Press Releases
Morning Round Completes on Day Two of 2006 US Youth Soccer National Championships |
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Many age groups undetermined through two rounds of play DES MOINES, Iowa (July 27, 2006) – The US Youth Soccer National Championships continued early Thursday with the second day of Preliminary Round play at James W. Cownie Soccer Park. It was a must-win situation for many of the teams looking to advance to Sunday’s finals. Early morning weather delayed matches, with the exception of the 7:00 PM games (Under-17 Girls and Under-18 Boys). The Eclipse Select (IL) is one step closer to securing their third consecutive US Youth Soccer National Championship title. Eclipse Select defeated the San Diego Surf 2:0. Eclipse Select assistant coach Rory Dames said, “Our players upfront were more dynamic and able to create more. It wasn’t one person who secured the win today the team willed themselves through it.” Eclipse Select Head Coach Mike Nesci said, “It is the commitment of the players to achieve and obtain the championship. This is the toughest of the three.” Only one girls team, Central Valley United in 1998, has achieved the 3-peat and Nesci believes, “It would be satisfying because of that.” “All of the girls are playing in college or are signed to play,” said Lauren Switzer, team captain for the Eclipse Select. “It is great being here for the third time. It is always great being here.” This will be the last year that all of the girls will play together. The same group has been together for the last four years. Switzer will have a new teammate in the fall, as a freshman at UCLA, in Lauren Wilmoth whose team, Dallas Texans 88 Red, faced the Eclipse yesterday (3:3). The duo is part of a great recruiting class that should pay dividends for the Bruins over the next four years. Solar 89 SC (N. TX) has been in the championship finals at the past two US Youth Soccer National Championships. Solar 89 is hoping that their win today against the Under-17 Boys team from Missouri, Scott Gallagher, (3:2) will help them advance to their third national championship final. In the 81st minute Patrick Clendenny from Gallagher took advantage of Solar slowly clearing the ball and scored to tie the game 2:2. It didn’t take long before the reality check set in for Solar 89. Two minutes later, with an assist from Cameron Brown, Corben Bone found the back of the net. Both Brown and Bone play on the U.S. Under-18 National Team. “Corben and Cameron know each other in their sleep, that’s how they get it done,” said John Brown, Solar 89 team manager. “This is what the boys work for 12 months to achieve is to try to be here a third time,” said Coach Kevin Smith. Of note was when Solar 89 keeper Brock Duckworth scored in the 45th off a penalty kick. Smith said that while the team is strong, they aren’t good at penalty kicks. Duckworth was called up because has the strongest shot and the decision proved valuable. The Michigan Hawks came out strong today with Victoria Bailey
scoring in the 13th minute. The Hawks defended their
lead and beat the Dallas Texans 92 1:0. The Under-15 Boys Tulsa Soccer Club (OK) has a lot to play for this week. Last year, two days before leaving for the US Youth Soccer National Championships in Orlando, Fla., Sam Shannon, the younger brother of Tulsa Soccer Club captain Thomas Shannon, was struck by lightning. The entire team spent those two days in the hospital at Sam’s side before leaving for the competition. While the Tulsa Soccer Club didn’t win, they showed tremendous heart and courage in competing. Sam Shannon passed away on his birthday, October 12, at the age of 14. This season has been dedicated to his memory. Today, the Tulsa Soccer Club beat the Chicago Magic (IL) 3:1. Ryan Stokes (IL) scored first in the 62nd minute. Scott Zingerman (OK) scored twice, once to answer Stokes goal (67:00), and again 10 minutes later for the lead. Jonathan Wright (OK) secured the lead, finding the back of the net in the 82nd. “The keys to our team’s success are their heart and drive and will to win. Watching the game you saw they had nothing left. We’re very fast. We’re very big, but everyone’s catching up to us,” said Tulsa SC coach Shan Kitterman. “The defense as a unit stepped up. My three backs played phenomenal.” Kitterman likes his team’s work ethic the best. “We train two hours a day, for six days a week preparing for this. The boys are running up to six miles a day on top of plenty of other fitness activities.” Kitterman believed that in the second half, Chicago ran out of steam. The 7:00 PM games are underway in the Girls Under-17 and Boys Under-18 divisions. Updated game results are available throughout the day at http://Championships.USYouthSoccer.org. The 2006 US Youth Soccer National Championship Series is the country’s most prestigious national youth soccer tournament, providing over 185,000 players on more than 10,000 teams from US Youth Soccer’s 55 state associations the opportunity to showcase their soccer skills against the best competition in the nation while emphasizing teamwork, discipline and fair play. The US Youth Soccer National Championships cap a yearlong series of competitions for boys and girls teams in multiple age groups as teams earn their way from the top team in their state to the regional championship tournaments. State Cup champions and selected wildcard teams in most age groups are eligible to compete in one of four US Youth Soccer Regional Championships. The champions in the under-14 through under-19 age group from each regional event converge to enjoy the nation’s top competition. 2006 marks the 30th anniversary of the under-16 boys D.J. Niotis Cup and 15th Anniversary of the under-17 girls Laura Moynihan Cup. The James P. McGuire Cup is the oldest trophy in youth sport dating back to 1935 with the inaugural youth championships. The under-19 boys age group as the National Champion will hoist the McGuire Cup. This is the 71st anniversary of the storied cup. Annually the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series provides the nation’s top collegiate coaches with the premier stage to identify and scout the most coveted players in the country. In 2005, over 500 coaches attended the US Youth Soccer Regional Championships including the majority of the top 25 men’s and women’s programs based on the final 2005 NSCAA/adidas National Rankings for NCAA Division I schools. On Friday, August 11th, The US Youth Soccer National Championships Highlight Show, presented by adidas will air on the Fox Soccer Channel, US Youth Soccer's official television partner, at 8:00 PM ET. The two-hour show will highlight the national championships providing feature stories, interviews, game highlights and much, much more. In addition to The US Youth Soccer National Championships Show, FC Fox will also highlight the 2006 US Youth Soccer National Championships. FC Fox airs Fridays at 7:30 PM ET. US Youth Soccer National Championships Under-14 Boys Under-16 Girls |
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