PORTLAND, Maine (July 3, 2007) – Stadium seating was full today as champions were crowned at the US Youth Soccer Region I Championships at Bowdoin College in Portland, Maine. Champions in the Under-14 through Under-19 age groups have earned a berth to the US Youth Soccer National Championships in Frisco, Texas, a suburb of Dallas, July 24-29.

Over 750 fans came to support the local Under-17 Boys Coastal SC play FC Delco for the Region I Championship and potentially Maine team’s first trip to the US Youth Soccer National Championship. FC Delco had upset the defending national champions, the Baltimore Casa Mia Bays, yesterday and they continued to hold the same pressure to the Coastal SC today. Delco’s Steven Miller (6:00) scored early and a solid defense was able to hold their lead despite Coastal’s many opportunities.

Two Baltimore Casa Mia Bays are advancing to the national championships. This is the first trip for the Under-14 Boys and they are not only excited, but they like their chances in Frisco. The Under-14 Bays beat New Jersey’s PASCO Stallions 2-1 in the championship match. Goals were scored by the Bay’s Moses Makinde (55:00) and Jonathan Guzman (86:00) and the Stallion’s James Raytsin scored in the 70^th. The Under-19 Boys have been to the US Youth Soccer National Championships five times, played in three finals and won twice (2003 and 2004). Today, they went up against Virginia’s ABGC-RFC and won 1-0. Jonathan Ports scored for the Bays in the 85^th for the win.

The Under-19 Boys Casa Mia Bay’s captain Michael Marchiano said, “The core of the team is still together. This year is more of a relief than anything. We are all very excited to be back. Hopefully winning the next four games will send us out on a high note.” The Bays are competing for the oldest cup in youth soccer, the James P. McGuire Cup, which is celebrating its 72^nd anniversary this year. Marchiano said, “Everyone has been very committed this year. We were embarrassed last year that we didn’t continue and we knew we would have to be 100 percent committed this year to advance. We will do what we have to do to win at nationals. The guys have been making a lot of sacrifices to make practices.” All of this teams players play Division I soccer and several are taking summer classes this year as well.

Eastern New York is sending their Under-18 Boys Terryville Fire to compete at nationals after a win against Massachusetts’ Western United FC today, 2-1. It wasn’t until the second half that Joshua Bronner scored for Western United in the 58^th. Terryville’s Conor O’Brien came back for the Fire and scored twice in the 79^th and the 82^nd. The Fire understands the pressures that await them at nationals. They will go up against the three-time defending national champions, the Arsenal FC from southern California. They feel comfortable in their playing style and have faith in their teammates.

The Richmond Strikers Elite are advancing after a 2-0 win against Eastern Pennsylvania’s FC Delco Fury. Kristin Lescalleet and Mary Meredith scored in the 22^nd and 45^th respectfully. Striker’s coach Shannon Richard said, “I am just so proud of how hard they worked. We only had two subs for five games and today it came down to heart. They battled it to the end and they deserved it.” In addition to playing for the Strikers, seven players have already committed to college. Richard also said, “This is a huge step for our club and a huge statement for Richmond women’s soccer. The girls are very talented and very cohesive as a team.”

The Under-12 Girls Virginia VSA Heat might not be old enough to advance to the US Youth Soccer National Championships this year, but they have practiced hard to prepare for this elite tournament. The Heat got ahead by two with Maria Pinkston scoring in the 39^th and Ashley Herndon scoring in the 42^nd. Dani Temares scored in the 48^th for the Celtic, but it wasn’t enough for the win.

Heat coach Gus Donolo said, “We played in four top tournaments to prepare for this event and we won three of them. We also held a mini-camp for 2 weeks where we practiced 3 hours a day to get the girls ready for this competition. This is the first time we have made it to regionals and it is amazing that at 12 years old these girls are experiencing what many older players dream of. Our goal is to get to nationals as Under-14s; we prepare for this level.”

