[NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: Finals] West Coast FC won a pair of titles as Cal South teams went home with five of the seven boys trophies at the U.S. Youth SoccerNational Championship Series in Overland Park, Kan. Sunday’s play saw six of seven finals go to overtime.
Sunday’s Winners:
Under-17 Boys | West Coast FC (CA-S)
Under-16 Boys | Smithtown Arsenal (E-NY)
Under-19 Girls | NASA 12 Elite II (GA)
Under-18Girls | Team Chicago Botafogo (IL)
Under-17 Girls | Cleveland United White (OH-N)
Under-16 Girls| DMCV Sharks Elite (CA-S)
(Click here for report on Saturday’sfinal.)
In the U-18 boys final, Ricky Brown, son of West Coast FC coach Rick Brown, saved two penalty kicksand then converted the final spot kick to claim the title, the team’s second after a 2009 under-14 championship.
“It doesn’t matter how many times we are here, it matters thatwhen we are here, we finish what we started,” Rick Brown said. “You have to take advantage of these moments and we were lucky enough to experience it at age 14 in 2009, and we are lucky tohave the same moment here in 2013 at under-18. To have these guys go to college with this championship, it really comes full circle.”
Under-18Boys
West Coast FC (CA-S) took the lead over National League rival Raiders FC Premier (IL) on Gage Zerboni‘s goal but Kyle Hamann headed a ball from Roberto Torres into the net for a stoppage-time equalizer that sent the game to overtime. The game finished 1-1before Brown scored to win the shootout in the fifth round of penalties.
Under-17 Boys
Little could separate National League teams WestCoast FC (CA-S) and CUP Gold Boys (OH-S) as West Coast needed an overtime goal from Dylan Struthers to win 1-0.
Under-16 Boys
In the lone game on Sunday to be decided in regulation, Smithtown Arsenal (E-NY) defeated GSA Phoenix Red (GA), 2-0. Smithtown, which had earlier knocked off two-timedefending national champions Fullerton Rangers White (CA-S), won the final on goals by Thomas Butzke and HarrisonWeilbacher.
Under-19 Girls
NASA 12 Elite II (GA)defeated So Cal Blues Dido (CA-S), 2-1, with all three goals coming in overtime. NASA got the first advantage in overtime with a Caroline Waters goal.
Under-18 Girls
In a rematch of the final game of the National League season, Team Chicago Academy Botafogo (IL) once again defeatedreturning champ VSA Heat Blue (VA, 2-1, on Zoe Swift’s overtime goal. Swift had scored in the 11th minute, but Cassidy Mercier evened the score for VSA in the49th minute.
Under-17 Girls
In the Under-17 Girls, Cleveland United White (OH-N) defeated Match Fit Beat (NJ), 2-1, in overtime.
Under-16 Girls
In another match between two National League foes, DMCV Sharks Elite (CA-S) defeated 2012 finalist Kings Hammer Academy (OH-S) on penalty kicks after their match finished 2-2. Kings Hammer’sSydney Kilgore and the Sharks’ Kirsten McBeain traded goals in regulation. Kings Hammer went ahead two minutes intoovertime on Lauren Nemeroff‘s goal, but Natalie Saddic tied the match for the Sharks by tapping in a loose ball.
hmmm maybe that’s why US Youth National team are full of west coast players, most specifically from california.