Under-16 Boys: Dallas Texans 92 Red (N-TX)
Under-16 Girls:  Dallas Texans Red 92 (N-TX)
Under-17 Boys: Andromeda 91 (N-TX)
Under-17 Girls: Dallas Texans 91 Red (N-TX)
Under-18 Boys: Andromeda 90 (N-TX)
Under-18 Girls: Colorado Rush (CO)
Under-19 Boys: Solar SC (N-TX)
Under-19 Girls: Force Football Club (MI)

Under-14 and Under-15 Champions Named Saturday, July 26 

NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (July 27, 2008) – The remaining 2008 US Youth Soccer National Champions were crowned today at Burns Park Soccer Complex where the top teams in each age group in the country met to conclude the final leg of the 2008 US Youth Soccer National Championship Series. After this week's three rounds of preliminary play, only the top two teams in the country remained today, Under-16, Under-17, Under-18 and the Under-19 age groups, to play for their respective national title.

 

Last night the Baltimore Casa Mia Bays (MD) Under-15 Boys successfully defended their 2007 national championship and today the Andromeda 90 (N-TX) Under-18 Boys and Force Football Club (MI) Under-19 Girls looked to do the same and win consecutive national titles.

 

Under-18 Boys: Andromeda 90 was up first taking on Shattuck-St. Mary's (MN). In the round robin the Under-18 Boys teams tied (2:2), however, today was a different story as Andromeda was awarded a penalty kick in the 12^th that Anthony Gerhart finished for the 1:0 lead. As the half neared Jason Guehler doubled the advantage in the 42nd. 

 

Early in the second half Shattuck appeared ready to make a charge moving up the line to add additional pressure to the defending champs. Shattuck's Gideon Asante flicked a sure goal over the Andromeda keeper but Taylor Cluff made a play to redirect the shot over the crossbar to maintain the two goal lead.      

 

Late in the second half, Zachary Funk beat his mark and then the keeper to the far post (82:00) to complete the 3:0 win and earn Andromeda their second consecutive national championship. 

 

Under-18 Girls: Sting 90 (N-TX) is no stranger to the national finals, last year the same girls were in the Under-17 final as the Dallas Texans. Now as Sting, winner of eight national titles, the girls faced Colorado Rush Nike. Possession was held by Rush throughout most of the first half. The scoreless tie was broken in the 63^rd off a Danielle Foxhoven penalty kick. 

 

As the aggressor, Rush outshot Sting 11-3, and it would be Foxhoven again in the 68^th with the go-ahead goal. Foxhoven would total six on the week, leading all scorers and securing her the adidas Golden Boot as most valuable player. Ten minutes later Brittany Kerridge (78:00) added another to complete the 3:0 win.

 

Today's win marks Colorado Rush's eighth US Youth Soccer National Championship. The most recent was in 2006 with the Under-19 Girls. 

 

Under-19 Girls: Slammers FC (CA-S) stood in the way of Force Football Club's mission to repeat as national champion in the Under-19 Girls. Both sides are very familiar with the other and today's match-up was the equivalent of an NCAA Division I all star game as both sides were full of collegiate players from top universities from across the country. 

 

The Slammers took little time to create separation with Ashlee Elliott's goal in the 7^th. Throughout the remainder of the half neither team could create scoring opportunities.      

 

After the half, Andy Wagstaff's Force team made a few adjustments that paid dividends with goals from Dani Haelewyn (78:00) and the game-winner from Amanda Bowery (84:00) to achieve the 2:1 advantage.   

 

"We wanted to get back together because we thought we had another chance at it. Going back-to-back is a great feeling. I am glad we did," said Krissy Tribbett. "I think this tournament really helps prepare because you play against the best teams in the nation. You are playing against the best players. It really tunes you up before college."

 

Andrew Wagstaff said, "Today was an amazing game between two fantastic clubs. The character of these kids is unbelievable. They have never backed down from a challenge. I can't say enough about them, they are an amazing bunch of girls."

 

The win completed three of four defending champions doing just that this year with Force Football Club (Under-19 Girls), Andromeda 90 (Under-18 Boys) and Baltimore Casa Mia Bays (Under-15 Boys) taking their back-to-back national championship titles. 

 

Under-19 Boys: Solar 89 (N-TX) has been in the national title game three times in their storied career. In each of the previous finals, Solar fell short. Looking to keep the trend, KC Wizards Juniors (KS) aspired to etch their name in the James P. McGuire Cup, the oldest youth sports trophy (established in 1935). 

