CHAMPIONS CROWNED AT USYS PRESIDENTS CUP REGION II

Seven champions crowned at the 2017 US Youth Soccer Region II Presidents Cup

Youth soccer 15U girls, 16U through 17/18U and 18U champions crowned — 15U boys and 13U through 14U champions to be determined Monday

The first seven champions were crowned on Sunday at the 2017 US Youth Soccer Region II Presidents Cup, and the remaining final matches are in place for Monday, June 19, at the Overland Park Soccer Complex.

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2017 US Youth Soccer Region II Presidents Cup Champions

On Monday, boys and girls teams in the 13U through 14U age groups, along with the 15U boys, will compete for the Region II Presidents Cup title.

The event consists of boys and girls teams, in the 13U through 17/18U age groups from US Youth Soccer Region II (Midwest), who are competing for a spot at the 2017 US Youth Soccer National Presidents Cup, which will take place July 12-16 in Auburndale, Fla. The Region II Presidents Cup also includes a separate set of 18U boys and girls age groups.

As Kansas Youth Soccer is the host for the event, the other State Associations represented include Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio North, Ohio South, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

The US Youth Soccer Presidents Cup offers teams the challenge of experiencing different types of play by competing from state to regional to national levels. The Presidents Cup provides teams with a progressive, competitive experience that highlights competition, camaraderie and community.

Monday’s Championship Matches:

US Youth Soccer Presidents Cup Region II Sunday’s Semifinal Recaps:

13U Boys
Columbus East FC (OH-S) claimed a 3-1 win over Lex Rebels (NE) to attain a spot in the 13U championship match. Columbus East’s Nathan Thompson netted the first goal of the game in the second minute. In the 34th minute, Columbus East doubled its lead after Caden Bjorklund buried a goal. While Lex Rebels did get on the board with a goal from Roberto Perez Tunay, Thompson earned one more goal for Columbus East to top off the win.

On the other side of the 13U boys, another 3-1 victory took place as VSA 04 Premier (IA) defeated Elkhart Flames Soccer Club (IN). Micah Wieland gave Elkhart Flames the early lead in the 12th minute, but Mitchell Dickson immediately tied the game up with a goal four minutes later. VSA took the lead with a second goal from Dickson, and Gabe Carter added another for the full 3-1 win.

13U Girls
The semifinal match between Impact GFC (OH-S) and Iowa Rush (IA) was a close one as Impact took the victory after kicks from the mark. After a scoreless first half, Impact’s Allison Burkey scored a goal in the 70th minute, but Iowa Rush immediately retaliated in the same minute as Ellie DeCosta finished a goal.

The whistle for the end of regulation blew, and the two teams headed to two overtime periods. Iowa Rush gained some hope with a goal from Avery Matthews in the 79th minute, but Impact’s Ana Garcia evened the match once again just two minutes later. After the kicks from the mark, it was Impact who finished in the lead and ultimately earned the 3-2 win.

Kansas Rush Wichita (KS) took a 3-1 victory over Pegasus FC 2004 Red (IL) in the other 13U semifinal match. Rose Loyal scored back-to-back goals in the 24th minute for Kansas Rush, and Kaitlyn Erwin added the third in the 40th minute. Pegasus FC did manage to get on the board with a goal from Hannah Gryzik, but Kansas Rush claimed the win.

14U Boys
In a high-scoring matchup, Sporting Wichita Rojos (KS) earned a 5-2 victory over Ela Elite (IL). Sporting Wichita’s Calixtro Guttierrez netted the first goal in the fifth minute and he went on to score two more throughout the game. Muntader Almaliky contributed two goals for Sporting Wichita as well.

Although Jack Gilboy and Nicholas Orr each scored once for Ela Elite, it was Sporting Wichita who walked away with the win.

All it took for CFJS 03 Pre-Academy (IL) to make it to the 14U boys final match was a 1-0 win over JUSC Premier (IA). Alexander Gonzalez put the ball in the back of the net in the fifth minute of the game, and CFJS held onto the lead until the final whistle.

14U Girls
FC United 2003 Predator (IL) went into the 14U girls semifinal match prepared to score, and it was rewarded with a 5-3 victory over Chicago City SC (IL). With one goal each from Molly Sipe and Roxana Zieba as well as a hat trick from Margy Porta, FC United found itself in a five-goal lead by the 44th minute.

However, Chicago City bounced back, and in the span of 11 minutes, it had piled on three goals with two from Scout Murray and one from Shannon Rdyz. Chicago City came up short, though, and FC United took the win.

Ohio Celtic Alliance 03 Black (OH-S) will face FC United in the 14U girls championship match after defeating VSA 03 Premier (IA), 1-0, on Sunday. Jayci Mitchell was the lone goal scorer as she put Ohio Celtic ahead in the 35th minute. Ohio Celtic held on until the final whistle and snuck away with the win.

