USL Feature

Thursday, November 19, 2009

GROUP A
Parsippany SC
Parsippany SC, coached by Dominick Bucci, won the Mid Atlantic Division with a record of 10-2-0. Parsippany defeated fellow North American Finals qualifiers, TSF Academy, 1-0 and Princeton, 3-0 during the regular season. Samantha Pace (6G, 3A) and Olivia Licata (5G, 3A) were the team’s top goal-scorers. Parsippany SC led the division in goals scored (23) and in goals against average 0.333.

Plantation FC
“For the first two seasons participating in the Super Y-League, the Plantation U17 girls have qualified for the North American Finals,” said John Ramos. “This year, the team was composed of players born in ‘91 and ‘92. This team is made up primarily of Plantation Soccer Club players with one guest player from Weston FC. This summer was not an easy one to manage due to players having commitments throughout the summer. However, the ones that were available really raised their level and were able to get some good results. The depth of our team and the ability of our players to play in more than one position really stood out this year. The summer was great for the development of our players. The girls had to learn to adjust their game, play out of their comfort zone and were able to build their confidence. We are excited about returning to the North American Finals and to the competition.”

Ottawa Fury
The Ottawa Fury U17 girls return to the SYL finals for the second straight season and are looking for redemption after a heart-breaking defeat in the semifinals. This year, they posted an impressive 10-2-2 record and a second place finish in the New England Division. Head Coach Dom Oliveri makes his fifth trip to the SYL finals in as many years and after reaching the semifinals in 2005 and 2008 he hopes this year’s team can bring home the championship that eluded the Fury’s U17 Girls team last season.

Cleveland Internationals
The Cleveland Internationals U17 girls return to the 2009 Super Y-League North American Finals for the third consecutive year after finishing in third place of the Midwest Division with a record of 6-1-2 and outscoring their opponents 32-5. In 2008, the majority of these players competed in the U17 NAF event as a U16 team. This year, they return to the 2009 event with the goal of recapturing the SYL North American Championship for a second time after accomplishing the feat in 2007 as a U15 team. That same year, the Internationals became the only club to win three SYL Championships in the same year.

GROUP B
RSL Florida
RSL finished a successful Super Y-League campaign with an unbeaten record of 10-0-2. Competing in the Southeast Region against some strong competition, they finished first in their division and will be competing in the USL Super Y-League North American Finals in good form. The ‘91 girls finished the season with an unbelievable goal difference of plus-31, scoring 37 goals and only conceding six over the course of 12 games. This will be RSL FL's third year in a row in the finals. Coach Jim Cote is looking forward to seeing his team test their abilities against the best teams in North America.

“It has been a very enjoyable summer for this team,” he said. “I have really enjoyed watching them perform and play to a very high standard. The full squad of 26 players has contributed. I have really enjoyed watching them develop and the progression they have made is encouraging.”

Princeton SC
Princeton SA U17G qualified for the North American Finals with a last minute goal in their final game against Perugia Grifos. After a mixed season in the Super Y-League, Princeton performed when it mattered to secure enough points to qualify for the tournament. In doing so, they are only team from Princeton Soccer Academy to make it to Tampa.

“The girls showed great improvement during the season and deserve to be competing with the best players in the country,” said Head Coach Lee Pollard. “We have all our players back from injury and I strongly think we will turn some heads come tournament time.”

West Michigan Fire
West Michigan Fire Juniors U17 girls team was formed in February 2009.When summer training began, the team set a goal to get to the North American Final. This group of players is predominately from the Grand Rapids area, but also contains players from the Detroit area. All of our girls are playing top-level state soccer with their respective clubs. We would like to thank all our parents for their support.

MPS Renegades
MPS Renegades ended the Super Y-League regular season with a record of 9-3-2, good-enough for a third place finish in the New England region and a berth in the Super Y-League North American Finals. Accordingly, the Renegades had the third-best offense in the league (43G) and allowed the third-least goals against (16). Offensivly, the team was led by Isabela DeSouza and Sarah Sweeney, who both hit the ten-goal mark this season.

GROUP C
Fort Wayne Fever
The Fort Wayne Fever U17 girls are coming to the SYL Nationals as the No. 1 seed from the Midwest Division. The team had an excellent summer going 8-1-0 while outscoring their opponents 42-10. The team, led by central midfielder Sarah Killion and forward Jordan Pawlik look to draw on their experience from the 2008 SYL National Finals as part of last year's U17 team. Head Coach Scott "Bo" Hunter stated, “This team has all the talent necessary to compete and be successful at the SYL National Finals. I look forward to seeing them perform against what should be some great competition.”

Seacoast United
The Seacoast United SC is ranked No. 12 in the USL Super Y-League Club First 11 Rankings. The U17 girls finished first in the New England Division in 2009 and have won four USYSA State Championships. The team also was a Region I finalist in 2008. The girls qualified and played in the US Nike Friendlies in 2008. NSR and GotSoccer currently rank the U17 team No. 11 in the country. Seacoast has won division championships at the FC Delco Showcase, PDA Players Cup, Scorpion Bowl and TD Bank North tournaments.

TSF Academy
TSF Academy finished third in the Mid Atlantic Division with a record of 6-4-2. The team was involved in a three-way tie for second-place in the division with Princeton Soccer Academy and the South Jersey Barons, who also attained a 6-4-2 record and 20 points on the season. TSF was distinct in the fact that they succeeded through their defensive prowess, allowing just 0.833 goals per game. The team’s top scorer was Giana Abballe, who netted three goals and added an assist this season.

Toronto Lynx
Coached by Danny Stewart and Glenn McNamara, the Toronto Lynx completed a 6-2-1 campaign this season in the Super Y-League’s Midwest Division. Stephanie Takeuchi and Miranda Dufresne both had multi-goal seasons for the Lynx as the team netted 23 goals while allowing just 1.11 goals per match.