Finals teams tell their stories
PlayOn! asked each team who qualified to play in the 2006 State Championship Finals to describe their journey for our readers. We received a great response and couldn't publish all of them in the April PlayOn!, so we decided to share their stories on our web site.
Here they are:
BU-12 MRSA Piranhas
by Erin Crook, Team Manager
Back to Back State Championships for the Piranhas come from shear commitment: commitment from the coach to this team, commitment from the players to the coach and each other, and commitment from the parents to their kids. Commitment plus hard work = success for this team! A come from behind win in every state tournament but one shows the mental toughness of an incredibly well coached team!
BU-12 LWYSA Crossfire Jenkins
by Michael Truty, Team Manager
The Crossfire Jenkins BU-12 team entered the 2005-2006 campaign hungry to improve and avenge their loss in ‘kicks from the mark' during the 2004-2005 state semifinal to the stout Columbia Timbers Red squad. The team won two of the four s ummer tournaments they entered along the way notching wins against district rival HSC Thunderbirds and defeating the defending state champion MRFC Piranhas once.
EPL and NASL veteran, Coach Tommy Jenkins sought to further challenge the team, traveling to participate in the Silver Lake Labor Day Jamboree where four of the top five teams in the state joined a top Oregon team. Crossfire split its matches but Jenkins got what he wanted by playing the best – he pinpointed his critical priorities for developmental growth to be attacked during the upcoming 3 month regular season.
Then, Crossfire got on track. Over the next 3 months, the team played a 14 game regular season in the brutal 3 rd district with perennial state cup contending clubs: Eastside FC, HSC Thunderbirds, Storm FC, FC United and the state champions themselves: the MRFC Piranhas. The team failed to lose a game and finished FIRST in the district at 11-0-3, scoring 51 goals while surrendering a league minimum 6 goals.
Sharpened by the toughest district play in the state, the team was ‘rewarded' in state cup preliminary play, being matched up in a division with incoming state finalist Columbia Timbers Red, the very respectable Harbor FC and another of the state's top rising clubs, the Northwest Nationals Real. The matches were tight, leading up to an epic duel between Crossfire and Columbia which resulted in a draw. Crossfire eventually won the divisional title by a nose, but the Timbers advanced to fight another day in the tournament.
Offered no respite, Crossfire would be heavily tested in the quarterfinals against another team that finished its regular season without a loss (the only team in District 1 Gold without one): the Northwest Nationals Arsenal. This was a Nationals team that also won a couple tough games over top California competition during Thanksgiving at the Nomads Tournament in California . In another epic contest, Crossfire stretched the Nationals defense and keeper to their limits while the teams played through regulation to a scoreless tie. But the Crossfire team never let up and near the end of the second overtime period scored the winning goal to escape by a thin margin.
Advancing to the semifinal, Jenkins knew the fire would only intensify as Crossfire was pitted against 2004 state semifinalist and the District 1 Gold champion, Silver Lake Atlantic, a team that also won 11 games in its regular season. The Silver Lake Club is a proven club, having achieved victory and great success not only in Washington state but also in tournaments in Oregon and California over the last two years. But game after game of hardening left Crossfire like granite and, playing one of their most impressive games of the year, Crossfire scorched Atlantic at Newport High School 4-0 to earn their first trip to the state championship game .
The highest level of Washington State BU-12 premier play is a deep and formidable lineup where each of the top ten teams trade victories during the '52 week season'. Players and coaches share respect for the level of competition which is elevating the standard of play and drawing notice nationwide. On Saturday March 11 at Seattle Memorial Stadium, Tommy Jenkins (who coached a state champion BU-18 team in 2005 and a state finalist BU-11 team this year) puts his BU-12 season on the line against none other than the defending state champion MRFC Piranhas. The Piranhas relentless attacking style of play mirrors their coach, Ralph Black's intensity when he was winning defensive player of the year in US pro soccer leagues. Piranhas had previously garnered their team league and state championships in 2004 as well as a slew of tournament victories. Crossfire will counter with Jenkins steely determination, a murderously deep and talented lineup delivering a balanced attack from all areas of the field and the states top defense at this age level. The match promises to be the start of what should become a rivalry of the state's top soccer teams over the next six years.
