Nineteen SC Youth Soccer teams have been competing in Greenville, SC the last 2 days to try and become US Youth Soccer Region III Champions and earn a ticket to the National Championships next month.
Thru two days of play SC Teams have had a record of 17 Wins, 16 Losses and 5 Draws. Most importantly though is that with only 1 day of group play remaining ZERO SC Teams have been mathematically eliminated at this stage from advancing to the Knockout Stages.
Here is some details on how we are doing in each age bracket:
U13 Boys:
The USA-MP 21B Premier currently have earned 4 points and currently top Pool B in what has to be one of the most difficult Pools in the entire tournament. Their pool contains 3 of the top 4 U13 RPL teams and the 4th team is the NC State Champions.The boys have played two very close matches and now control their own destiny Sunday. With a win or draw the boys will advance to the knockout stages.
The CESA 02B Premier currently sit in third place in Pool D with 3 points. CESA 02 Boys got a big 1-0 win this afternoon over Tennessee to stay right in the hunt in their group. With a win tomorrow versus the pool leaders from Oklahoma the team would advance to the knockout stages on a strong note!
U13 Girls:
The CESA 02G got an important point in their match this afternoon vs TN to stay alive with the potential to advance. The girls should receive a boost tomorrow with their starting GK returning tomorrow. The girls will play versus Arkansas tomorrow afternoon and they need a win to stay alive at a chance for a Region 3 title!
U14 Boys:
SCUFC 01B Elite have already punched their ticket to the National Championships next month in Texas, but they also have a goal to repeat as Region III Champions. After a 0-1 loss Friday afternoon vs Florida, the team bounced back today with a 3-1 win vs Oklahoma. The boys will look to avenge a loss from RPL East this Fall to the Alabama State Champs and they need a win or draw to advance to the knockout stages.
CESA 01B Premier have had some intense matches so far in Southern Regionals. Yesterday the boys were down 0-2 at the half and made a great comeback to draw 2-2, sadly the boys suffered a heartbreaking 1-2 loss today vs Mississippi on a late goal. The boys need a win and some help in Goal Differential in order to advance out of Pool A.
U14 Girls:
SCUFC 01G Elite fell Friday in a very close match 0-1 to Florida, but had a great rebound earlier today with a big 3-0 win. The girls scored twice in the first 5 minutes of their match vs Arkansas and the match's result was not in question after those goals. The girls need a win tomorrow vs the North Texas State Champs in order to advance past group play.
U15 Boys:
The CESA 00B Premier are currently 0-2 at Southern Regionals, but they have been competitive with some good opponents. The boys lost 0-3 to the RPL East Champions from Georgia, but definitely competed well and had a number of chances to score. After a tight match the CESA 00 Boys fell 0-1 to NC. However with a win and some help the boys still are alive to make it to the Quarterfinals!
U15 Girls:
Tomorrow's match will be big for the USA-MP 19G Premier. This is the girl's first Southern Regionals and they are just a win or draw from advancing into the knockout stages. The team has been playing some excellent soccer and currently have a record of 1-1. Their loss was a 0-1 defeat to the RPL East Runner Up from FL and both teams had a number of opportunities to win the match.
U16 Boys:
The CESA 99B Premier play against the State Champs from Tennessee tomorrow with a chance at a Quarterfinal spot. The boys need a win and some help to move thru, but it can be done.The boys lost a very tight match (lost 2-3) with the Pool D leaders from STX and that should be encouragement that they can compete with any team in this event.
U16 Girls:
SCUFC 99G Elite find themselves at 1-1 after a win Friday 3-1 over STX and a loss today to TN. The match versus TN was a rematch from last years Regional Quarterfinals. The girls once again lost a one goal match, but I'm sure the Girls will not be discouraged and will give 110% to defeat the State Champs from Louisiana. A win may not send the girls thru to the Quarterfinals, but it would put them in a very strong position to secure a second straight trip to the knockout stages
U17 Boys:
The CESA 98B Premier are the defending Region III Champions in their age group. The team's strong defensive record has given them a record of 8 wins, 2 draws and no losses over the last 3 years. The boys currently sit atop Pool A and have already clinched advancement to the Quarterfinal stage of Southern Regionals. Sunday the boys play Louisiana with a chance to continue their unbeaten streak and finish first in their Pool.
SCUFC 98B Elite could be a second U17 Boys team from SC to advance to the knockout round. With a win or draw the team would advance as group runner ups. The boys won 5-0 on Saturday vs Oklahoma and lost a very exciting match to the RPL East Champs from NC 2-3.
U17 Girls:
USA-MP 17G Premier will have a border battle vs the NC State Champs to decide the Pool A winner. The Mount Pleasant girls are currently 2-0 after a last minute goal versus Oklahoma to win 2-1. The girls will make their second straight appearance in the Southern Regionals Quarterfinals and will look to make a big splash this year in the knockout stage.
U18 Boys:
Both CESA 97B Premier and USA-MP 16B Premier are still fighting to advance from their pools. Both teams need a win in order to have a chance to advance. The CESA 97B Premier are sitting at 1 point from 2 games while the USA-MP 16B Premier have 3 points.The boys will play tomorrow morning with a shot at advancing.
U18 Girls:
The USA-MP 16G Premier and SCUFC 97G Elite are both sitting at 3 points from 2 games with a chance to advance tomorrow. The USA-MP 16G Premier bounced back from a rough day 1 (0-5 loss) to beat Louisiana 2-1 today and will need a win versus Arkansas to set up their best situation to advance. The SCUFC 97G Elite upset the defending National Champions from FL 2-1 and will need to defeat Mississippi in order to give themselves the best chance to move forward,
U19 Boys:
CESA 96B Premier currently sit atop Pool A with 4 points going into Day 3 of play. A win or draw versus Florida will send the team into the semifinals Tuesday.
U19 Girls:
The CESA U19 Girls have already clinched advancement to the semifinals with a big 10-1 win today over Florida. The Girls play OK tomorrow to determine the group winner and set seeding for the knockout stage.
SC Youth Soccer wishes best of luck to all the teams tomorrow and we hope to see a huge number of the 19 teams in the knockout stages starting Monday and Tuesday!