Quarterfinals, Day 2 of 2
19U Girls final set
Scores & Standings
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Greensboro, N.C. (June 26, 2018) — Two days of play remain at the 2018 US Youth Soccer Southern Regional Championships after the second half of quarterfinals, as well as the 19U Girls semifinals, took place Monday at BB&T Soccer Complex at Bryan Park in Greensboro, N.C.
Semifinals will take place tomorrow while the 19U Girls will play their final match to see who will earn the first Southern Regional title and spot in the 2018 US Youth Soccer National Championships.
19U Girls Final - AFC Lightning Elite (GA) vs CSA Lady Lobos Rush Premier (TN) | Field 1 | 11:00 AM
For some teams, making it to the elimination rounds has been years in the making. One of those teams, Lobos Rush 01 Premier (TN), has won four straight State Cup finals but has never been able to progress out of the group stages.
“More than half of the team has been here four straight years,” said head coach David Mcalister. “They’ve never gotten out of group state so getting to the quarterfinals was massive and now making it to the semis is just unreal. It is such a weight off our shoulders and now that we’ve done it, we know we belong and have the talent to do more.
After going through kicks from the mark to determine their seeding for quarterfinals, Lobos had to battle from behind to tie the game and headed to another kicks from the mark scenario. Lobos earned the win with much thanks going to their keeper, Thomas “Wayne” Davis, for making two huge back-to-back saves.
“The two early goals, the same thing happened to us in the State finals,” continued Mcalister. “We battle back, we don’t get impatient and we don’t get frazzled. They know if we play our game, it’ll be fine and the goals will come.
Notes from a few of Tuesday’s matches:
13U Girls
All the group winners won their quarterfinal matches, including Dallas Texans 06 South (TX-N) with a, 2-0, victory over Weston FC (FL). With a wet field, both teams used the first half trying to get their bearings as the match played back and forth. The Dallas Texans took the lead in the 48th minute as Gabrielle Love scored her second goal of the tournament and then Emeri Adames sealed the deal in the waning moments of the game with a goal in the 70th minute. Dallas will now face Liverpool 05 Elite (TX-N) in an all North Texas semifinal while 05 NCFC Elite (NC) and SSA Chelsea 05 Elite (GA) both advance after notching their own respective, 3-0 and 1-0, wins.
17U Girls
01 Lady Lobos Rush Premier (TN) are advancing to the semifinals after a close, 2-1, victory over Solar 01 Fagen (TX-N). Solar took the lead in just the sixth minute of play as Isabella Burda beat the onrushing Lobos keeper to a ball over the top. Burda jumped up and touched the ball up and over the keeper and the chasing Lobos defenders could not recover quick enough to clear the line. Solar held the lead for only a short two minutes before the Lobos responded. Lobos’ Cara Young hit a pass across the box from the end line to an open Jenna Kemp who finished from close range. Kemp added her second of the game in the 33th minute to send Tennessee into half with a goal advantage. The second half progressed with neither team able to add another goal as the Lobos held onto its one goal advantage earning the win and a spot in the 17U Girls semifinals. Lobos move on to face 01 CSA North-Cab Predator (NC) while the other semifinal is between Pool A winners Mandeville SC Lakers LPDL 01 (LA) and Pool C winners FC Florida 2001 Elite Blue Predators (FL)
17U Boys
PPA KSA 01 Pro-Profile (GA) have now won four straight after winning its quarterfinal match in confident fashion against 01 CSA North Cab Predator (NC). KSA wasted no time getting on the board early, earning goals from Carl Henry Desir and Deedson Vixamar in just the fifth and ninth minutes of play. KSA pushed the advantage to three, but not until after a great diving save on a shot from distance by the CSA goalkeeper. On the ensuing corner, KSA played it short and then a cross into the box was finished with a close range header by Fabian Rivas. Vixamar completed the first half scoring with his second of the game after he dribbled passed two defenders and hit a low hard shot from a tight angle to beat the keeper. CSA almost pulled one back late after Daniel Moore’s freekick snuck over the KSA backline but the attackers could not get enough on the shot to trouble the keeper. Gildardo Cisneros Gonzalez and Brandon Sydnor added second half goals to round off the scoring. KSA will face Pool B winners Lobos Rush 01 Premier (TN) in the semifinals, while Solar 01 Stricker (TX-N) and Rise SC 01 Elite I C (TX-S) will pair up in the opposite semifinal.