BU-13 ECYSA FC Vancouver Cobras
by Mark Miller, Team Manager
The Cobra name was created to represent a special team of young male athletes who had a passion for the game of soccer.
C OMMITMENT, O BLIGATION, B ROTHERHOOD, R ESPECT, A TTITUDE AND S UCCESS
These words define our name as well as our team character.
Two years ago, 15 boys coached by Alberto Coronado and Chris Roland ended their first season in first place in P1 Gold. The Cobra's lost by 1 in the State Championship semifinal. The boys moved past this quickly and 2005-2006 brought forth tremendous energy and additional talent which led us to finish second in P1 Gold. The players have worked hard. Their persistence, tenacity and overall winning spirit have helped them be successful throughout the State Championship Tournament. The record is 4-0 (zero goals against us) going into the finals. Our hope is that our team motto will carry us through this final state competition and on to Regionals with winning results.
BU-13 TPCJSA SHSC Revolution 92-Sisneros
by John Anderle, Assistant Coach
Success is Measured by the Journey
The South Hill Soccer Club Revolution 92 Sisneros started the season with a simple goal, “Improve every game and let the winning take care of itself.” With six new players and a new head coach, Jason Sisneros, the SHSC Revolution 92 started their journey. Soon after a summer of tournaments and games the team began to gel. Once league play began the Rev boys found themselves making bigger steps towards their goal of improvement. With a tough regular season league the Revolution 92 were tested every week and grew every week. “We saw great things happening during the season and knew that the boys could accomplish anything they put their minds and hearts into.”
The US Youth Washington State Championship tournament started for the Revolution with a loss. From that game forward the Rev boys didn't look back. Win after win the Rev 92 boys started to get a reputation as the ‘Cinderella story team'. “No one expected us to be where we were...I like it that way,” one player exclaimed. Every game the boys came out on top and surprised the soccer community. Their ‘never quit' attitude took them to the US Youth Washington State Championship Finals were they fought a valiant battle against the Vancouver Cobras in a 2-1 loss.
“The Coaches have instilled in me from day one that my success in the sport won't be measured by the titles or trophies I win, but by the journey I take along the way," explained another player.
The Revolution 92 Sisneros have just started their journey as a young team and see a bright future ahead.
BU-14 EYSA Eastside FC 91 Red
by Queenie Con, Team Manager
We are Eastside FC 91 Red, made up of 13 and 14 year old boys from Bellevue, Kirkland, Issaquah, Renton, Sammamish and Mercer Island. Come sit with our families at one of our games and you'd think you were at a mini United Nations event: Japanese, Italian, Chinese, Chilean, Mexican, French, British, Canadian, Korean, a little chutzpah, a dose of Scottish brogue and lots of good old Washington-based American spirit – that's our team!
We have had the good fortune to be coached by what we consider is the best coaching duo in the league: head coach, Stuart Lee and assistant coach, Vince Volpe with over six decades of soccer expertise combined. Most of our boys have played soccer together for three years since Coach Stuart took on the team at the BU-12 level. We have enjoyed playing all over Washington and the West Coast, most recently traveling down to southern California to participate in the Pateadores Cup and the San Diego Nomads Thanksgiving Tournament. We've been winners at the Pacific Coast Challenge and Snohomish Invitational Cup, as well as Portland Nike Cup champions twice. This past fall, our team played in P1 of the WSPL (BU-14) challenging equally passionate and well-trained teams such as FC United Zamira, Crossfire James and Snohomish Arsenal (Harris).
Even though growth spurts are characteristic of this age group, we continue to be amazed by the literal growth of all the players both on our Eastside team as well as our opponents, most conspicuously marked by the “shrinking” soccer uniform as so many of the boys grew significantly taller and sturdier since the beginning of the season!
We enjoyed an even more intense competition this year and ended our season with a record of 7-5-2, poised to enter and win the State Cup tournament! Our strategy was to take one game at a time and to steadily advance all the way to the Finals, like we did in 2005. Our most recent game, the semi-final against Crossfire, was by far our most exciting triumph of the season. Now, are we ready for the big final game on March 12? You bet!
BU-15 EYSA EFC 90
by Allyson Jackson, Team Parent
After two years of back to back State Cup Championship wins in 2002 and 2003, EFC 90 Red was disappointed and frustrated not to progress out of the elimination round in the 2004 State Cup Tournament. At that time, Coach Dan Strom and the team set their sights on a 2005 come back!
Beginning last spring, the team focused on developing a high level of fitness, bringing in a few new players, strengthening their defensive line and rebuilding their confidence and team chemistry.
During the summer of 2005, that hard work began to pay off. EFC 90 Red won the Snohomish United and Skagit Firecracker Tournaments and was a runner up in the Diadora Cup, giving up a Golden Goal in overtime.
Their success continued into the regular season. They placed second in Division I with 9 wins, 4 ties and 1 loss. Several of these were come-from-behind victories that helped the team develop an attitude and confidence that they were never out of a game, no matter what the score. During the early state cup games, EFC dominated but during the semi-final game, it was this attitude and ability to stay focused that served them well. The semi-final game was a battle of wills and endurance between EFC and Crossfire. During overtime play, EFC successfully came from behind twice to tie up the game and take it to PK's, where EFC 90 Red was ultimately victorious!
BU-17 SYSA Emerald City 88
By Greg Hampson, Team Parent
Emerald City BU-17 wrapped up its terrific 2005-06 season with a thrilling 3-2 victory over a determined Crossfire team in a game that was finally decided by kicks-from-the-mark, after 120 minutes of dramatic play ended at 2-2. By winning the 2006 US Youth Washington State Championship, Emerald City ended a remarkable year that included four tournament wins and a 37 win - 1 loss - 5 draw record, and brought Coach Brian Schmetzer his third State tournament victory. Coach Schmetzer was gracious in his post-game comments, crediting both teams for a tremendous match.
After wrapping up a great summer schedule by winning the Seattle Diadora Cup and the premier elite Score at the Shore in Orlando , FL. the team headed into league play with a 15-0-2 record, having out-scored the opposition 43-12, and posting nine shutouts. The strong play continued through the P1 League Season, where the team compiled a 10-1-3 record, and was the beneficiary of some great competition from other Washington State teams as the season progressed. The team also traveled to San Diego during the season, and ran their streak of tournament victories to three in a row by winning the tough Nomads Thanksgiving Tournamen t. Along the way, Emerald City knocked off three teams from the powerful Southern California Coast League, the Cal North State Cup runner-ups, the host Nomads squad, and the five-time Arizona State champions.
With the tough preamble to the State tournament behind them, Emerald City had to play a difficult schedule to win the championship. Hard matches were played against lower-ranked but determined Spokane and HSA Heat teams, demonstrating the depth of WA State League soccer. This was followed by a revenge match against a strong Federal Way team that earlier in the year had handed Emerald City their only defeat. A decisive 2-0 victory against Federal Way moved Emerald City into a quarterfinal match against defending state champion, Kitsap. In a great game, highlighted by a terrific late goal by Kitsap off a free kick in the final moments, Emerald City nevertheless prevailed 2-1 in overtime, to move on to the semis against Snohomish. Having been knocked out in the State semis the year before by Snohomish, Emerald City was more than ready, and in a strong performance, beat a fine Snohomish team 2-0, setting up the Finals against Crossfire.
In a game worthy of championship status, Emerald City rallied from behind twice to end the game 2-2, and set up the overtime periods, and the eventual PK's to decide this final match of the year between two excellent teams. In staying unbeaten against Crossfire in their last four matches, Emerald City was pushed to the absolute limit by a team that must be credited for their strong play. But 2006 just proved to be Emerald City 's year, and the team looks forward to more great matches at Regionals in Idaho , in California this summer, and back home in Washington at U-18.
Team players include: Michio Akazawa, Chris Blais, Alex Bolt, Daniel Copenhaver, Jacob Ellig, Kyle Fadenrecht, Brian Ferrin, Jamie Finch, Scott Greenburg, C.J. Hamel, Andy Hampson, Erik Johnsen, Brandon Kelley, Sean Morris, Kenny Parker, Conor Peterhans, Colin Schmetzer and Teddy Wingo.