2007 US Youth Soccer Region I Champions

Boys
Under-12 8v8: NYW Rochester Jr. Rhinos
Under-12: NJ PDA Harkes
Under-13: NJ NJSA 04 Gunners
Under-14*: MD Baltimore Casa Mia Bays
Under-15*: NJ PDA Larsson
Under-16*: EPA FC Delco Hammerheads
Under-17*: EPA FC Delco 89
Under-18*: ENY Terryville Fire
Under-19*: MD Baltimore Casa Mia Bays

Girls
Under-12 8v8: NYW Syracuse
Under-12: VA VSA Heat
Under-13: EPA FC Penn Strikers
Under-14*: MA FC Stars of Massachusetts
Under-15*: NJ PDA Fire
Under-16*: VA McLean Freedom
Under-17*: VA Richmond Strikers Elite
Under-18*: NJ Arsenal World Class
Under-19*: VA PWSI Cardinals

*Advance to US Youth Soccer National Championships

Today's scores...

Under-12 8v8

Girls:
NYW Syracuse 5, RI Smithfield 0
Syracuse- Jessica Homes (1:00) (34:00) (48:00), Cheyenne Hall (22:00), Terry Netusil (47:00)

Boys:
NYW Rochester Jr. Rhinos 2, VA Beach FC Red 1
Rhinos- Jordan Allen (58:00), Alex Brown (60:00)
Beach- Sean McGorty (30:00)

Under-12

Girls:
NJ PDA Celtic 1, VA VSA Heat 2
Celtic- Dani Temares (48:00)
Heat- Maria Pinkston (39:00), Ashley Herndon (42:00)

Boys:
ENY Dix Hills Thunder 0, NJ PDA Harkes 1
Harkes- Gabriel Nunez (7:00)

Under-13

Girls:
MA FC Stars of Massachusetts 0, EPA FC Penn Strikers 2
Strikers- Kelseie Maloney (10:00), Brittany Ratcliffe (27:00)

Boys:
NJ NJSA 04 Gunners 4, MD Olney Rangers 0
Gunners- Christopher Kittelberge (14:00), Mitchell Muise (31:00), Drew Carneal (60:00), Brendan Carney (64:00)

Under-14

Girls:
EPA FC Delco 0, MA FC Stars of Massachusetts 5
Stars- Alexandra Doody (4:00), Stephanie McCaffrey (7:00), Hayley Brock (24:00) (45:00), Victoria Sousa (32:00)

Boys:
NJ PASCO Stallions 1, MD Baltimore Casa Mia Bays 2
Stallions- James Raytsin (70:00)
Bays- Moses Makinde (55:00), Jonathan Guzman (86:00)

Under-15

Girls:
NJ PL PDA Fire 3, EPA Hershey Attack 2
Fire- Mary Gibson Wagner (42:00) (63:00), Rachel Davitt (73:00)
Attack- Mary Kathryn Lowry (32:00) Tara Connors (38:00)

Boys:
ENY HOTA Academy 91 1, NJ PDA Larsson 2
HOTA- Eden Spinks (22:00)
PDA- Joseph Mineo (50:00), Johnathan Aguirre (54:00)

Under-16

Girls:
EPA FC Bucks Vipers 0, VA PL McLean 1
Hammerheads- Julia Roberts (39:00)

Boys:
EPA FC Delco Hammerheads 2 (PK 4-3), MA FC Greater Boston Bolts 1
Hammerheads- Julie Bell (78:00)
Bolts- Nicholas Prunier (76:00)

Under-17

Girls:
VA Richmond Strikers Elite 2, EPA FC Delco Fury 0
Strikers- Kristin Lescalleet (22:00), Mary Meredith (45:00)

Boys:
EPA FC Delco 89 1, ME Coastal SC 0
Delco- Steven Miller (6:00)

Under-18

Girls:
NJ PDA Fury 1, NJ Arsenal World Class 2
Fury- Brittney Steinbruch (111:00)
Arsenal- Ashlee Burt (115:00), Amber Brooks (117:00)

Boys:
MA Western United FC 1, ENY Terryville Fire 2
Western- Joshua Bronner (58:00)
Terryville- Conor O’Brien (79:00) (82:00)

Under-19

Girls:
VA PWSI Cardinals 2 (PK 5-4), NJ PDA Wildcats 1
Cardinals- Patti Benner (90:00)
Wildcats- Tobin Heath (82:00)

Boys:
MD Baltimore Casa Mia Bays 1, VA ABGC-RFC 0
Bays- Jonathan Ports (85:00)