7 Elite Academy 01 Boys Looking Forward to National Presidents Cup

Salt Lake City, UT – 6/27/18

There’s nothing quite like falling short of your goals to motivate a team – at least that’s the perspective 7 Elite Academy 01 Boys (formerly Liverpool FC and Fire FC Premier) believe. Although they’ve won Utah Presidents Cup three years in a row, finishing 4^th at Nationals in Oklahoma two years ago was just not enough. This year, they want more. And they will have a chance to play for more when they make their way to Westfield, Indiana from July 10^th-15^th for a chance to be National Presidents Cup Champions, under the coaching director of head coach Stuart Dewey and assistant coaches Mark Hunt and Sean Rocha.

To get back to National Presidents Cup they needed to win Regional Presidents Cup, hosted in Salt Lake City for the second year. So, this St. George team traveled up to Salt Lake Regional Athletic Complex and rolled through their competition winning all six of their matches, scoring 25 goals and allowing only 6 throughout the tournament.

Days 1-3 were group play, they went 3-0, scoring 17 goals and allowing 3. They beat Oregon’s Hermiston United 01 (8-2), Nevada’s South Tahoe FC United Red 01 (7-1), and Colorado’s Real Colorado Edge Select 01 (2-0).

Days 4/5 saw 7 Elite Academy advance through Quarter and Semifinals beating Arizona’s Phoenix Premier FC (4-2) and Idaho’s Boise Nationals Timber 01 (2-1).

Day 6 was finals day. 7 Elite pulled maintained the most dangerous lead in soccer and beat Cal South’s Wolves FC 01 (2-0).

Assistant Coach Mark Hunt says of the team’s performance, “The success on the pitch was a total team effort by all the boys. The team is so deep it is really hard to decide on a starting eleven. We have emphasized to the boys that it is all about the team and not the individual. The boys have great chemistry on and off the pitch which directly leads to our success.”

Though every win was a team effort, there were some standout performances. Bryce Hubbard was fantastic in the net making huge saves, hist voice growing stronger and more confident as the tournament went on. The backline was solid and allowed very few opportunities for Hubbard to be tested. Midfield and wings were the workhorses of the team and flew up and down the pitch tirelessly gaining and maintaining possession. 7 Elite Academy had 3 leading scorers on the team. Oscar Quinter had the golden boot and was the leading scorer for all players in the U17 division with 8 goals. He was followed by Ben Simister with 5 goals and Xavi Flores with 3.

Hunt is also quick to mention that this group of young men are not just fantastic players, but also incredible people who put in hard work on and off the field. The team’s total grade point average is 3.65 with four boys boasting a 4.0.

The coaches would like to thank the parents and families of their boys, they are all fortunate to have huge support systems at home that make playing soccer at this level possible. They would also like to whole heartedly thank their two team managers – Charity Rocha and Kendra McArthur who tirelessly do everything they can to keep the boys well fed, having fun and getting rest between games. Hours of paperwork, phone calls, text messages and emails on the team’s behalf all help out the coaches.

7 Elite Academy are already working hard to make sure they have a better outcome at National Presidents Cup this go-around. They know that in their group play they will face teams from New Jersey, Texas and Illinois.

Utah Youth Soccer Association would like to wish 7 Elite Academy 01 Boys Good Luck as they represent Utah on a National level.

To follow 7 Elite Academy through National Presidents Cup, Click HERE

Regional IV Presidents Cup 17U Boys Champions