BU-19 EYSA Eastside FC Red
by Max Harden and Dane Portscheller, Team Captains
We have both been on this team for the past two years, and we can honestly say that getting to this final game has been a struggle. Our Eastside BU-19 team, coached by Matt Olson and John Sylvester, has always had a great deal of talent, and it showed over the course of many summer tournaments and through league play. However, a shootout loss in the Semi-Finals, against the same FC United team we are playing in the championship, ruined our hopes of winning state last year. This was a devastating loss because we felt that we had played one of our best games that day, but this didn't discourage the team from making another run at it this year. Many of the same key players returned for another season of Eastside soccer with a State Championship on everyone's mind. We worked hard in the off season, played very well through our summer tournaments, and finished 2 nd place in our league during the season. This gave us a great seed into the State Tournament, and we were able to place first in our round robin. We were finally in the Semi-finals for the second time in two years, but this time we were playing a new FC United team which was formed specifically for this state tournament. It was an extremely intense game with both teams firing at each other's goals throughout the first half. FC United scored on a follow up header to take the lead mid-way through the first half, but this didn't discourage us as we came out hard in the second half to quickly score a goal to tie the game. As defenses tightened in the final quarter of the game, scoring opportunities were becoming limited, but a fantastic volley by one of our forwards put the game in our hands, and we were able to hold out for the win. For many of us this is our last year of youth soccer, and what better way to end it than playing for a State Championship.
We ended up winning the State Championship after a 14 round shootout!
GU-12 LWYSA Crossfire 93 – Schilperoort
By Julie Swanson, Team Parent
The Crossfire GU-12A team spent their 2005 Fall season in the District 3 GT Blue Division, challenging themselves with learning new positions and tactics during each game. Each week the girls faced great competition against Eastside FC Red, Royals Blue, Dosveedanya, Thunderbirds Black, Reign Purple, HSA Eagles and Sparta . Our final league record was 12-1-1.
Looking forward to the Championship tournament, our initial draw brought us together with our old friends, Mukilteo Premier Blast, the team we played against in the 2005 Championship final. This game brought more great competition, and we were only able to score once against Mukilteo's formidable defense, winning the game 1-0. Our second game in the preliminaries was against a fast and physical Kitsap Red team. Enjoying home field advantage, we succeeded in getting the ball into the net three times, and our defense held fast for a 3-0 win against this great team.
With a 2-0 record in the preliminary round, Crossfire enjoyed a bye in the eliminations and our next game was against a talented Columbia Timbers team. This was a great match up against a team that we know we will see more of. It was a spirited, physical game on a gorgeous day at our own Perrigo Park , and Crossfire again came out on top 3-0.
Our semifinal game was against a very talented Vancouver Independence, a team we played against at the Rainier Challenge Tournament. It was a beautiful but very cold day and our girls fought hard against this physical and skilled team. A free kick from the 25 yard line in our favor yielded the only goal of the game. Congratulations to FC Vancouver for a great run in the US Youth Washington State Championship; we look forward to playing them again.
Crossfire Schiliperoort again looks forward to defending our title on March 11, 2006 against Emerald City FC White.
GU-12 SYSA Emerald City FC 93 White
by Randy Carnell, Team Manager
Front Row left to right : #21 Emily Proulx ; #18 Maria Diel; #4 Cassie Winter; #1 Kate Scheele; #17 Ashley Shaw; #3 Amalia Acorda-Fey; #11 Jenna Glad; #9 Sara Millstein
Back Row Left to Right : Asst. Coach Curren Fey; #6 Sara Gilmore ; #15 Kalynn Huebner ; #27 Miranda Smedley; #8 Shannon McMahon; #23 Katie Ryan ; #5 Katie Carnell ; #10 Brianne Lasconia; #7 Alison Cohee; Head Coach Nate Daligcon ; Not Pictured Team Manager Randy Carnell
Two weeks before the State Championship game, Emerald City FC 93 coach Nate Daligcon emailed parents this progress report:
”I want to share what happened at the end of practice on Wednesday evening. To put a little more pressure on the girls during shootouts we decided to have the losing team do some sprints at the end of training. After the last kick I called for the yellow team to line up to do the sprints. Without pause both the yellow team and the white team lined up ready to go. I heard the players from the white team say "remember we win as a team and we lose as a team", without me having to remind them. This to me shows just how far the girls have come since April.”
The girls of Emerald City FC 93 White truly have come a long way since April. They have developed individual skills, come together as a team and achieved a goal they set for themselves at the first of the season – playing in the US Youth Soccer Washington State Championship.
