Va. State Cup: Under-16 Boys preview

By Jimmy LaRoue

Here’s the breakdown of the Under-16 Boys bracket of the Virginia State Cup semifinals and finals, set for this weekend at the River City Sportsplex in Richmond.

Teams (seed)

• Beach FC 96B Red (#1)

• ABGC Spartans SC (unseeded)

• Herndon Boca Juniors (#2)

• Arlington Strikers Red  (#3)

Schedule

Semifinal: Oct. 27, 2 p.m. – Beach FC 96B Red vs. ABGC Spartans SC, River City Sportsplex #1

Semifinal: Oct. 27, 2 p.m. – Herndon Boca Juniors vs. Arlington Strikers Red, River City Sportsplex #7

Final: Beach FC 96B Red/ABGC Spartans SC winner vs. Herndon Boca Juniors/Arlington Strikers Red winner, 11 a.m., River City Sportsplex #1

Soccerwire.com prediction: Three of the four teams that played in last year’s Va. State Cup final four are back this time around, including the same two, top-seeded teams in the tournament, #1 Beach FC 96B Red and #2 Herndon Boca Juniors, with Beach FC winning that final 1-0 in overtime. While the same two teams are poised to meet in the U-16 Boys Va. State Cup final, #3 Arlington Strikers Red, who lost out to Boca Juniors in last year’s State Cup semifinals in PKs, have a chance for revenge in the semifinal matchup, while Beach FC 96B Red will face off against ABGC Spartans SC, unseeded but quarterfinal losers in PKs to Richmond Kickers Elite in last year’s State Cup. Boca Juniors are the top-ranked team in Virginia according to the Got Soccer rankings. The Boca Juniors/Arlington Strikers Red matchup could very well be similar to last season’s matchup, while Beach FC 96B Red would seem to have a slight edge on ABGC Spartans SC, especially given current form with its State Cup and VCCL South division play, going undefeated and untied in both. However, whoever ends up as champion will likely have to survive overtime or PKs just to get there, and then do the same in the final.

Team: #1 Beach FC 96B Red
Club: Beach FC
Head coach: Wayne Pratt
Home league: VCCL South U-16 Boys (7-0-0, fall 2012)
Under-15 State Cup Finish: Champions
GotSoccer State Rank: 4
Goals in 2012 Cup: 7 goals, 1 against

How they got here:
Sept. 15, 2012: #1 Beach FC 96B Red 3, Richmond Kickers Elite 0
Sept. 29, 2012: #1 Beach FC 96B Red 3, Reston Internationals Blue 1
Oct. 13, 2012: #1 Beach FC 96B Red 1, #8 FC Richmond Magic 96 0

Team: ABGC Spartans SC
Club: Annandale Boys & Girls Club
Head coach: Bo Amato
Home league: NCSL U-16 Division 1 (3-3-1, fall 2012)
Under-15 State Cup Finish: Quarterfinal loss 3-2 in PKs to Richmond Kickers Elite
GotSoccer State Rank: 3
Goals in 2012 Cup: 11 goals, 3 against

How they got here:
Sept. 15, 2012: ABGC Spartans SC 3, SOCA Lightning 1
Sept. 29, 2012: ABGC Spartans SC 2, #4 BRYC Elite 96 1
Oct. 13, 2012: ABGC Spartans SC 6, Roanoke Star U-16 Boys Elite 1

Team: #3 Arlington Strikers Red
Club: Arlington Soccer Association
Head coach: Mo Tayari
Home league: VCCL North U-16 Boys (5-1-0, fall 2012)
Under-15 State Cup Finish: Semifinal 3-2 loss in PKs to Herndon Boca Juniors
GotSoccer State Rank: 5
Goals in 2012 Cup: 15 goals, 3 against

How they got here:
Sept. 15, 2012:  #3 Arlington Strikers Red 10, PWSI Courage 96 Red 1
Sept. 29, 2012: #3 Arlington Strikers Red 3, SYA Ajax Red 1
Oct. 13, 2012: #3 Arlington Strikers Red 2, #6 Team America FC 96 1

Team: #2 Herndon Boca Juniors
Club: Herndon Youth Soccer
Head coach: Nick Arzani
Home league: NCSL U-16 Division 1 (4-1-2, fall 2012)
Under-15 State Cup Finish: Finalist, 1-0 loss to Beach FC 96B Red
GotSoccer State Rank: 1
Goals in 2012 Cup: 6 goals, 0 against

How they got here:
Sept. 15, 2012: #2 Herndon Boca Juniors 2, Richmond Strikers Elite 0
Sept. 29, 2012: #2 Herndon Boca Juniors 2, Stafford Revolution 96 Blue 0
Oct. 13, 2012: #2 Herndon Boca Juniors 2, SYC Surge 96 White 0