Semi-Final Article

SUPER Y NATIONAL REPORT

Sunday Play to Determine Semi-Final Berths

November 21st, 2009

TAMPA, Florida - After qualifying two teams and seeing one advance to the semi-finals in 2008, the Alliance is looking to improve on that accomplishment at the 2009 National Championships. Two teams, the u14 Boys and u15 Girls are in control of their destiny while the third remains unbeaten with no mathematical chance to advance.

The u15 Boys saw their chance of advancing smack off the crossbar in the final minutes of an entertaining 2-2 tie with the New Jersey based TSF Academy. That win coupled with a win on Sunday would have been enough to see the team to the semis but, it wasn't to be. Looking back on the first match, coach Mark Christensen felt they deserved to win, "We settled down after halftime and created five or six great chances but, couldn't score. We had control of the match and I was no longer worried about them scoring." In the end, the game ended 0-0.

That Saturday tie coupled with today's 2-2 deadlock put Alliance four points behind division leaders RSL Florida making the two team's Sunday match Alliance's battle for 2nd and RSL's interest in a top semi-final seed.

Seeding is also on the mind of the Alliance u14 Boys as they head into their final group match with two wins. The team can win the group outright with a win or a tie against West Pines. Having a goal differential of four (4) puts the boys in a strong position in their group as any close loss would still allow the team to advance on goal difference. A good result on Sunday will give the boys a #2 or #3 semi-final seed.

The u15 Girls broke open a four way tie in their group on Saturday behind two Charlie Socia strikes. The team can advance with a win or tie on Sunday.

Follow all the teams results and see photos here. For updates throughout the day, keep an eye on our blog.

Semi-Final Update-

Alliance u15 Girls lose 2-0 in a game that was going to break for the team that scored first.

Kingdom u14 Girls lose 6-0 and while I didn't see the game I understand it was very tight going into the second half.

Alliance u14 Boys lose 1-0 despite dominating the 2nd half with 6 or 7 excellent chances to even the score.

Great weekend of soccer and an improvement for Michigan teams compared to past years. Last year only the Alliance u14 Girls advanced to the semis but, lost.

The work to meet our goal of winning a National title will begin immediately as we have already begun to strengthen our teams for 2010. Follow this link for frequent updates on try-outs, registration, team camps, and team formation.

u14 boys lose 1-0 despite some great looks in the last ten minutes. Bay Kurtz was denied two times by stellar goslkeeping from the Mass. side. u15 girls are 0-0 as the 1st half winds down.

Three teams from Michigan are competing in semis today. u15 Alliance girls, u14 Alliance boys, and u14 Kingdom girls who broke the tie breaker on sportsmanship points. Good luck to all the teams today!

Sophie Mac gets in behind a line of defenders and calmly pockets the ball into the far post.

Kingdom 14 girls score a goal!

u15s are 0-0 while Kingdom u14s are on the field behind and sharing a tent. Both teams can advance with a win and might with a tie. The u15 Boys lost 1-0 to Real.