But getting here hasn't been easy. The summer tournament season was a series of learning experiences. The ECFC girls finally brought their skills and training together in August taking first place at an Oregon tournament.
The fall league in District 1 showed just how much the girls were improving each weekend. Coach Nate continued to stress to the girls (and their parents) his focus wasn't on winning but on skill building and development.
The State tournament draw landed the team into what some soccer fans called, "Bracket of Death." They were the underdogs, playing District 1 champ, Snohomish United Fury, District 2 top performer Eastside FC Red 93 and finally a Marysville FC 93 Force team the girls had faced many times in the past year.
Up to the last game of preliminary play, all four teams were still in the hunt. To move out of bracket play, ECFC needed a win or tie against the very tough Eastside Red team. To top it off, the girls coach had to be away on business, so the girls would rely on the Assistant coach Curran Fey to help them keep the magic going. The Emerald City girls knew that teamwork and the spirit of the Championship Cup was with them as they scored the lone goal of the game and they moved on in first place. Three very tough games and not one goal scored against them.
The elimination and quarterfinal games were played against two very strong teams: the HSA Eagles 93 and the SH Revolution 93. ECFC gave up their first goal of the tournament against a tough offensive attack from the Revolution, but came out on top through great team play.
Emerald City 93 came a long way to get to the semi finals. They had already played five games and were going up against one of the top teams in the state, the FC Royals 93 Blue. The battle at Newport High was played on a clear, but very cold day. While the ECFC girls were feeling fatigued, both teams played with heart and fire; but only one could move on to the championship game. ECFC 2, FC Royals 1.
The US Youth Soccer Washington State Championship game is the final step in this incredible journey. It's been a year of hard work, teamwork and wonderful coaching. Whatever the outcome the girls will know they played their best and win or lose, they did it as a team!
GU-13 SYSA Emerald City FC '92 White
by Jon Scott, team parent
A great State Cup rivalry has emerged…
This is the third consecutive year that ECFC '92 White has been in the finals, winning at U-11 and now at U-13. This year's final match was a repeat of last year's final between ECFC '92 White and FC Vancouver Justice and the third consecutive year that these two teams have faced each other in State Cup.
ECFC '92 White and the FC Vancouver Justice have established one of the state's best rivalries. Their first State Cup match up was in the 2004 semi final match that ended with ECFC winning in a shoot out. In 2005 the two teams played twice, with the first game ending in a draw and then in the finals where FC Vancouver Justice won with a golden goal in overtime. Once again, the 2006 State Championship Cup finds these two facing off in the finals. An exciting game from start to finish with ECFC maintaining a one goal lead!
But what makes this rivalry different is the incredible respect these two teams have for each other. Too often we see respect and sportsmanship replaced by something much more bitter.
What a year for the girls on ECFC '92 White…..
During April and May, the ECFC team played in three tournaments and over 20 games in preparation for LPT's. In June, the team spent two weekends in Tri Cities competing for a spot in one of the GU-14 Premier divisions where they eventually qualified for the P-2 division. In July, the team played in the Diadora Cup and Surf Cup. At Surf Cup, their only loss was in the semi final game (to the top team in the nation). This brought national recognition to the team and an abundance of invitations from the top tournaments around the country.
After a few weeks of rest in August, the ECFC team was busy once again as they claimed the Evergreen Invitational and Chinook Cup. The finals of Chinook Cup delivered the anticipated re-match from the 2005 State Cup finals between ECFC '92 White and FC Vancouver Justice.
September brought the beginning of league where the team finished with an impressive 9-2-2 record and a combined nine shut outs. As the league champions, the team earned an automatic berth into next years GU-15 P-1 division.
With league over and 29 consecutive days of rainfall on its way, the team set off to sunny Orlando to compete in the Disney Showcase. After a week in the sun, the team returned for State Cup. With ECFC and FC Vancouver on opposite sides of the bracket, they seemed destined to meet once again in the finals. ECFC completed the tournament with 14 goals for and 0 against.
Congratulations ECFC '92 White and Good Luck at Regionals!
Stay tuned….
