USL Feature

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

GROUP A
Quickstrike SC
Quickstrike SC completed an impressive 11-2-0 season in the Super Y-League Mid Atlantic Division this season. The team’s stellar defense allowed just 0.46 goals per game this season while their offense provided an average of 2.84 goals every 80 minutes. That offense was spurred on by Toriana Patterson and Kimberly Sharo, who combined for 13 goals and six assists this season.

Richmond Kickers
The Richmond Kickers return to Tampa, Florida for the 2009 Super Y-League North American Finals, the team’s third straight appearance in the finals after narrowly losing to the Atlanta Silverbacks, 2-0 in last season’s U14 Championship Match. Under the leadership of Head Coach Andy McIntosh, the team qualified in style with a 9-1-0 record, scoring 41 goals on the way to first place in the South Atlantic Division. Qualifying was the result of hard work and team play, with fourteen different players notching goals throughout the season.

West Pines United
West Pines United comes into the 2009 North American Finals with a 5-3-2 record playing out of the Southeast Division. Head-to-head with fellow SE qualifier, Plantation FC, West Pines split their season series, winning a 3-2 match on August 1st before suffering a 2-1 loss on August 12th. West Pines is coached by David Cunningham. Five different players had multiple goal seasons for West Pines, creating a very balanced attack.

West Coast Capitals
The West Coast Capitals enjoyed a 7-3-2 season this year, well-enough for a second place finish behind Mountain WFC, who the Capitals drew, 0-0 in July. West Coast was coached by Gord Horth and led offensively by Elise Wyatt and Kathleen Leahy, who combined for 11 goals and three assists. The team’s defense ranked third in the division, allowing 1.25 goals per game.

GROUP B
MPS Crusaders
MPS Crusaders finished the regular season with a record of 6-3-1. Coached by James Blackwell and Darren Gallagher, the team had the second-best defense and third-best offense in the region. Madeleine Reynolds and Alexis Eusebio were the team’s top scorers this year.

Schulz Academy
Coached by Gary Cole and Rohan Shakes, Schulz Academy completed a perfect, 10-0-0 season. The team recived a boost from several U14-eligible players including Yulie Lopez and Donish Cole, who played in last season’s ultimate U13 girls match and narrowly missed out on raising the cup. The top goal scorer for Schulz’s U15 team this season was Paulina Speckmaier, who scored six times and added four assists.

Brooklyn Knights
The Brooklyn Knights are a collection of elite soccer players from throughout the five boroughs. They play and train at the historic Metropolitan Oval on a year-round basis and are pleased to represent New York City and the Mid Atlantic Division at USL Super Y-League North American Finals after qualifying with a 10-2-1 seasonal record in our third season. This team also competes in Eastern New York’s Premier League and in a variety of regional and national tournaments.

Cleveland Internationals
The 8-2-0 Cleveland Internationals led the Midwest Division in offense, averaging 4.40 goals per game. This experienced side is led by eight players that hoisted the U13 girls North American Championship in 2007: Jillian Dayneka (1G), Katherine Dolansky (1G), Alex Haverchak, Liz Robinshaw (5G, 4A), Allison Sender (1G, 3A), Megan Waskowski (13G, 2A) and Christen Westphal (2A). The team is coached by Zdravko Popovic.

GROUP C
Alliance Academy
Alliance Academy won Group A of the Midwest Division with a record of 7-0-3. Their three closest calls of the season came over a period of three matches against the Chicago Magic and the West Michigan Fire Juniors. Hannah Scafaria, Casey Shauman, Charlotte Socia, Sophia Maccagnone and Didi Dedvukaj combined for an incredible 24 goals and 16 assists for Alliance.

Mountain WFC
Mountain WFC qualified for the Super Y-League North American Finals in convincing style via the Pacific Northwest Division. The team finished with an unbeaten record of 9-0-3 on their way to the divisional title. An impressive goal difference showed 23 goals for and just three goals against. Mountain is a very cohesive side, who will be looking to stamp their style of play on the finals against the very best that North America’s youth sides have to offer.

Alpharetta United
Alpharetta United laid claim to the Group A, South Atlantic Division Championship with a record of 6-2-2. That mark was enough to beat out the Atlanta Fire by three points. Head-to-head with the Fire, Alpharetta split the season series with a 2-1 loss early in the season, followed by a 1-0 victory later in the year. Kamal El Shami coaches Alpharetta United and Nora El Shami was the team’s leading scorer on the SYL season, she netted 10 goals and assisted on three others.

Plantation FC
Plantation FC is a division I team that successfully competes at the highest level. This premier-level team is from Plantation, Florida and plays in the Florida State League and the Super Y-League. The team is coached by Bill Ramos who holds USSF B License, is a Florida ODP staff member and has successfully coached girls’ teams in South Florida for the past 15 years. The girls have played in over nine events in the past year, including Atlanta Cup, Florida State Cup, Florida State League, Puma Cup and Score at the Shore. They were finalists in three of those events. The team has made a steady climb up the state rankings, moving up to No. 11 in the latest poll.