15U Boys
OHA Stars FC (NE) defeated Lou Fusz Soccer Club Winkelmann (MO), 3-1, to earn a spot in the championship match. Rufay Enow gained the lead for OHA with a goal in the 16th minute.

While Wilhelm Carson scored the equalizer for Lou Fusz in the 53rd minute, OHA stole the lead once more thanks to another Enow goal, and Noor Hassan sealed the win with a third goal for OHA.

Goshen Stars 02 Red (IN) had to get through a set of kicks from the mark to make it to the final match, but they did make it through with a 2-1 overall win against NCU 2002 Select (IL). Sebastian Avalos’s third minute goal put NCU in the lead, but Kevin Cruz Cortes scored the equalizer for Goshen Stars in the 18th minute.

Without any goals in the second half or overtime periods, the two teams stepped up to the penalty kick mark. Goshen Stars won the shootout, 5-4, to ultimately win the game.
Sunday’s Championship Recaps:

15U Girls
Puma FC Academy Chelsea (KS) took home the 15U girls title after defeating Black Hills Rapid Select – Burgundy (SD) in kicks from the mark. Before both teams stepped up for the shootout, it was a back-and-forth scoring contest during regulation time.

Black Hills grabbed an early lead when Lily Parris scored in the first minute, but by the second minute of the game, Puma FC tied up the match with a Calynn Harbert goal. Alexa Henry put Black Hills on top when she netted a goal in the 46th minute, but Puma FC evened the game once more as Kate Gibson scored. After two scoreless overtime periods, Puma FC defeated Black Hills, 4-2, during kicks from the mark, for an overall 3-2 victory.

16U Boys
Lou Fusz Soccer Club-Carotenuto (MO) and Bolingbrook Raiders (IL) battled an even match that led to kicks from the mark and eventually a Lou Fusz victory. After a scoreless first half, Lou Fusz took the lead with a 49th-minute goal from Brian Riordan.

In the 68th minute, Bolingbrook Raiders retaliated as Kevin Ruiz scored the equalizer. Two overtime periods went by without neither team scoring, and Lou Fusz won the shootout, 4-3, for an overall 2-1 win.

16U Girls
CWSC Elite 01 (OH-S) earned the 16U girls title after a 2-1 victory in overtime against Westside United 01 (IN). Westside United held onto a 1-0 lead for the majority of the game as Haley Stoutamyer scored in the 20th minute, but it was all tied up after CWSC’s Samantha Kessler had a 70th-minute goal.

The two teams went into overtime, and it was CWSC’s Grace Armentrout who scored the game winner in the 100th minute for the comeback victory.

17/18U Boys
Rockford Raptors 2000 (IL) came back from a 1-0 deficit to claim a 2-1 win over Goshen Stars 00 Red (IN) and to take the 17/18U boys crown. Goshen Stars had the upper hand early on as Ricardo Avila Jr. scored a goal in the fourth minute.

Rockford Raptors’ equalizer came in the 51st minute when Zeus Huerta placed the ball in the net in the 51st minute. Rockford Raptors stole the lead in the 80th minute thanks to a goal from Aeneas Sala, which ended up being the game winner.

17/18U Girls
In a battle between two Illinois teams, Illinois Fusion 00 Premier (IL) defeated Eclipse (IL), 3-1, for the 17/18U girls Region II Presidents Cup title. Meredith Johnson-Monfort got Illinois Fusion on the board first with a goal in the 28th minute, but five minutes later, Eclipse responded with a goal from Daelyn Thompson.

Illinois Fusion claimed the lead once again after Lauren Shanks netted a goal in the 43rd minute, and Maggie Peters sealed the win as she put the ball in the net during the second half.

18U Boys
Sporting BV Bayern Munich (KS) tallied a total of four goals and kept a clean sheet over CKSC Kickers (OH-N) in the 18U boys final.

It was a 1-0 game at half as Elhadji Ndiaye scored for Sporting BV in the 19th minute. In the second half, Sporting BV came out firing as Peyton Browne finished a goal and Mitchell Brill added two of his own to make the 4-0 win.

18U Girls
An even matchup between FC United 1999 Select Red (IL) and KC Fusion Matthews 99 (KS) eventually led to a 1-0 overtime win for KC Fusion. After a full 90 minutes without any goals, the two teams went into overtime.

Four minutes into the first period, Ryanne Serrone-Brown placed the ball into the net for the game winner, allowing KC Fusion to claim the 18U girls title.

Note:  The US Youth Soccer Presidents Cup is a separate series of events from the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series.

Source: USYS Press Release