Va. State Cup: Under-17 Boys preview
By Jimmy LaRoue
Here’s the breakdown of the Under-17 Boys bracket of the Virginia State Cup semifinals and finals, set for this weekend at the River City Sportsplex in Richmond.
Teams (seed)
• Loudoun 95B Red (#1)
• ABGC Hawks (#2)
• CSL Junkyard Dawgs Elite (#6)
• SYA Excel Red (unseeded)
Schedule
Semifinal: Oct. 27, 12 p.m. – #1 Loudoun 95B Red vs. SYA Excel Red, River City Sportsplex #1
Semifinal: Oct. 27, 10 a.m. – #6 CSL Junkyard Dawgs Elite vs. #2 ABGC Hawks, River City Sportsplex #7
Final: Oct. 28, 9 a.m. – Loudoun 95B Red/SYA Excel Red winner vs. CSL Junkyard Dawgs Elite/ABGC Hawks winner, River City Sportsplex #1
Soccerwire.com prediction: falling to SOCA Lightning Elite in the final. SOCA Lightning got knocked out in the first round this year, so they aren’t back to defend their title, but Loudoun is primed for a title this year, so far undefeated in VCCL and State Cup play and would seem to have an easier path to the final with a matchup against unseeded SYA Excel Red. However, SYA Excel Red knocked out the #4 seed Arlington Suprema Inferno in the second round, and the #5 seed FC Richmond Magic 95 in the quarterfinals. ABGC Hawks narrowly missed out on the final last year and will be looking to get there this time around. We know one thing, with three of the four teams coming out of the VCCL North U-17 Boys division, at least one team in the final will come out of that group, with an edge to Loudoun 95B Red to win it all.
Team: Loudoun 95B Red
Club: Loudoun Soccer
Head coach: John O’Hara
Home league: VCCL North U-17 Boys (5-0-0, fall 2012)
Under-16 State Cup Finish: Finalist, lost to SOCA Lightning Elite 1-0 in final
Goals in 2012 Cup: 13 goals, 4 against
How they got here:
Sept. 15, 2012: #1 Loudoun 95B Red 7, Augusta FC 95BR 1
Sept. 29, 2012: # 1 Loudoun 95B Red 2, NVSC Jr. Royals 1
Oct. 13, 2012: # 1 Loudoun 95B Red 4, PWSI Courage 95 Red 2
Team: ABGC Hawks
Club: Annandale Boys & Girls Club
Head coach: Bo Amato
Home league: VCCL North U-17 Boys (2-3-1, fall 2012)
Under-16 State Cup Finish: Semifinals, lost 1-0 to SOCA Lightning Elite
Goals in 2012 Cup: 13 goals, 1 against
How they got here:
Sept. 15, 2012: #2 ABGC Hawks 2, Roanoke Star U-17 Boys Elite 0
Sept. 29, 2012: #2 ABGC Hawks 7, Virginia Legacy 95/96 Wizards 1
Oct. 13, 2012: #2 ABGC Hawks 4, Stafford Revolution 95B Blue 0
Team: CSL Junkyard Dawgs (#6)
Club: Churchland Soccer League
Head coach: Todd Niblo
Home league: VSL
Under-16 State Cup Finish: As #4 seed, lost in first round 2-1 to BAC Real Blue in PKs
Goals in 2012 Cup: 6 goals, 2 allowed
How they got here:
Sept. 15, 2012: #6 CSL Junkyard Dawgs Elite 1, Winchester United 95B 0
Sept. 29, 2012: #6 CSL Junkyard Dawgs Elite 2, Herndon Storm 0
Oct. 13, 2012: #6 CSL Junkyard Dawgs Elite 3, #3 Beach FC 95B Red 2
Team: SYA Excel Red
Club: Southwestern Youth Association Soccer
Head coach: Steve Alabi
Home league: VCCL North U-17 Boys (3-1-0, fall 2012)
Under-16 State Cup Finish: Lost in second round
Goals in 2012 Cup: 10 goals, 2 against
How they got here:
Sept. 15, 2012: SYA Excel Red 6, CUSC U17 Storm 1
Sept. 29, 2012: SYA Excel Red 1, #4 Arlington Suprema Inferno 0
Oct. 13, 2012: SYA Excel Red 3, #5 FC Richmond Magic, 1
