US Youth Soccer Region II champions crowned on Wednesday

Final Matches Completed
Schedule, Standings and Scores

WESTFIELD, Ind. (Via US Youth Soccer) – Champions were crowned at the 2016 US Youth Soccer Region II (Midwest) Championships in Westfield, Ind. Winners in the Under-13 through Under-19 Boys and Girls matches earned a Regional title and a berth to the 2016 US Youth Soccer National Championships held July 26-31, at the Toyota Soccer Center in Frisco, Texas.

Two defending champions – Under-14 Girls PSG Gators 02 Orange (MI) and Under-16 Girls Pink Panthers Elite (MO) – attained a second consecutive Regional title and will get another shot at the National Championships. PSG Gators will also look to defend their 2015 National Championship title.

Of the 14 total champions, Illinois Youth Soccer had four teams, Ohio South and Wisconsin were each represented by three champion teams, Ohio North had two and Nebraska as well as Missouri each had one team.

Regional Championship Teams:

# Advances to National Championships as Region II representative. U-14 Girls PSG MI Gators 02 Orange MI), U-15 Girls Midwest United FC 01 Royal (MI), U-15 Boys CFA Raiders (IL) and U-16 Girls FCKC Pink Panthers Elite (MO) to represent National League.

Highlights from the finals matches:

Under-13 Girls: Cincinnati United Premier Gold (OH-S) 3-0 Chicago Fire Juniors South Premier (IL)
Cincinnati United Premier Gold (OH-S) secured a Regional title with three goals against Chicago Fire Juniors South Premier (IL). With all of the goals taking place in the first half, Lauren Donavan earned the first in the fourth minute, while Kailyn Dudukovich contributed two of her own. Out of five total games for Cincinnati United Premier, the team posted 15 goals and did not allow any goals.

Under-14 Girls: PSG MI Gators 02 Orange (MI) 1-0 Waza FC East 02 Black (MI)
PSG MI Gators 02 Orange (MI) snuck away with one early goal against Waza FC East 02 Black (MI) to become back-to-back Region II Champions. The goal came in the sixth minute of the match from Taylor Stanley. In five games, PSG totaled 11 goals and only allowed one into their own net.

Under-15 Girls: Midwest United FC 01 Royal (MI) 2-1 Campton United Navy (IL)
Midwest United FC 01 Royal (MI) came back from a one-goal deficit against Campton United Navy (IL) to win the match, 2-1. Saydie Holland gave Campton United the early lead as she scored in the seventh minute of the match. The equalizer came from Midwest United’s Campbell George in the second half as she dribbled through the Campton United defense and slotted the ball into the net. A goal from Cassidy Pettinger then put Midwest United ahead and ultimately earned the team a Regional title.

Under-16 Girls: FCKC Pink Panthers Elite (MO) 2-0 CUP Gold 99/00 (OH-S)
FCKC Pink Panthers Elite (MO) earned two goals in each half against CUP Gold 99/00 (OH-S) to take home their second consecutive Regional Championship. While both teams battled in an even match, FCKC Pink Panthers’ Kassidy Newsom earned a goal in the 12th minute. In the second half, CUP Gold gained more offensive chances through free kicks and corner kicks, forcing FCKC Pink Panthers to stay on defense. However, Newsom secured the win and netted her second goal of the game in the 80th minute.

Under-17 Girls: LSC EGA Maroon 98/99 (NE) 3-1 FC United (IL)
LSC EGA Maroon 98/99 (NE) went on a comeback rally against FC United (IL) to win the match, 3-1 in double overtime. FC United took a 1-0 lead when Natalie Laser scored in the first half. LSC EGA showed determination to attain the equalizer as they constantly pressured FC United’s defense. FC United held on, but in the 87th minute, a diagonal ball was played toward the goal and put on the ground for LSC EGA’s Brenna Ochoa to slide onto and redirect toward the goal. As the game went into overtime, Hannah Davis from LSC EGA got a touch on the ball near the goal and kept it low on the ground for a 2-1 lead. In the second overtime period, Davis sealed the comeback victory with another goal.

Under-18 Girls: Ambassadors FC (OH-N) 2-0 OFC 97/98 Elite (NE)
Ambassadors FC (OH-N) earned a Regional title with two goals against OFC 97/98 Elite (NE). After a scoreless first half, Sarah Krause put the ball in the back of the net at the beginning of the second period. Alexandra Wright then added a second goal in the 75th minute. Ambassadors FC totaled 15 goals in the preliminary matches alone and only allowed two goals.

Under-19 Girls: Red Stars (IL) 3-0 CUP Gold (OH-S)
Red Stars (IL) posted a 3-0 win over CUP Gold (OH-S) in the championship game. Meredith Tunney put Red Stars ahead in the 33rd minute, and three minutes later, Lucy Edwards converted a goal for a 2-0 lead before halftime. Jenna Szczesny made the score complete with her goal in the 55th minute.

