Two boys teams earn state soccer titles
Published Wednesday, August 19, 2009
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Stumble It!The North Pole Cyclones age 14U boys and the Eclipse Soccer Club Phoenix 16U boys earned state championship trophies during the Alaska Cup Youth Soccer Tournament last weekend in Kenai.
Both teams advance to the U.S. Youth Soccer Association Western Regional next June in Albuquerque, N.M.
Both teams took their titles in exciting fashion as the Cyclones rallied to pull out a 3-2 win over the Mat-Su Soccer Club, and the Phoenix downed the Alaska Rush 2-1 to claim their third state championship in the last four years.
“It’s pretty exciting,” Phoenix player Alan Millington said on Tuesday evening. “The competition down there is pretty ridiculous, but it’s fun to get out of Alaska and experience that.”
Cyclones rally
The Cyclones went 2-1 in round-robin play to advance to the semifinals. The only loss was to MSC, 2-1. The Cyclones advanced to the title contest with a 7-0 win against the Phoenix 96 squad.
In the championship game, MSC got on the board midway through the first half on a header off a corner kick. North Pole evened things up before the half when Mason Jefferies beat the MSC goalkeeper to a loose ball and chipped a shot over his head and into the net. Nolan Cady put the Cyclones ahead in the second half when he knocked in a rebound of a North Pole corner kick.
Josh Million later scored on a penalty kick, making it 3-1.
MSC scored right before the end of regulation to close within one, but North Pole defense held off MSC through the three minutes of stoppage time to secure the win.
The Cyclones 96 boys team is comprised of Cady, Jefferies, Million, Jeffrey Anderson, Cody Baker, Kyle Carlson, Brady Crane, Curtis Gelineau, Justin Hart, Alex Jordan, Anthony Mondelli, Joshua Renner, Christian Shurr and Garrett Wollmann.
They are led by head coach Jordan Clark and assistant coaches Martin Shurr and Robert Martinez.
Phoenix triumphs
The Phoenix never trailed in the championship game against the Rush.
Alan Riley got the Phoenix on the scoreboard about five minutes into the game, but the Rush evened things up 20 minutes later. Luke Castellini scored in the 40th minute to put the Phoenix ahead for good.
“It was pretty intense,” Millington said of the championship showdown. “It was raining hard and the wind picked up, so the field was wet, muddy and slippery.”
Players on the state championship squad include Millington, Riley, Castellini, Jared Triplehorn, Jeffery Lee, Jonathon Latham, Kris VanFlein, Lucas Goodwin, Matt Murray, Patrick Lassell, Philip Winsor, Ryer Kornkven, Tyler Olson, Jordan Sundberg and Tyler Violett. Mark Lew is the head coach, while Charlie Parr and Ron Templeton are the assistants.
Other teams
Several other Interior teams registered second- and third-place finishes in the state tournament.
The Eclipse 13U and 14U girls both earned runner-up finishes. The 13U team dropped a 4-1 decision to the Velocity Blue of Anchorage, while the 14U squad dropped a 3-0 decision to Sweet Feet.
Eclipse coach Dave Veazey said the lack of an indoor training facility in Fairbanks is a hindrance to all of the Fairbanks teams competing at the state level.
“They have indoor facilities in Anchorage, Juneau and even Wasilla, so our kids are way behind when we finally get out on the field for the summer season,” Veazey said. “It (an indoor facility) is something we really need up here.”
The Eclipse teams will play in the President’s Cup tournament next June in Medford, Ore.
In the 15U girls tournament, the Eclipse suffered a tough 3-2 loss to the Chugiak Cyclones in the semifinals. The Eclipse were shorthanded the entire tournament as coach Greg Gibson could not attend because of his teaching duties at Lathrop High School and one of the team’s top players was ill. After going 2-0-1 in the round-robin portion of the tournament, the Eclipse squad lost two more players who had to leave the team and attend a funeral in the Lower 48. The 17U Eclipse girls finished third.
The Cyclones 13U and 15U boys teams advanced to the semifinal round. The 95 squad lost to MSC United. The 97 team fell to the Nike squad. The Phoenix also lost in the boys 15U semifinals. The Phoenix 17U squad also suffered a semifinal loss.
Community Discussion
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The 97 Phoenix team (U13) went 2-1 in the tournament but because of how the tournament directors set up the brackets - Phoenix97 did not make the semifinals. Instead, a team that went 0-3 in the tournament (including a loss to Phoenix97) were sent to the semifinals. That team then lost to Nike97 in the semis. Nonetheless, good effort was put forth by all of the kids in the tournament. Good work!
I second Dave Veazey's call for an indoor facility here in Fairbanks. It would make a world of difference. Why are we the only urban area without one?
Finally, DNM, in soccer, the U goes before the age. So, its U13, U14, U15, and so on, not 13U, 14U, etc. The 97 teams are 12-yr-olds (UNDER 13). In hockey, the U goes after the age 13U means the kids are 13 and under. I get it confused all the time. :-)
Congratulations! Awesome job and thanks for posting a story. I only wish I coulda been there to see it. Looks like we're goin to New Mexico! I'm proud of ya Mason.
The bracket formation for this year's state cup was decided upon by the Board that governs the procedures for the tournament. It's the luck of the draw of which division or which bracket a team falls into.
The 97Boys Cyclones was the team that made the semi-finals and who lost all their games. This team was the Flaming Lizards last year and ended the season as 2nd during the state cup tournament. As for the semi-finals, the 97Boys held off the number 1 seated Nike 97Boys during the first half by wrapping the first half with 2-0. The Nike 97B usually would have scored 9-0 during the first half. And, while the game did end with a loss, the Cyclone Boys proved during the game that they can in fact hold their own ground.
It was unfortunate that the Phoenix 97Boys ended up in a tough division with Nike and AYSC Reds. But, as parents and spectators,the way the Board made the decision of how the tournament will be played out is just something that has to be accepted. A representation of a Fairbanks team (regardless of which soccer club they belong to) in any semi-finals is definitely deserving of support regardless of how lucky they were in making it there.
Overall, great job by ALL the Fairbanks team--as they now all recuperate from the soccer season, some are already in the plans of how to enhance their game play for next year!
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