GU-15 LWYSA Crossfire Premier Lombard
by Dawn Pollock, Team Manager
After three straight trips to the Finals from GU-11 to GU-13 and two Championships, Crossfire lost to the Royals in the quarterfinals last year in a shootout. This year, Crossfire was determined to make it back to the Championship game for the fourth time in five years. They won the WSYSA GU-15 Division I league with a record of 11 wins, 2 losses and 1 tie, with 44 goals scored and seven goals against. They won their two bracket games 5-1 and 4-0, and their quarterfinal game 7-2. They beat the ESA Stars 1-0 in the semifinals to set up a rematch against the Royals in the GU-15 finals.
GU-16 SYSA Woodland SCFénix 89 Red
by Jacques White, team parent
This was a big year for Fénix 89 Red because it was their first in Division I of the WSPL. They started out the year with a loss to league champion Spokane , but battled back to take second place in their division. This is a real accomplishment because the other teams in the division are very strong, with the top five teams finishing within six points of each other.
In State Cup, Fénix had a favorable draw as the second seed overall, with one third division team and two second division teams in their initial bracket. Fénix did well in bracket play, winning all three games and posting a 12-1 overall advantage in goals for versus goals against. Fénix then played a tough quarterfinals game against the Crossfire-Jenkins team, pulling it out by a score of 3-2.
Fénix participated in a super exciting semifinal on a clear but cold evening at Newport High School in Bellevue , WA . The game between Emerald City FC and Fènix went through two overtimes to PKs. These teams are evenly matched, and it took over two and a half hours of soccer to determine who would advance.
As always, the Fénix-ECFC match was INTENSE. It started out with a bang as Fénix scored in the first five minutes on a very well-executed corner kick. ECFC countered within five minutes with a cross from their right that was fielded in front of the goal and put home. ECFC scored a few minutes later on a free kick play from the left attacking side. Fénix countered about 10 minutes later on a three-pass sequence with the ball fed to a charging forward, Megan Chapin. Four goals in 25 minutes against two of the best defenses in division one! After that, the two teams settled down and Fénix had an edge in control and pressure for the remainder of the half.
ECFC cranked up the pressure in the second half, taking many shots but the Fénix defense didn't break. Both ECFC goalies and Fénix goalie Ashley Engle played terrific. The momentum flipped in the first overtime with Fénix having an advantage in possession and shots. Play was about even in the second overtime period with chances going both ways but no score, sending the game to PKs. This is when both teams put on a phenomenal shooting exhibition. Through 7 rounds of PKs the girls on both teams MADE EVERY SINGLE SHOT - lower corners, under the bar, upper corners, all dead on. On the eighth round, Fénix made their shot, and then the Fénix goalie Ashley Engle made a save, sending Fénix to the finals for the second year in a row.
GU-17 EYSA Eastside FC '88 Red
by Steve Maris, parent
Yesterday Eastside FC '88 Red played in the US Youth Soccer Washington State Championship .
Our league season began inauspiciously with two difficult one-nil road game wins in September in Spokane and Vancouver . But as the season went on, team confidence grew and we continued to win, sometimes in very convincing fashion against our biggest rivals. We finished the league season undefeated with a 12-0-2 record, scoring 50 goals while giving up only 7 goals.
Going into the State Championship games, we struggled at times to find the same offensive rhythm in January and February that we had during the league season. But the team managed to find a way to get it done and advanced to the finals for the second time in three years. Unlike the previous trip to the finals, this time Eastside came away with the championship trophy after a close 1-0 win over the FC Royals. The team is looking forward to competing in the Region IV Championships in Boise and representing our state against the Best in the West.
GU-18 TPCJSA FC Royals 87
by Melanie deLeon, Team Manager
The FC Royals 87 have been at the top of their game for most of their 8 years together. They have been the State Champs every year but one since they began playing together at U-11. This year, they were their league champions and won all of the games leading up to the State Cup final.
Three of the players have been together since U-11 and five of the players have played together for 7 of the past 8 eight years.
This team is extremely proud to represent Washington State again this year at the Farwest Regionals in Boise and are excited to bring their Royals' experiences with them as they graduate and go on to play soccer in college.
GU-19 TPCJSA Norpoint FC 87
by Jerry Costello, Team Manager
The road to the final match for these high school seniors (with one junior) has been a long one. Many of the athletes have stuck together on Norpoint's team for many years, through excellent and heart-breaking seasons. Some have played for Norpoint since they were 6 or 7 years old.