18U Girls
It took kicks from the mark to decide the winner as 00 NCFC Elite (NC) outlasted Austin Texans 00 (TX-S) to advance to tomorrow’s semifinals. NCFC took the lead in the 29th minute but the lead was short lived as Austin’s Taylor Gurnett scored in the 37th minute after muscling by a defender and finishing from close range. Neither team could break the deadlock in regulation or overtime and the game headed to kicks from the mark. After make after make, NCFC’s M.G. Bunch made a crucial save to put her side ahead. The NCFC’s last kicker did the rest and now NCFC is on to the semifinals where they will face Sunrise Sting 2000 (FL). It should be a great match as both teams have only conceded one goal each. In the other semifinal, Mandeville SC Lakers Elite (LA) advances, as they too used kicks from the mark to move on, and will play UFA Milton 00 Premier (GA).
18U Boys
Pool C runners-up, LA Fire Jrs Red (LA), defeated MS Rush Premier (MS), 1-0, to earn a spot in tomorrow’s 18U Boys semifinals. After a scoreless first half, the back and forth physical play continued into the second. Rush almost took the lead when Austin Tolley cut by a defender in the box but his chance went just wide. Rush’s chances continued and had another great chance when a cutback pass found the feet of an attacker but the blast was blocked by an onrushing defender. Each team continued to have chances but the game remained tied at the end of regulation and headed to overtime. The two teams were even until late in the second overtime period when Chad Cadiere became the hero by pushing LA Fire into lead. Cadiere’s first goal in the tournament held as the game winner and the Louisiana team advances to face Davie United Sharks 2000 Blue (FL) in the semifinals. LA Fire will have to be wary of the Davie attack that has scored 22 goals through four games. The other 18U Boys semifinal will be an all FC Dallas matchup as FC Dallas 00 Premier (TX-N) faces FC Dallas Youth 00 Boys (TX-N).
19U Girls
CSA 00/99 Lady Lobos Rush Premier (TN) earned a confidence building, 4-0, victory over Northwest Optimist OKC Crew 99 to book its spot in the 19U Girls final. Lobos held the ball in Optimist’s side most of the first half and it paid dividends as Carolina Duncan and Adryan Darnell both tallied first half goals. Lobos kept pressing in the second half and Duncan scored her second. Duncan received a pass, turned and hit a great strike to push the advantage to three. Nora Tillmanns added a late insurance goal to send the final score to 4-0. CSA will match up against AFC Lightning 99 Elite (GA) who earned a fourth win in four games with its, 2-0, semifinal win over 99 PTFC Lady Black (NC). Taylor Malasek notched her fourth goal of the tournament and Chloe Thompson finished the scoring in the 86th minute. With 29 goals scored for and just three goals conceded between the two teams so far this tournament, there will be a great combination of offensive firepower and defensive shape on display in the 19U Girls final tomorrow.
19U Boys
Tampa Bay United (FL) is advancing to the semifinals after defeating Chattanooga Football Club Academy 99/00 Premier (TN), 4-3, in a wild back and forth game. Tampa Bay set the tone early by scoring in just the second minute of play thanks to Travis Foster finding the back of the net but Chattanooga’s Frank Herrera equalized just eight minutes later to bring the team back to level terms. Chattanooga got the last say in the first half as Austin Berry gave Tennessee the lead in the 33rd minute. Tampa Bay leveled the score after a foul in the box set up a penalty kick. Tristen Andrew stepped up and hit his chance to the bottom left to level the score a 2-2. The game was decided with a flurry of goals in the second half. Berry gave Chattanooga the lead again in the 71st minute after hitting a blast from the right side that went off the crossbar, post and in. Just seven minutes later, Tampa Bay was right back in it as a flick on header bounced to Caden Corrao who hit a half volley off the crossbar and in. Tampa’s Travis Foster sealed the deal just one minute later as he broke down the left flank, streaking by defenders to place his shot back post for a 4-2 lead. With the win, Tampa Bay United advances to face Pool B winners UFA 99 Premier (GA) while PPA KSA 99 Pro-Profile (GA) will face South Carolina United FC 99 Elite (SC)
Regional winners of the 13U through 19U age groups earn a berth to the 2018 US Youth Soccer National Championships, which will be played July 23-29 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 19U Boys and Girls age groups, as well as the US Youth Soccer National League qualifiers in the 14U through 18U Boys and Girls age groups to complete the field of 96 teams.
Daily reports and complete results from the US Youth Soccer Southern Regional Championships are available on championships.usyouthsoccer.org/South.
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