Va. State Cup: Under-15 Girls preview
By Jimmy LaRoue
Here’s the breakdown of the Under-15 Girls bracket of the Virginia State Cup semifinals and finals, set for this weekend at the River City Sportsplex in Richmond.
Teams (seed)
Herndon Freedom 97 (#1)
PWSI Courage 97 Red (#2)
Richmond Kickers Elite (#5)
Roanoke Star Elite 97 (unseeded)
Schedule
Semifinal: Oct. 27, 10 a.m. – (#1) Herndon Freedom 97 vs. (#5) Richmond Kickers Elite – River City Sportsplex #2 Turf, 10 a.m.
Semifinal: Oct. 27, 12 p.m. – (#2) PWSI Courage 97 Red vs. Roanoke Star Elite 97 – River City Sportsplex #2 Turf, 12 p.m.
Final: Herndon Freedom 97/Richmond Kickers Elite winner vs. PWSI Courage 97 Red/Roanoke Star Elite 97 winner, River City Sportsplex #2 Turf, 10 a.m.
Soccerwire.com prediction: While there would seem to be little on the immediate surface to suggest anything but another finals rematch between Herndon Freedom 97 and PWSI Courage 97 Red, with Herndon coming out on top given recent and prior results, let’s look a little closer. The Richmond Kickers Elite have gotten through the bracket, like the top two seeds, without giving up a goal, while unseeded Roanoke Star Elite pulled off the road upset of #3 Arlington Rowdies Red in the opening round, and has given up just a single goal on its way to a place in Richmond. The other confidence builder for Roanoke Star Elite 97? Having beaten PWSI Courage 97 Red 3-1 in the Jefferson Cup in the spring. PWSI Courage 97 Red, though, has reached the finals in the last three State Cup competitions, and the semifinals in the last four. And, of course, Herndon Freedom 97 has the experience of being the defending State Cup champions and the top-ranked team in Virginia.
Team: Herndon Freedom 97 (#1)
Club: Herndon Youth Soccer
Head coach: Gus Donolo
Home league: WAGS (7-0-1, U-15 Division 1–fall 2012)
Under-14 State Cup Finish: Champions
GotSoccer State Rank: 1
Goals in 2012 Cup: 11 scored, 0 allowed
How they got here:
Sept. 15, 2012: Herndon Freedom 97 5, McLean MPS 97 Extreme Green 0
Sept. 29, 2012: Herndon Freedom 97 3, VSA Heat Blue 0
Oct. 13, 2012: Herndon Freedom 97 3, (#8) Loudoun 97 Red 0
Team: PWSI Courage 97 Red (#2)
Club: Prince William Soccer, Inc.
Head coach: David Shaw
Home league: VCCL North (5-2-0, tie-2nd place–fall 2012)
Under-14 State Cup Finish: Finalist
GotSoccer State Rank: 3
Goals in 2012 Cup: 11 scored, 0 allowed
How they got here:
Sept. 15, 2012: PWSI Courage 97 Red 2, Vienna Strikers Red 0
Sept. 29, 2012: PWSI Courage 97 Red 2, Chesterfield United Crush Blue 97 0
Oct. 13, 2012: PWSI Courage 97 Red 2, (#7) Beach FC Red 0
Richmond Kickers Elite (#5)
Club: Richmond Kickers
Head coach: Andy McIntosh
Home league: VCCL South (3-3-1, 4th place–fall 2012)
Under-14 State Cup Finish: First round loss
GotSoccer State Rank: 5
Goals in 2012 Cup: 16 scored, 0 against
How they got here:
Sept. 15, 2012: Richmond Kickers Elite 7, SYC Pride United 0
Sept. 29, 2012: Richmond Kickers Elite 6, FC Richmond Mystx 97 0
Oct. 13, 2012: Richmond Kickers Elite 3, SYA Cardinals 97 Red 0
Roanoke Star Elite 97
Club: Roanoke Star
Head coach: Martin Smith
Home league: VCCL South (2-5-0, 6th place–fall 2012)
Under-14 State Cup Finish: Quarterfinal loss
GotSoccer State Rank: 13
Goals in 2012 Cup: 5 scored, 1 against
How they got here:
Sept. 15, 2012: Roanoke Star Elite 97 1, Arlington Rowdies Red 0
Sept. 29, 2012: Roanoke Star Elite 97 2, ODFC Revolution 0
Oct. 13, 2012: Roanoke Star Elite 97 2, Beach FC Fyre 1
