Championship pairings set at the 2012 US Youth Soccer ODP Championships

March 10, 2012 12:00 AM

All four Regions to be represented in championship matches Sunday
95 and 96 age groups vie for elite crown in Frisco, Texas
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FRISCO, Texas (March 9, 2012) - The 2012 US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program (US Youth Soccer ODP) Championships kicked off today at FC Dallas Stadium in Frisco, Texas, a suburb of Dallas.

Teams in the 1995 and 1996 age groups played their semifinal matches today and the championship pairings are set for Sunday, March 11. A complete schedule is available on USYouthSoccer.org or by clicking here.

State-level US Youth Soccer ODP Boys and Girls teams have earned their way to the 2012 US Youth Soccer ODP Championships by winning their US Youth Soccer ODP Regional Championships. The format, similar to the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series, provides state teams the opportunity to compete against teams from other regions in a championship tournament.

Both 1995 champions from 2011 are poised to repeat this year, with New Jersey advancing to the girls championship game and Virginia returning to the boys final.

1995 Girls
New Jersey began its quest for a second-consecutive US Youth Soccer ODP Championship by facing a determined side from Ohio-South. A hard fought first period was capped off with a New Jersey goal just before the halftime whistle by Alex Schlobohm. That score line held and set up a rematch of the 2011 championship match between New Jersey and California-South.

Cal-South started its semifinal match off with an early goal from Kayla Mills in the 7^th minute. Three more goals in the first half would give the Region IV champs a comfortable 4-0 lead over Georgia at intermission. Sarah Fajnor finished the scoring for Cal-South with a strike in the 86^th minute for the 5-0 victory.

1995 Boys
Michigan made an early statement in its semifinal match when Ryan Scott nodded home a corner kick to claim a 1-0 lead over Tennessee in the 2^ndminute. Tennessee would battle back and equalize just after halftime on a Connor Quiggle strike. Michigan showed resilience of its own when Donald Payne found Matt Wilson free in the 18 and Wilson slotted home the game winner in the 59^th minute.

Michigan's opponent in the championship match will be defending US Youth Soccer ODP Champion, Virginia. After creating scoring opportunities in the first half, Virginia finally broke the stalemate with Cal-South with a goal from Dale Ludwig in the 48^th minute. Defensive efforts at both ends of the field held the 1-0 scoreline.

1996 Girls
A goal by Colleen Gawkins was all that separated Michigan and Virginia in the 1996 Girls semifinal. In the late stages of the first half, Gawkins showed great individual skill, beating her defender to the endline then beating the keeper to the near post to secure the 1-0 victory for Virginia.

Cal-South took a first-half lead over Florida off a Pilar Torres strike in the 21^st minute. Torres would score again to double the Cal-South lead in the 80^th minute. Florida pulled a goal back off the ensuing kickoff, but the game ended 2-1 in favor of the Region IV champs.

1996 Boys
A pair of 3-0 scorelines determined the 1996 Boys semifinal matches. Michigan put two early goals on the board against Cal-South with Don Nakashima goals in the 9^th and 12^th minutes. Lou Plascencia added a third goal for Michigan in the 79^th to finish the scoring.

Mario Da Silva's goal in the 12^th minute gave Florida first-half lead over Virginia. After being denied by the woodwork twice in the second half, Florida finally added some cushion with goals by Bradley Farias in the 77^th and 80^th minutes.

Semifinal Results

1995 Girls	Ohio South	0-1	New Jersey
Goal Scorers: NJ-Alex Schlobohm (45:00)
1995 Girls	California South	5-0	Georgia
Goal Scorers: CA-S-Kayla Mills (7:00), Mellessah Rangel (22:00), Savannah Levin (32:00), MacKenzie Cerda (44:00), Sarah Fajnor (86:00)
1995 Boys	Tennessee	1-2	Michigan
Goal Scorers: TN-Connor Quiggle (49:00)
Goal Scorers: MI-Ryan Scott (2:00), Matt Wilson (59:00)
1995 Boys	California South	0-1	Virginia
Goal Scorers: VA-Dale Ludwig (48:00)
1996 Girls	California South	2-1	Florida
Goal Scorers: CA-S-Pilar Torres (21:00, 80:00)
Goal Scorers: FL-Taylor Doeble (80:00)
1996 Girls	Virginia	1-0	Michigan
Goal Scorers: Colleen Gawkins (38:00)
1996 Boys	California South	0-3	Michigan
Goal Scorers: MI-Don Nakashima (9:00, 12:00), Lou Plascencia (79:00)
1996 Boys	Florida	3-0	Virginia
Goal Scorers: FL-Mario Da Silva (12:00), Bradley Farias (77:00, 80:00)

Championship Matches - Sunday, March 11

Time	Age				Field
8 a.m.	1995 Boys	Virginia	v	Michigan	5
8:30 a.m.	1996 Boys	Michigan	v	Florida	7
10 a.m.	1995 Girls	California South	v	New Jersey	5
10:30 a.m.	1996 Girls	Virginia	v	California South	8

Consolation Matches - Sunday, March 11

Time	Age				Field
8 a.m.	1995 Boys	California South	v	Tennessee	6
8:30 a.m.	1996 Boys	Virginia	v	California South	8
10 a.m.	1995 Girls	Georgia	v	Ohio South	6
10:30 a.m.	1996 Girls	Michigan	v	Florida	7

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About US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program (US Youth Soccer ODP) - US Youth Soccer ODP, established in 1977, is the original Olympic development program in the United States. Formed to identify a pool of players in each age group from which a National Team could be selected for international competition, selected players are exposed to the nation's top coaches from collegiate institutions, U.S. Soccer and the professional leagues. Programs exist in each state and with competitions such as the US Youth Soccer ODP National Championships, Interregional Training/Competition, Regional Camps and International play. US Youth Soccer ODP continues to lead the way in elite player identification and development. US Youth Soccer ODP is an approved program of the U.S. Soccer Federation.

About the United States Youth Soccer Association (US Youth Soccer) – US Youth Soccer - "The Game for ALL Kids!^?" is the largest youth sports organization in the country and largest member of the United States Soccer Federation, the governing body of soccer in the United States. US Youth Soccer registers more than 3 million players annually, ages 5 to 19, and over 900,000 administrators, coaches and volunteers in 55 member State Associations. US Youth Soccer programs provide a fun, safe and healthy environment for players at every level of the game. For more information, visit www.USYouthSoccer.org.

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