box and netted the equalizer in the 13^th minute.

Following strong defensive stands by both sides, Solar’s Omar Boutari forced a turnover outside of the 18-yard box and found Greener on the front post, where he squared a ball to Noah Penner, who finished at the back post to give Solar the 2-1 lead in the 83^rd minute.

Solar was able to put the game away when Jonathan Cui beat the last defender on a sprint toward the goal late in the game and was able to curl the ball around the keeper to seal the 3-1 Solar victory.

“Today’s win was about grit, determination and focus,” Solar SC 03B head coach Ray De Leon said. “After going down early, the boys quickly responded to tie it up. The boys stuck to the game plan and put away their chances in the second half. We use every game in the Frontier Conference as an opportunity to continue to get better. These are the games where we recognize we have to be at our best in order to be successful. The boys are motivated to push each other to get better, not only in games but also at training each week.”

De Leon also talked about what it means for his team to defend its Frontier Conference title and the goals the team hopes to accomplish moving forward.

“Winning the Frontier Conference in back-to-back seasons says a lot about this team’s character and resilience,” De Leon said. “Winning a league with the best teams from North Texas, South Texas and Oklahoma is not an easy thing to do. The boys fought hard until the last day and will now enjoy it, as we prepare for the National League playoffs.

“We’ve had the same goal since last year, which was cut short due to COVID, and that is competing for the National Championship. We believe we have the makeup to do something special, and we’ll continue to work hard to prove ourselves until we get there.”

Other teams that have secured Premier I Division titles within the Frontier Conference include: