2009 Super Y National Finals

Semi-Final Article

2009-11-29T21:40:00.000-08:00

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.

2009-11-23T14:13:00.001-08:00

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.

2009-11-23T12:29:00.001-08:00

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.

2009-11-23T08:54:00.001-08:00

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!

2009-11-22T15:28:00.001-08:00

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

2009-11-22T14:39:00.001-08:00

Kingdom 14 girls score a goal!

2009-11-22T14:34:00.001-08:00

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.

2009-11-22T13:25:00.001-08:00

Real scores. Alliance miss two great chances. Last ten minutes are ending with tons of pressure from Alliance. Real just cleared a ball off the line.

2009-11-22T12:42:00.001-08:00

0-0 halftime score for the u15s. Pride and an undefeated record are on the line as the boys face the four time Florida state champs Real. This is the best showin of the tournament for the Alliance 15s.

2009-11-22T12:16:00.001-08:00

u15s score 2 goals in the second half (sound familiar?), grab the shutout and a top three seed in the semis. Goals are scored by Love and Payne while Geiger picks up his second shutout in goal. The team's unconfirmed opponent in the next round is MSA out of Mass.

2009-11-22T10:50:00.001-08:00

u14 Boys tied 0-0 at half. The wind has changed the quality of the games and Alliance is against it for the second.

2009-11-21T15:33:00.001-08:00

Girls win 2-1 after an exciting 2nd 1/2. Socia scored again and the girls missed a few great chances. Four points give the girls an edge for the division title heading into the final game on Sunday.

2009-11-21T14:27:00.001-08:00

u15 Girls take 1-0 lead on a Charlie Socia goal!

2009-11-21T14:26:00.001-08:00

u15s end match 2-2. Mario Mareno scored the equalizer in the last ten minutes. The result was well earned for the boys as the TSF team created a number of issues.

2009-11-21T12:29:00.001-08:00

In the twentieth minute Tairiq Akeel gets a bit of luck on a long blast to give the Alliance u15s a lead. It will take some hard work defending to preserve lead.

2009-11-21T09:50:00.001-08:00

u14 Alliance Boys used two late strikes to beat TSF 3-1. A first half goal from Josh Crague held up until the first minute of the second when TSF scored on a brilliant strike from twenty. Another goal from Crague and a cool finish from Bill Wilson sealed the deal.

2009-11-20T15:50:00.001-08:00

The win and two ties from Alliance teams give all three teams relative control of their semi-final bids.

2009-11-20T15:45:00.001-08:00

u-15 Girls end match against Canadian competition 0-0 despite a stronger 2nd half.

2009-11-20T14:58:00.001-08:00

Alliance u-15 girls are tied 0-0 ten minutes into the second half.

2009-11-20T13:42:00.001-08:00

Kingdom lost 1-2 against the run of play to Schultz. Alliance match ends 0-0 tie.

2009-11-20T13:04:00.001-08:00

I will try to keep other west Michigan team scores updated along with Alliance teams. The u15 Kingdom are tied 1-1 in the 2nd half against Florida side Schultz Academy.

2009-11-20T12:53:00.001-08:00

U15 Boys tied 0-0 at 1/2 time against a strong MPS Crusaders team. Good chances had by both teams Landon Collier in goal has made three important saves.

2009-11-20T11:29:00.001-08:00

U14 Boys win 2-0 over Northern Virginia Royals. Goals from Donald Payne and Jacob Love gave Alliance the win in the final ten minutes against the previously undefeated Royals.

Friday 9am

2009-11-20T05:10:00.001-08:00

Today's Matches

1pm u14 Boys Alliance Academy vs. Northern Virginia Royals

3pm u15 Boys vs. MPS Crusaders (Mass.)

5pm u15 Girls vs. Mountain FC (British Columbia)

Thursday 10pm

2009-11-19T19:32:00.000-08:00

The Alliance Academy teams and players came by car and plane and have been arriving since this morning. The u14 Boys had the opportunity to train in preparation for their opening match against the undefeated Northern Virginia Royals.

The u15 Girls and u15 Boys had too many players leaving late in the day to set up a training session.

The age groups at this tournament are a bit confusing as they relate to the 2008/09 seasonal year and not the current age groups. I will always refer to the teams by their Super Y (08/09) age group to stay consistent.