2015 REGION II PRESIDENTS CUP CHAMPIONS

Soccer News: Champions Crowned at 2015 US Youth Soccer Region II Presidents Cup

U.S. Youth Soccer announced the 2015 US Youth Soccer Region II (Midwest) Presidents Cup champions, crowned Sunday in St. Charles, Missouri. Winning teams in the Under-13 through Under-17 Boys and Girls age groups advance to the 2015 US Youth Soccer National Presidents Cup, July 9-12 in Overland Park, Kansas.

The 4-day tournament featured 80 US Youth Soccer teams that had won their respective State Presidents Cup events from 14 US Youth Soccer State Associations – Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio-North, Ohio-South, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

2015 US Youth Soccer Region II Presidents Cup Champions:

Match Highlights:

Under-13 Boys: CFJ West 01/02 Red (IL) 1–0 Goshen Stars 01/02 Boys (IN)
CFJ West 01/02 Red (IL) took home the U-13 Boys crown after defeating Goshen Stars 01/02 Boys (IN) 1-0. The lone goal was scored in the first half by notable CFJ forward Blake Brandenburg, who concluded the tournament by soaring to the top of the leaderboard as the age group’s leading goal scorer with nine goals total.

Under-14 Boys: FC Pride 01 Elite (IN) 1-0 OPSC Academy Monaco (KS)
FC Pride 01 Elite (IN) is the U-14 Boys Champion after a 1-0 defeat against OPSC Academy Monaco (KS). After a tough first half, the match went into halftime scoreless. In the 38^th minute, Max Allen not only broke the stalemate but scored the game winner to advance FC Pride to the National Presidents Cup.

Under-15 Boys: Dynamic FC 99/00 (IL) 5–1 KC Legends 99/00 (KS)
Dynamic FC 99/00 (IL) finished the tournament with a strong 5–1 win against KC Legends 99/00 (KS) to become the U-15 Boys Champion. Dynamic FC had a 2-0 advantage by halftime after a pair of Luis Moreno goals in the 5^th and 17^th minutes. Adrian Medina added to the Dynamic FC lead upon starting the second half with a goal in the 42^nd minute. Hunter Grimm put KC Legends on the board with a goal in the 55^th minute. The momentum however stayed on Dynamic FC’s side, and in the 61^st and 77^th minutes, Evan Wimberly and Patricio Cortez added two more tallies. Wimberly finished the event as the top U-15 Boys scorer with five goals.

Under-16 Boys: Elm Grove Blues (WI) 2–1 (PK) Flood SC (IN)
In an exciting match that went to penalty kicks, Elm Grove Blues (WI) was crowned the U-16 Boys Champion after defeating Flood SC (IN). Flood SC began the match with an early goal in the 7^th minute by Noah Farmer. The lead held on almost the entire match, but with just a minute to go Bryce Wilkerson found the tie for Elm Grove taking the game to overtime. A scoreless overtime period resulted in kicks from the mark. Flood SC managed to get three PKs in the net, but Elm Grove shooters successfully shot five goals giving them the championship.

Under-17 Boys: SASA Spirits (IL) 4-1 Millennium Soccer Academy 98 Black (IN)
Similar to last year’s event, SASA Spirits (IL) took home the U-17 Boys Championship. SASA defeated Millennium Soccer Academy 98 Black (IN) 4-1. Logan Willard and Nicholas Metzger gave SASA a 2-0 starting lead after goals in the 24^th and 36^th minutes correspondingly. Ryan Miles put Millennium Soccer Academy on the board in the 37^th minute. The SASA lead raised even higher when Nathan Cheung scored in the 68^th minute – his 6^th goal overall in the tournament, making him the age group’s leading scorer. Kelby Phillips finished the match scoring for SASA in the 87^th minute.

Under-13 Girls: KRW Rush (KS) 5-2 Strikers FV ’02 Premier (IL)
KRW Rush (KS) took home the U-13 Girls crown after a challenging 5-2 win against Strikers FV ’02 Premier (IL). KRW Rush started the match with a 2-0 lead at the half after goals by Dilary Heredia-Beltran and Molly Boulanger in the 8^th and 13^th minutes respectively. Strikers FV came back determined in the second half, and evened the score after an Emily Thill goal in the 37^th minute and a Madelyn Durso goal in the 39^th minute. Ava Ayala was quick to recover, and put KRW Rush back in the lead a minute afterward. Heredia-Beltran found her second KRW goal in the 51^st minute, and Anna Lasak closed the scoring with a KRW goal in the 61^st minute. Heredia-Beltran’s two goals today propelled her to the top of the age group’s leading scorers as she finished the tournament with seven goals total.

Under-14 Girls: NWC Alliance Black 00 (OH-S) 5-2 Team Elmhurst Select (IL)
A 5-2 win gave NWC Alliance Black 00 (OH-S) the U-14 Girls crown. NWC Alliance defeated Team Elmhurst Select (IL) particularly by a decisive first half. NWC got a swift goal in the 2^nd minute by Olivia Page, but Anissa Nourse evened the score for Team Elmhurst seconds later. NWC responded by fighting back harder, and got four straight additional goals. Cassi Hennen and Page both scored for NWC just a minute after the tie. Kayela Welfare also got a pair of goals for NWC in the 25^th and 35^th minutes. Lindsey Novak gave Team Elmhurst a second goal in the 54^th minute, but NWC’s resilient offense ultimately gave them the victory.

Under-15 Girls: Eclipse Elite White (IL) 1-0 FWSC 00G Academy – Strikers (IN)
One goal and a strong backline gave Eclipse Elite White (IL) a U-15 Girls victory against FWSC 00G Academy – Strikers (IN). Madelyn Swade scored the key goal in the first half, and Eclipse Elite maintained a sturdy defense for the rest of the match to take home the crown.

Under-16 Girls: Missouri Rush SC Nero-Menendez (MO) 1–0 (PK) Ela Elite U16 (IL)
Local team Missouri Rush SC Nero-Menendez (MO) won the U-16 Girls crown in their St. Charles hometown after defeating Ela Elite (IL) in a competitve match that went to penalty kicks. Although both teams had chances, regulation time concluded in a 0-0 score resulting in overtime. Both teams continued to fight hard, but neither was able to find the back of the net leaving the match to be decided by kicks from the mark. Ela Elite was able to get two goals, but Missouri Rush’s scorers made four goals decidedly giving them the championship.

Under-17 Girls: CWSC United Red (OH-S) 5-0 Lady Blaze (IN)
CWSC United Red (OH-S) concluded the tournament with a sharp 5-0 win against Lady Blaze (IN) to take home the U-17 Girls Championship. Madeline Rechel opened the scoring in the 15^th minute, and Hannah Schloemer doubled the CWSC score in the 22^nd minute. Rechel got a second goal in the 63^rd minute and Heather Runk followed suit scoring a pair of goals in the 80^th and 82^nd minutes.