Under-13 Boys: Michigan Wolves 03 (MI) 1-0 CUP Gold (OH-S)
One goal from Michigan Wolves 03 (MI) was all the team needed to win against CUP Gold (OH-S) and earn a Regional title. In the fifth minute of the match, Christian Cole was on the other end of a corner kick and headed the ball into the goal. Michigan Wolves 03 defended their goal and took the 1-0 win.

Under-14 Boys: Raiders City (IL) 4-1 Sporting J. B. Marine (MO)
Raiders City (IL) produced a 4-1 win against the defending Region II champions, Sporting J. B. Marine (MO). 30 minutes into the first half, Eduardo Melgoza put Raiders City on the board for the only goal of the half. Daniel Favela earned Raiders City a 2-0 lead, but Sporting J.B.’s Aaron Boulch gave the team a boost to get back into the match with a goal. Three minutes later, Angelo Oquendo increased Raiders City’s to 3-1. Six minutes after that, Favela added his second goal of the match, keeping Sporting J. B. out of reach from catching up.

Under-15 Boys: CFA Raiders (IL) 6-0 Toledo Celtics Black (OH-N)
CFA Raiders (IL) took the victory against Toledo Celtics Black (OH-N) after placing six goals in the back of the net. It only took two minutes for CFA Raiders to get going in the match as Fernando Barragan scored. Christian Crespo added a second when he dribbled the ball into the top right corner of the 18-yard box and shot the ball across the goal to the left side of the goal. Josiah Ash earned the third goal in the 49th minute, and Evangelo Spartiaris finished off the game with three goals of his own.

Under-16 Boys: OP Green (OH-S) 1-0 Milwaukee Bavarians (WI)
After a scoreless first half, OP Green (OH-S) netted one goal to claim the win against Milwaukee Bavarians (WI). As a long cross was sent into the 18-yard box, Chris Dowling went up for the header and directed the ball to the upper left corner of the goal. OP Green continued to look for a second goal, while Milwaukee Bavarians searched for one of their own, but the score remained at 1-0 for an OP Green victory.

Under-17 Boys: Challenger Crew Jrs Gold 98 (OH-N) 4-3 (PK) Chicago Fire Juniors (IL)
In a back-and-forth battle, the match between Challenger Crew Jrs Gold 98 (OH-N) and Chicago Fire Juniors (IL) went into double overtime and consequently penalty kicks, eventually leading to a Challenger Crew 4-3 win. After passing the ball through defenders to get down the sideline, Challenger Crew drew the Chicago Fire goalkeeper in and laid the ball off for Stephen Milhoan to finish. Chicago Fire retaliated with a goal before halftime as a diagonal free kick flew in for Matthew Bahena to sneak in and get a head on the ball. Jacob Perakis earned a 2-1 lead for Chicago Fire in the second half, but Milhoan tied up the game ten minutes later. A goal from Challenger Crew’s Justin Libertowski put the team ahead in the 78th minute, and just when the they thought they were in the clear, Chicago Fire’s Peter Becht scored in the 87th minute, taking the game into overtime. After two scoreless overtime periods, the teams went to penalty kicks, and Challenger Crew won the shootout, 4-2 for an overall match victory.

Under-18 Boys: OP Green (OH-S) 5-0 OGFC 97 Elite (OH-S)
In a matchup between two teams from the same state, OP Green (OH-S) claimed a 5-0 win over OGFC 97 Elite (OH-S). Atonio Romanelli scored the only goal of the first half. In the second half, OP Green kept the ball rolling as Brady Whittekind, Cole Heilman, Brennon Davis and Jack Holland each contributed a goal.

Under-19 Boys: Chicago Celtic (IL) 3-2 Kansas Rush Academy Blue 96/97 (KS)
A close finish between Chicago Celtic (IL) and the 2015 Region II champions, Kansas Rush Academy Blue 96/97 (KS), resulted in a 3-2 win for Chicago Celtic. Elias Leyva’s goal in the 13th minute gave Chicago Celtic the lead, but Kansas Rush’s Jordan Evans quickly evened out the match seven minutes later. Tony Mok from Kansas Rush converted a goal to take the lead, but it was Chicago Celtic’s Leyva and William Cohen who each netted a goal to steal the lead right back.

The 2016 US Youth Soccer National Championships in Frisco, Texas will consist of US Youth Soccer Regional Champions in the Under-13 through Under-19 Boys and Girls age groups, as well as the US Youth Soccer National League qualifiers in the Under-14 through Under-18 Boys and Girls age groups to complete the field of 96 teams.