PORTLAND, Maine (June 30, 2008) – As the semifinals of the US Youth Soccer Region I Championships got underway this morning, 72 teams were still in the running, but at the end of the day, some had to go home. Today, the field was trimmed to 36 teams who still have a chance to claim the regional crown.
Tomorrow's regional champions, in the Under-14 through Under-19 age groups, will earn the coveted tickets to the US Youth Soccer National Championships, July 22-27 in Little Rock, Arkansas.
As the sole team left to represent host, Soccer Maine, the Under-16 boys Coastal Thunder knew what it would take to beat TSF Academy Celtic (NJ).
Matthew Hoffman-Johnson of Thunder said, “We knew going in they would be good. We knew we’d have to play a good, hard game. But, we didn’t know too much about them, so we just went in knowing we had to do, what we had to do.”
That’s exactly what the Thunder did. In the 21st minute of play, Amory Houghton slotted one past the TSF keeper and into the back of the net. With the 1:0 lead, celebrations rang throughout the field. Fans from all over Maine came out to support the local team and the crowd’s energy kept them going after a 63rd minute goal by TSF that evened the score 1:1.
“Going in, I think our goal was to make it to Nationals this year. We make it to finals two years ago and lost. I think we have a certain hunger and we wanted to make the finals. This is just one step. Our goal, naturally, was to win this game and play a good game,” said Thunder team captain Justin Rosner. “It means the world to me to be here and you saw the support we had. It means the world when there’s 10 minutes left and it is 90 degrees out here and you’re dying on the field. It just makes a huge difference when there are a lot people out there cheering you on.”
Less than 10 minutes after TSF scored, Rosner put a PK past the keeper for a 2:1 lead and an 80th minute free kick by Hoffman-Johnson put Thunder up 3:1 and into their seat for the finals where they will play Lower Merion Velez (PA-E) at 10:00 a.m.
Amory Houghton of Thunder said, “We would be disappointed with a loss. We were here two years ago and made it into the finals in Virginia Beach. We didn’t make it to Nationals (The US Youth Soccer National Championships), but this year we’re definitely going to play it and hopefully we’ll get a win.”
McLean Freedom MPS Girls Elite (VA) Under-18 girls are back at the US Youth Soccer Region I Championship for their first time since 2006, and coming into the tournament, they said they felt like the underdogs. However, at the end of semifinals, they are anything but that. It was a 1:0 victory over FC Greater Boston (MA) today that secured their slot in the finals.
McLean assistant coach Mike Jordan said, “We came here knowing we were a good side, but we didn’t know what to expect. We just wanted to do our best and get out of our bracket. Now we’re going to finals and we’re excited about that.”
In the Under-18 boys division, Oakwood (CT) came out strong against Montgomery United(PA-E) and put one on the board late in the first half, but United wasn’t going to go down without a fight. United evened the score 1:1 to push the game into overtime. After several cracked crossbars and even floating a couple of balls into the side netting, United put one past the keeper late in the second half of overtime to take the win, 2:1.
This is the second trip to Regionals for the United, but for Andrew Goldberg, who scored the first goal for United, said this is his first experience since he only joined the team a year ago. About his experience at the US Youth Soccer Region I Championships, Goldberg said, “It’s amazing. It’s just an unbelievable experience and I could have never imagined being one of the top teams in the country. This is a story to tell as you move on in life, just to be one of the top teams in the country.”
The Under-18 boys US Youth Soccer Region I Champion will be decided tomorrow at 8:00 a.m. when United plays McLean MPS Freedom Elite (VA). United is one of ten Eastern Pennsylvania teams who advanced to the finals.
An interesting match-up took place in the Under-12 boys division today as two New Jersey teams played for a spot in the finals. It was final score of 0:4 between Montclair Gauchos and NJSA 04 Celtics that sent NJSA over the top and into the finals. NJSA will play Lehigh Valley United for the title of US Youth Soccer Region I Champions at 9:45 a.m.
The following are Monday’s semifinal results:
