2017 US Youth Soccer National Championships Knockout Stages
Knockout matches are set as the final day of group play in Frisco, Texas, ended on Thursday. The U13 and U14 final matchups are now set, while the final four teams in each of the U15 through U19/20 gender age groups have been determined.
Youth Soccer News: The 2017 US Youth Soccer National Championships continued Thursday with the third and final day of group play at the Toyota Soccer Center in Frisco, Texas.
Following a rest day on Friday, the U15 through U19/20 teams will compete in semifinal games on Saturday morning, and the first champions will be crowned Saturday night when the U13 and U14 sides take the field for their Championship finals.
All of the teams competing in Frisco earned their place in the National Championships via success in the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series or the US Youth Soccer National League.
Live broadcasts of more than 80 games, daily highlight videos, photos, reports and complete results from the tournament are available on here.
“So proud of and happy for the girls,” said Paul Dolinsky, head coach of San Diego Surf GU13. “Their incredible journey over the last 16 months continues and will conclude Saturday night. I couldn’t be more excited for the opportunity this group of girls has to play for on Saturday.”
Dolinsky’s squad will play in the final on Saturday night after going undefeated in group play. San Diego Surf recorded 13 goals in three matches, while only conceding one.
Additional highlights from Thursday’s matches…
U13 Girls: Lonestar 04 Red (TX-S) 1-1 San Diego Surf (CA-S)
A pair of 1-1 draws in the U13 age group resulted in San Diego Surf (CA-S) winning the group and advancing to Saturday’s final match. The Cal South side fell behind Lonestar 04 Red (TX-S) when Mallory Allen hit a right-footed shot in the 54th minute that beat a diving keeper inside the far post. However, Surf managed to earn a draw thanks to a late goal from Maura Yumul. Acacia Edwards sent in a low cross from the right wing that Yumul placed inside the near post with a first-time shot to force the 1-1 tie. Surf will meet SDFC Yellow (NJ) in the U13 Girls final after the New Jersey side held on to second place with its 1-1 draw on Thursday.
U14 Girls: LVPSA 03 Red (NV) 4-1 SDFC Yellow (NJ)
LPSA 03 Red (NV) solidified its spot in the National Championships final with a win over SDFC Yellow (NJ). LVPSA was off to a quick start with a goal in the third minute of play from Jacqueline Hillegass. To tie up the match, SDFC’s Kaya Schultz scored the lone goal of the match for her team in the 13th minute. Olivia Garcia made the score 2-1 for LVPSA to end the first half. In the second half, LVPSA had goals from Samantha Nieves and Alexa Fehlman to leave the final score at 4-1.
U15 Girls: La Roca PO 02 (UT) 3-1 Loudoun 02 Red (VA)
La Roca PO 02 (UT) defeated Loudoun 02 Red (VA), 3-1. Loudoun was first to strike for either team with a goal in the 15th minute from Sydney Schnell. Thirteen minutes later, La Roca’s Abbie Kotter leveled up the score at 1-1. In the opening minutes of the second half, Tiani Fonoti found the back of the net for La Roca to go up by one. The final goal of the match was in the 73rd minute from La Roca’s Carolina Stringfellow. La Roca came in second place in Group A and will play in one of two semifinal matches on Saturday.
U16 Girls: Nationals Union 01 Black (MI) 3-3 Legends FC 01 Academy
In an exciting back-and-forth matchup, Nationals Union 01 Black (MI) and Legends FC 01 Academy (CA-S) fought to a 3-3 draw. National’s Union’s Kaitlyn Maciejewski netted the first goal of the match in the 33rd minute. Five minutes later, La Roca’s Laney Carroll scored the equalizer. To start the second half, Skyla Gebauer put Nationals Union up one, and again, La Roca leveled up the score just a minute later thanks to Isabella Valderrama. La Roca went up one in the 51st minute with a goal from Lilli Rask, but Nationals Union’s Paige Webber tied up the score at 3-3 in the 75th minute. Both Nationals Union and Legends FC have advanced onto the semifinal matches that will be played on Saturday.
U17 Girls: CUP 00 Gold (OH-S) 3-0 Sporting Omaha FC Elite 2000 (NE)
CUP 00 Gold (OH-S) got its second win of the week, ending at 3-0, over Sporting Omaha FC Elite 2000 (NE). All of CUP’s goals were scored in the first half thanks to two goals from Jordyn Rhodes and one from Anna Podojil. CUP will go up against HBC Impact 00 (NY-E) on Saturday in the semifinal match, where the winner will have a chance to play for a National Championship on Sunday.
U18 Girls: TSC Showcase (TN) 4-2 Nationals Union 99 Black (MI)
TSC Showcase (TN) overpowered Nationals Union 99 Black (MI) with the final score being 4-2. The TSC Showcase squad scored three goals in the first half of play thanks to Tally Bishop, Shelby Hash and Julie Garst. In the second half, Nationals Union made a great run with goals scored by Cecilia Steinwascher and Rachel Phillpotts. However, TSC doubled its lead when Hash found the back of the net, her second of the match. TSC Showcase won Group A and will move onto the semifinal match, where the squad will face Cleveland FC (OH-N).
U19/20 Girls: Beach FC 98 Academy (CA-S) 4-1 98 CR Academy (NC)
Beach FC 98 Academy (CA-S) defeated 98 CR Academy (NC), 4-1 in today’s final group stage match. Beach FC started the game quickly when Nadiyah Siqueiros found the back of the net in just the ninth minute. 98 CR Academy leveled the score just before half with Faith Adams’ goal. The second half was all Beach FC with a goal from Delaney Whittet and two from Siqueiros, giving her a hat-trick. Beach FC won group A in the U19/20 Girls division and will go on to face the ASA Coyotes (MD) on Saturday.
U13 Boys: Heat FC 04 ET (NV) 2-1 Real JFC (NJ)
Heat FC 04 ET (NV) secured its spot in the 13U Boys National Championships game after a 2-1 victory over Real JFC (NJ). Real took the lead in the 24th minute thanks to Nicholas Yushchak, but Michael Vela leveled the scored for Heat in the 40th minute. Vela notched his second of the game just five minutes later to give the Nevada side the advantage at 2-1. Heat’s defense held strong, keeping Real off the scoreboard in the second have to earn the victory, a perfect record through group play and a place in the final. Heat FC will now face St. Louis Scott Gallagher Pre Academy 04 (MO) in Saturday’s final.
U14 Boys: USA/MP 2003 Premier (SC) 0-0 Beadling 2003 (PA-W)
USA/MP 2003 Premier (SC) and Beadling 2003 (PA-W) played to a 0-0 tie in a preview of the U14 Boys National Championship final. Neither team could find the back of the net during regulation and the tie gave Beadling the point it needed in order to clinch a spot in the final. Through three games, neither USA/MP or Beadling have allowed a goal against, so the pressure in the final will be on each team’s offense to breakdown two solid backlines.
U15 Boys: BRYC 02 Elite (VA) 2-2 Midwest United FC 02 Royal (MI)
BRYC 02 Elite (VA) scored just before the end of regulation to earn itself an all-important point in a 2-2 draw against Midwest United FC 02 Royal (MI). The point sends BRYC through to the U15 Boys semifinals. BRYC started the scoring in just the third minute of play to give the Virginia side the lead and then took that lead into halftime as neither team could score again before the whistle. Midwest United took the lead midway through the second half as Kidd Avery and David Ross both tallied goals to earn a 2-1 edge. BRYC was looking at an exit if the score ended 2-1 but scored right before the end of regulation with a goal from Julian Acuna. With the tie, BRYC and Midwest ended up level on points, but BRYC advances through to the semifinals thanks to accumulating a better goal differential in group play.
U16 Boys: LVSA 01 Red (NV) 1-2 CUP Gold 01 (OH-S)
In a must-win game for LVSA 01 Red (NV), CUP Gold 01 (OH-S) took an early lead and held on for a 2-1 win. CUP’s Takezo Kelly scored in just the 10th minute of play and Sam Kunkemoeller scored just five minutes later to give CUP a 2-0 lead 15 minutes into the game. CUP’s defense held strong with LVSA pushing for goals, but finally conceded in the 77th minute. Marcos Delgado pulled one back for LVSA, but CUP’s defense held on and secured the 2-1 win. The win secured CUP the top spot in Group A, and it will now face WCFC Armour 2001 (CA-S) in its Saturday’s semifinal match.
U17 Boys: Michigan Jaguars 00 Green (MI) 1-0 McLean 00 Green (VA)
Michigan Jaguars 00 Green (MI) handed the 2016 defending National Champions, McLean 00 Green (VA), its first loss of the tournament in today’s 1-0 victory. Neither team could find the back of the net during the first half, and it wasn’t until late in the second half that the deadlock was broken. Braydon Walker’s game winning goal in the 74th minute earned Michigan Jaguars a crucial three points in a group that was close coming into the last day of play. The win leapfrogged the Jaguars into first place in Group A and sets up a match with Group B runner up FC Dallas 00 Premier (TX-N).
U18 Boys: BRYC 99 Elite (VA) 1-0 CUP 99 Gold (OH-S)
In a winner-takes-all game, BRYC 99 Elite (VA) defeated CUP 99 Gold (OH-S) 1-0. Neither team could find the back of the net in the first half, but BRYC’s Vinicius Almeida broke the deadlock in the 57th minute. Jack Rawlins got down the right side and then hit a low ball across the face of goal where a streaking Almeida finished into the back of the net from close range. BRYC’s defense kept the clean sheet and put CUP into second place in the standings. BRYC will now face the top scoring U18 Boys team in the tournament, Baltimore Celtic SC Christos (MD), in tomorrow’s semifinal game.
U19/20 Boys: Penn Fusion 98 (PA-E) 1-1 West Coast Haney (CA-S)
A 1-1 tie against Penn Fusion 98 (PA-E) gave West Coast Haney (CA-S) the point it needed to earn its way into the U19/20 Boys semifinals and to stay alive in the hunt for the James P. McGuire Cup. Penn Fusion took the lead late in the first half goal thanks to Frank DeRosa, and the Eastern Pennsylvania side held the lead until late in the second half. West Coast’s Daniel Lind scored in the 83rd minute, leveling the side and putting West Coast in position to advance. The West Coast defense made sure the score remained level through the final whistle to secure the point and to send West Coast through to the semifinals.
