Preliminary Games, Day 1 of 3
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GREENSBORO, N.C. (June 23, 2017) — More than 200 teams kicked off the 2017 US Youth Soccer Region III Championships Friday in Greensboro, N.C. Teams from all over the southern United States took the field with the goal of taking the next step toward claiming the coveted US Youth Soccer National Championship in their respective age group.
It was an exciting start to Region III Championships preliminary games at BB&T Soccer Complex at Bryan Park and Burlington Soccer Complex in Greensboro, N.C. The chase for the Regional and National Championships continues on Saturday, June 24 when day two of preliminary games begin.
In the 15U Boys division, 02 CASL Red North’s Head Coach, Doug Prewett, spoke about the unique competitive opportunity Region III Championships brought for his team. He said, “Region III Championships are a great opportunity. Every team here is a champion in their own right. We get an opportunity to compete against the best of the best in our region.”
Here are a few recaps from the first day of group play…
Girls Recaps
14U Girls
03 CSA Charlotte Torison (NC) and Sunrise Sting 2003 Black (FL), faced off in a match ending in 4-1, favoring 03 CSA Charlotte Torison. The first goal of the game was scored by 03 CSA Charlotte Torison’s Katerina Peroula and the assist for that goal came from Mary Godwin. Not only did Katerina Peroulas score the first goal, but she went on to score the next three, as well. With a strong defensive backline, 03 CSA Charlotte Torison was able to defeat Sunrise Sting 2003.
15U Girls
02 CASL North G (NC) and Oklahoma Football Club 02 (OK) played in an exciting back-and-forth matchup to open the 2017 Region III Championships. The first goal came in the 3rd minute with a beautiful strike from 02 CASL North G's Serena Spitz. Two minutes later, Riley Quinlan from 02 CASL North G doubled the score, despite the opposing goalkeeper getting a touch on it. In the 14th minute, Keanna Witte from OFC 02, made the score 2-1. In addition, OFC 02’s goalkeeper made several fantastic saves in the first half to keep her team alive. To open up the second half, OFC 02 tied up the score 2-2 when Emily Tincher found the back of the net. Though both teams were very aggressive in this high intensity match, the final score, 3-2, was decided by another goal from 02 CASL North G’s Riley Quinlan.
16U Girls
Sporting Arkansas 01 Red (AR) and Hunstville FC 01 Blue (AL) kicked off today with a scoreless first half. However, the second half opened up for Sporting Arkansas 01 Red. Soon after the whistle blew to begin the second half of play, Sporting Arkansas 01 Red’s Tyler Reash found the back of the net with a great through ball from Lanee Knight. Lanee Knight went on to score a goal for her team in the 58th minute after the ball got loose in the box and she scored on an open net. The third and final goal came in the 64th minute from Sporting Arkansas’s Elizabeth Miller to make the final score, 3-0.
Boys Recaps
14U Boys
FC Premier 03 Opoku (TX-N) and MFC Rush (MS) fought to a 2-2 draw on the first day of preliminary play at Region III Championships. In just the second minute of play, Edgar Jaimes from FC Premier 03B Opoku found the back of the net. Nearing the end of the first half, MFC Rush’s Jamian Jackson scored to tie the game up, 1-1. In the second half, it was Edgar Jaimes, with his second goal to give FC Premier 03B Opoku the 2-1 edge. The game was ultimately decided by MFC Rush’s Shade Foster who tied up the game 2-2 with a crucial goal for his team.
15U Boys
The competitive nature of Region III Championships was displayed in the 15U Boys division game between 02 CASL Red North (NC) and Vestavia Steamers 02 Black (AL) in a tight matchup that ended 3-2. Both teams were full of steam in the first half, scoring all of the goals in the first 34 minutes of play. The first goal came for 02 CASL Red North’s, Philip Tracy. Six minutes later, Samuel Sinigur struck again for 02 CASL Red North. Two minutes after 02 CASL Red North had made the score, 2-0, Kenneth Toledo found the back of the net for his team to make the score 2-1. The final goal of the match came in the 34th minute from 02 CASL Red North’s, Christopher Steg. 02 CASL Red North’s defense held up in the second half to leave the final score at 3-2.
18U Boys
In the 18U Boys division, Chattanooga Football Club Academy (TN) and SA/Tormeta FC 99 Black (GA) tied, 2-2. The first goal of the match came in the 14th minute from Chattanooga’s Francisco Medina. In the 27th minute, Tormenta 99 tied up the game, 1-1, when Trevor Blitchington found the back of the net. Late in the second half, Tormenta 99’s Esaul Cadena, made the score 2-1. The game was finalized in the 80th minute when Austin Berry scored for Chattanooga Football Club, making the final score 2-2.
The 2017 US Youth Soccer Region III Championships feature the top boys and girls teams from the 12 State Associations that make up US Youth Soccer Region III, with each squad competing for the 2017 regional title. Preliminary games will be held June 23-25, with quarterfinals, semifinals and finals taking place June 26-29. Games will be played at BB&T Soccer Complex at Bryan Park in Greensboro, N.C., while all 19/20U preliminary games will take place at Burlington Soccer Complex.
Regional winners of the 13U through 19/20U age groups earn a berth to the 2017 US Youth Soccer National Championships, which will be played July 24-29 at the Toyota Soccer Center in Frisco, Texas.
The US Youth Soccer National Championships will consist of US Youth Soccer Regional Champions in the 13U through 19/20U Boys and Girls age groups, as well as the US Youth Soccer National League qualifiers in the 15U through 19/20U Boys and Girls age groups to complete the field of 96 teams.
Daily reports and complete results from the US Youth Soccer Region III Championships are available on http://championships.usyouthsoccer.org/regionIII/.
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