This is their first opportunity to win a Championship Cup title. This year's squad has worked very hard, with notable results. The team was undefeated in WSPL Division II (GU-18), and ran away with the championship.
Norpoint also took first at the Sagebrush Shootout in May and was a finalist at the Rimland Pacific Cup in August. A highlight for the team was the return of Beka McLaughlin in the late fall after she suffered a serious knee injury in May. Her determination to return to the pitch and the team's loyalty to her captures what this group is about: they stick together and never give up. Heading into the final they are undefeated in state cup play and have surrendered but one goal.
Whatever the outcome of their only state cup final, this team will fondly remember hundreds of matches as part of the WSYSA.
GU-19 TPCJSA FC Royals 86
by Monica Saunders, Manager
Playing soccer on a U19 team has usually carried with it an aura of negativity. U-19 teams have been described as underachieving and players have often been seen as those who “don't have anywhere else to go.” Playing NCAA soccer has generally not been the expectation of anyone who played at this level. Not so with this year's Washington Premier FC Royals team.
Director of coaching, Greg Ion, envisioned this year's team as one that would be able to compete at the highest level. Five players from last year's State Championship team were joined by 10 new players to comprise this year's team. Greg Ion appointed five year coach with the FC Royals, Todd Murray, the position as head coach. Todd previously coached last years Division I U18 flagship team. Under his direction, this year's team has trained both physically and psychologically to emerge from this year's league season with an undefeated record scoring 42 goals and giving up only three. This hard working team goes to the final game being the number one seed to the State Championship Cup. The first State Cup game was a 2-0 win against Crossfire Hattrup. The second game against Columbia Timbers was again a shut out at 1-0. The quarter final game brought a 3-0 win against Whatcom Rangers. It is now March and this team has not been scored on since November of the league season. As the FC Royals club has transitioned to Washington Premier FC this team has transformed the previous definition of U-19 from something dismal to something filled with hard work, effort and determination.
As the team heads into the state finals they are joined by the return of former Royals players Kelsey Rogel, Chelsea Libby, Carley Radcliff, Kelly Irving and Mandy Ploskonka. These players bring with them great example and a driven desire to win and play this game at the highest level. Rogel was selected 2 nd team All Northwest Conference and Mandy Ploskonka was the Division 2 Heartland Conference Freshman of the Year.
Combined with Todd Murray's excellent coaching skills is the raw talent of each and every girl. While is was this teams goal to be in the first seed position as State Cup began each girl also had her own personal goals. Elizabeth Betterbed, playing at center midfield, has emerged as a National Merit finalist and recently scored a near perfect SAT. She was nominated All State First Team in soccer and is her 4 A league MVP. Brittany Schrader, at outside Midfield, has signed to play with one of the top Midwest Division 2 schools University of Incarnate Word in Texas. Brittany Walker has signed to play with Division 2 University of Alabama at Huntsville. Seniors Stephanie Gove and Christina Crane are heading to Linfield College in Oregon. Seniors Kay Chikos, Ashley Glathar and Alex Rogers are all exploring and weighing their options to find the perfect fit. Jessica Matthews has given her verbal commitment to play for Corban College near Portland. The younger team members who plan to return include Rachel Packer, Kelsey Lusebrink. Kelly Roark, Maggie Schrader and Jordan Saunders Jensen. These younger team members are also being recruited by Division 1, 2 and 3 schools such as Portland State, Seattle Pacific University, Belmont University, and Montana State.
It is this teams goal to again capture the U-19 state title and then move to Regionals this coming June. As this article is written the exact outcome is unknown. What is definite is the heart and determination that this team has used to advance to this level. They have given every effort and will now doubt play hard to the final whistle. They are a great example of everything Washington Premier works to exemplify. When the final score is in there will be many thanks. There will be heartfelt thanks to the club and its staff who work to keep everything going. Everything from field maintenance and account balancing to excellent coaching staff has contributed to the success this team has experienced. There will no doubt be thanks to their parents and to the team volunteers who have put many hours into supporting this team. Coach Todd Murray will receive a great round of applause and all of us will want to thank the players for the great example they have given us of goal setting, determination and hard work.
Journey to WSYSA Challenge Cup Finals
Journey to Fred Meyer Commissioners' Cup Finals