 

"I've heard a lot of people say, if you are going to win one; this was the big one to win. So maybe it was meant to be all along. I didn't think so at the time, but now I do," said Kevin Smith, Director of Coaching for Solar SC. "I'll be old and I'll be sitting on my rocking chair one day and I'll be looking at this (team autographed game ball) and remember this day. It wasn't given to us. We had to earn this all the way. It wasn't given to us on a plate. They had a lot of disappointments but they kept fighting and clawing. They were very confident today and they have been confident for a lot of years. We just got pinned to the post a few times. This is special to me and I will treasure this for the rest of my life."

 

Just as it was in the Under-19s, this match-up was another collegiate all-star game with All-Americans and future professional players on each side. 

 

As time neared expiration, Solar was awarded a free kick from 35-yards out that Hunter Jumper collected and with all of his remaining energy slotted to give Solar their seemingly impossible national crown in their final year of the tournament as Under-19s. 

 

"The fact that we won this and the fact that we are ending on top together just makes everything. The fact that we won means the whole world together," said Hunter Jumper, a freshman at University of Virginia. "It was 90 minutes of intense physical. Everything was 50-50. It was a battle out there for 90 minutes. We were lucky enough to get a free kick in the last 30-45 seconds. It was just great. I hit the ball well; as clean as I wanted to and just happen to be on it. It is the greatest feeling ever."

Under-17 Boys:  Andromeda had already secured the Under-18 Boys title and looked to add a second in the Under-17 Boys with Andromeda 91 playing Everest Soccer Club (OH-N). In the round robin, Andromeda scored in the opening minute but the game ended in a draw thanks to Everest's Ty Smith, who scored in stoppage time.

 

Andromeda almost scored from more than forty yards in the out in the 40^th on a Christopher Burgess kick that hit just in front of the Everest keeper and bounced to the crossbar where it was safely collected. 

 

Netting the game winner was Samuel Haines who scored in the 62^nd to earn the North Texas boys their own national title and second for the club on the day as Andromeda outlasted Everest 1:0.

 

Under-17 Girls:  Eclipse Select (IL) sent two teams into the finals after not advancing a team to the tournament in 2007. The storied club met the Dallas Texans, who coming into the 2008 tournament had six national champions on their resume. Dallas Texans 92 Red (N-TX) faced Eclipse Select 90-91 to determine the Under-17 Girls national champion. 

 

Off a set piece Chelsea Gellar gave the Texans the one goal lead in the 20^th. Gellar's goal would hold throughout the remainder of the half, doubling the lead with another in the 51^st for the 2:0 advantage. Eclipse's Mary Kubiuk cut the lead in half in the 75^th and the momentum quickly shifted. Ali Hall would knot the score at 2:2 in the 85^th minute. The Texans would remain composed and hold off the Eclipse attack. 

 

After two overtime periods the score remained tied to bring on penalty kicks. Eclipse shot and scored first. The Texans would be denied as would Eclipse on their second try where the Texans were again stopped. Through four shots the score was tied at one each.   The Texans would score back-to-back and Texan keeper Brittany Jaggers would come up as the difference maker saving four of the Eclipse six shots (Eclipse's Claire Hanold saved three of six). 

 

Under-16 Boys: Real So Cal Blue (CA-S) squared off against Dallas Texans 92 Red (N-TX) to determine the Under-16 Boys crown. It took 24 minutes for the Texans to get on the board with a Ray De Leon powerful shot down the center (24:00). 

 

Zachery Barnes doubled the total in the 40^th minute with a bending ball from the top of the 18^th to the upper 90 and the Texan defense would hold Real So Cal off the scoreboard for only the second time of the week, both by Dallas. 

 

"This is a huge day for in the Texans organization, knowing that we are the only club that has won four national championships in a year. That also makes it a very exciting day for the everyone including the players, coaches, parents, everyone with the Texans really. I cannot tell you how proud I am for them," Haasan Nazari, Dallas Texans.  "I think winning four championships shows how consistent and how good the teams are. It's a tough task and again, I'm very proud of them all."

The win gives the Texans the cup and league title this year to make two "doubles" on the weekend with the Texans joining the Casa Mia Bays as inaugural league and US Youth Soccer National Champions. 

Under-16 Girls: A rematch from the National League featured Eclipse Select 91-92 (IL) against Dallas Texans Red 92 (N-TX). In their earlier league match, the teams tied 2:2. 

 

Eclipse jumped on the board in the 26^th (Maggie Murnane) and the lead was negated sixty seconds later by the Texans' Alyssa Diggs.  Amanda Frisbie gave the Texans the lead in the 54^th only to see it lost by a Kecia Morway goal in the 58^th.

 

With time nearing expiration, Natasha Anasi scored the go-ahead goal for the Texans in the 70^th and teammate Alyssa Diggs added one more in the 75^th (4:2) to cap-off a successful 2007-2008 season for the Dallas side.   

 

"The past two years we took the competition lightly. We didn't think it was going to be as hard as it was. We knew now that we were definitely going to come out hard if we wanted to win," said Alyssa Diggs.

 

Complete tournament results, including video, stories and more are available at http://Championships.USYouthSoccer.org.

 

The 2008 US Youth Soccer National Championship Series is the country's most prestigious national youth soccer tournament, providing over 185,000 players on more than 10,000 teams from US Youth Soccer's 55 state associations the opportunity to showcase their soccer skills against the best competition in the nation while emphasizing teamwork, discipline and fair play.

On Saturday, August 9, the US Youth Soccer National Championships Highlight Show, presented by adidas will air on the Fox Soccer Channel, US Youth Soccer's official television partner, at 1 p.m. ET. The two-hour show will highlight the national championships providing feature stories, interviews, game highlights and much, much more.

US Youth Soccer National Championship Final Results
Day 5 Results – Championship Matches
Under-16 Boys 
Real So Cal Blue v Dallas Texans 92 Red, 0-2
Goal scorers: DTX - Zachery Barnes (40:00), DTX - Ray De Leon (24:00)

Under-16 Girls
Dallas Texans Red 92 v Eclipse Select 91-92, 4:2
Goal scorers: DTX - Alyssa Diggs (75:00), DTX - Natasha Anasi (70:00), ECL - Kecia Morway (58:00), DTX - Amanda Frisbie (54:00), DTX - Alyssa Diggs (27:00), ECL - Maggie Murnane (26:00)

Under-17 Boys
Andromeda 91 v Everest Soccer Club, 1:0
Goal scorers: AND - Samuel Haines (62:00)

Under-17 Girls
Eclipse Select 90-91 v Dallas Texans 91 Red, 2:2
Goal scorers: ECL - Ali Hall (85:00), ECL - Mary Kubiuk (75:00), DTX - Chelsea Geller (51:00), DTX - Chelsea Geller (20:00)

Under-18 Boys
Shattuck-St. Mary's v Andromeda 90, 0:3
Goal scorers: AND - Zachary Funk (82:00), AND - Jason Guehler (42:00), AND - Anthony Gerhart (12:00)

Under-18 Girls
Sting Dallas 90 v Colorado Rush, 0:3
Goal scorers: COL - Brittany Kerridge (78:00), COL - Danielle Foxhoven (68:00), COL - Danielle Foxhoven (63:00) PK

Under-19 Boys
Solar 89 v KC Wizards Juniors, 1:0
Goal scorers: SOL - Hunter Jumper (90:00)

Under-19 Girls
Force Football Club v Slammers FC, 2:1
Goal scorers: FOR - Amanda Bowery (84:00), FOR - Dani Haelewyn (78:00), SLA - Ashlee Elliott (7:00)

2008 US Youth Soccer National Champions
Under-14 Boys
William J. "Billy" Goaziou Cup
NJSA 04 Gunners (NJ)

Under-14 Girls
Elmer Ehlers Cup
San Juan Spirits 94 Blue (CA-N)

Under-15 Boys
adidas Cup
Baltimore Casa Mia Bays (MD)

Under-15 Girls
Kristine Lilly Cup
Dallas Texans 93 Red (NTX)

Under-16 Girls
Patricia L. Masotto Cup
Dallas Texans Red 92 (N-TX)

Under-16 Boys
Larry Harmon Cup
Dallas Texans 92 Red (N-TX)

Under-17 Girls
Laura Moynihan Cup
Dallas Texans 91 Red (N-TX)

Under-17 Boys
Don Greer Cup
Andromeda 91 (N-TX)

Under-18 Girls
Francis J. "Frank" Kelly Cup
Colorado Rush (CO)

Under-18 Boys
Andy Stone Cup
Andromeda 90 (N-TX)

Under-19 Girls
Ross Stewart Cup
Force Football Club (MI)

Under-19 Boys
James P. McGuire Cup
Solar SC (N-TX)

adidas Golden Glove and Boot Winners (Most outstanding player and keeper)
Under-14 Boys
Golden Glove – Thomas Hand, NJSA 04 Gunners, New Jersey
Golden Boot – Mael Corboz, NJSA 04 Gunners, New Jersey

Under-14 Girls
Golden Glove – Katelyn Rowland, San Juan Spirit, California-North
Golden Boot – Alyssa Jara, San Juan Spirit, California-North

Under-15 Boys
Golden Glove- Timothy Peitsch, Baltimore Casa Mia Bays, Maryland
Golden Boot – Julian Griggs, Baltimore Casa Mia Bays, Maryland

Under-15 Girls
Golden Glove - Rosa Medina, Dallas Texans 93 Red Dallas, North Texas
Golden Boot – Clarissa Wedemeyer, Dallas Texans 93 Red Dallas, North Texas

Under-16 Girls
Golden Glove – Vittoria Arnold, Dallas Texans Red 92, North Texas
Golden Boot – Alyssa Diggs, Dallas Texans Red 92, North Texas

Under-16 Boys
Golden Glove – Alex Bolowich, Triangle United Gold, North Carolina
Golden Boot – Zachery Barnes, Dallas Texans 92 Red, North Texas

Under-17 Girls
Golden Glove - Brittany Jagger, Dallas Texans 91 Red, North Texas
Golden Boot – Chelsea Geller, Dallas Texans 91 Red, North Texas

Under-17 Boys
Golden Glove – Reed Dillard, Andromeda 91, North Texas
Golden Boot – Samuel Haines, Andromeda 91, North Texas

Under-18 Girls
Golden Glove – Krissy Tribbet, Colorado Rush, Colorado
Golden Boot - Danielle Foxhoven, Colorado Rush, Colorado

Under-18 Boys
Golden Glove – Erik Garciamendez, Andromeda 90, North Texas
Golden Boot – Jason Guehler, Andromeda 90, North Texas

Under-19 Girls
Golden Glove – Jill Flietstra, Force Football Club, Michigan
Golden Boot – Laura Heyboer, Force Football Club, Michigan

Under-19 Boys
Golden Glove – Alexander Burton, KC Wizards Juniors, Kansas
Golden Boot – Hunter Jumper , Solar SC 89, North Texas

US Youth Soccer Fair Play Award Winners
Under-14 Girls – D'Feeters 94 (N-TX)
Under-14 Boys – NJSA 04 Gunners (NJ)
Under-15 Girls – Scorpions Elite (MA)
Under-15 Boys – Valley United Blast (CA-S)
Under-16 Girls – Vardar (MI)
Under-16 Boys –YMS Xplosion (EPA)
Under-17 Girls – FC Bucks Vipers (EPA)
Under-17 Boys – Diablo FC Black Pearl (CA-N)
Under-18 Girls – Eclipse Select 89-90 (IL)
Under-18 Boys – Andromeda 90 (N-TX)
Under-19 Girls – Slammers FC (CA-S)
Under-19 Boys – KC Wizards Juniors (KS)

The 2008 US Youth Soccer National Championship Series is the country's most prestigious national youth soccer tournament, providing over 185,000 players on more than 10,000 teams from US Youth Soccer's 55 state associations the opportunity to showcase their soccer skills against the best competition in the nation while emphasizing teamwork, discipline and fair play.

The US Youth Soccer National Championships cap a yearlong series of competitions for boys and girls teams in multiple age groups as teams earn their way from the top team in their state to the regional championship tournaments. State Cup champions and selected wildcard teams in most age groups are eligible to compete in one of four US Youth Soccer Regional Championships. The champions in the under-14 through under-19 age group from each regional event converge to enjoy the nation's top competition.

The James P. McGuire Cup is the oldest trophy in youth sport dating back to 1935 with the inaugural youth championships. The under-19 boys age group as the National Champion will hoist the McGuire Cup. This is the 73rd anniversary of the storied cup.

Annually the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series provides the nation's top collegiate coaches with the premier stage to identify and scout the most coveted players in the country. In 2008, over 600 coaches attended the US Youth Soccer Regional Championships including the majority of the top 25 men's and women's programs based on the final 2008 NSCAA/adidas National Rankings for NCAA Division I schools.

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About the United States Youth Soccer Association (US Youth Soccer)
The Game for ALL Kids!^® is the largest youth sports organization in the country and largest member of the United States Soccer Federation, the governing body of soccer in the United States. US Youth Soccer registers more than 3.2 million players annually, ages 5 to 19, and over 900,000 administrators, coaches and volunteers in 55 member state associations. US Youth Soccer programs provide a fun, safe and healthy environment for players at every level of the game. For more information, visit www.USYouthSoccer.org.

About the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series
The US Youth Soccer National Championship Series provides more than 10,000 teams from US Youth Soccer's 55 State Associations the opportunity to showcase their abilities against the best in the nation while emphasizing teamwork, discipline and fair play. The yearlong competition begins with over 185,000 players in the US Youth Soccer State Championships.  These champions and selected wildcard teams through US Youth Soccer Regional Leagues advance to compete in one of four the US Youth Soccer Regional Championships. Champions (U-14 through U-19) from each regional event advance to the US Youth Soccer National Championships.  Adding to the excitement in 2008, the national championships will feature two teams from the newly formed US Youth Soccer National League in the U-15 and U-16 age groups.  Overall the US Youth Soccer National Championship Series provides the nation's top collegiate coaches with the premier stage to identify and scout the most coveted players in the country. 

Media Request: When referring to the United States Youth Soccer Association, the largest youth sports organization in the United States, please refer to the association only as US Youth Soccer, and never as USYS or USYSA. We appreciate your cooperation.