DOWNINGTOWN, Pa. — Daytime fireworks were a frequent site on Saturday at United Sports Training Center as state cup champions and finalists took to the stage to celebrate being the last two teams standing in their age groups.
Twelve state cup champions were crowned at the 12U-17U age groups for NCS State Cup and 16 Presidents Cup champions from 12U-19U celebrated a state championship and booked their ticket to the regionals for each competition. Four ODP State Cup championships at the 12U and 13U age groups were also celebrated.
NCS winners punched their ticket to the Eastern Regional Championships in Loudoun County, Virginia June 23-29 while Presidents Cup winners won’t have to leave the state to play in the Eastern Presidents Cup June 16-20 at The Proving Grounds in Conshohocken and Plymouth Whitemarsh High School in Plymouth Meeting.
“It's a great day every year to bring all these championship teams together and State Cup winners and give them the opportunity to move on to regionals,” said Chris Branscome, chief executive officer of Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer. “It’s a great facility, we got to play on great fields and teams got to experience quality officiating so it was it was a great representation of everything eastern Pennsylvania has to offer.”
Four teams celebrated back-to-back state cup championships: FC Revolution Reds were the lone repeat winner in NCS State cup with their 2-1 win over Keystone FC in the 17U girls final. Three Presidents Cup teams repeated: Lancaster Elite Sprinters (18U Girls), Hulmeville SC Dortmund (18U Boys) and Vereinigung Erzgebirge SC Gunners (19U Boys).
YMS Spirit were looking for their third straight state cup championship but were dethroned by FC Europa Elite in the 15U Girls final in a tight contest decided by a penalty kick after a handball was whistled in the box.
Reading Rage teams knocked off defending NCS State Cup champions in two girls age groups. Reading Rage Press outlasted Keystone Athletic Black in penalties after a 2-2 draw in the 16U girls final and Reading Rage Pugh notched a 2-0 win over defending champions Penn Alliance Select Elite in the 14U girls final.
Steel United PA lost 1-0 to Warrington SC Storm in their repeat bid in Presidents Cup.
Penalty shootouts decided several games on the day.
Philadelphia SC Coppa beat Penn Fusion in penalties after a thrilling 3-3 game, YMS Celtic and YMS Premier Blackout both won on penalties, Keystone FC Premier bested YMS Premier United via kicks and Reading Rage Press were victorious in penalties in NCS State Cup.
Lehigh Valley United bested Southern Chester County Dragons in penalties in the 14U Boys Presidents Cup final after a back-and-forth 3-3 match.
The complete list of winners and scores is below.
NCS State Cup
Age Group
|
Champion
|
Score
|
Finalist
|
12U Boys
|
Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals
|
3-0
|
Villanova Soccer Academy Green Lightning
|
12U Girls
|
Philadelphia SC Coppa
|
2-1 (PKs)
|
Penn Fusion Academy
|
13U Boys
|
Keystone FC Premier
|
2-1 (PKs)
|
YMS Premier United
|
13U Girls
|
Keystone FC Premier
|
3-2
|
Warrington SC United
|
14U Boys
|
FC Europa Elite
|
5-3
|
YMS Premier Warriors
|
14U Girls
|
Reading Rage Pugh
|
2-0
|
Penn Alliance Select
|
15U Boys
|
YMS Celtic
|
2-1 (PKs)
|
Lower Merion FCE Thunder
|
15U Girls
|
FC Europa Elite
|
1-0
|
YMS Spirit
|
16U Boys
|
YMS Premier Blackout
|
2-1 (PKs)
|
PA Dominion
|
16U Girls
|
Reading Rage Press
|
3-2 (PKs)
|
Keystone Athletic Black
|
17U Boys
|
Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals
|
2-1
|
FC Europa Elite
|
17U Girls
|
FC Revolution Reds
|
2-0
|
Keystone FC Premier
|
Presidents Cup
Age Group
|
Champion
|
Score
|
Finalist
|
12U Boys
|
Keystone FC Elite
|
2-1
|
Lehigh Valley United
|
12U Girls
|
West Mont United
|
2-0
|
PA Rush
|
13U Boys
|
United Philly Soccer
|
5-3
|
Lower Merion SC FCE
|
13U Girls
|
Central Susquehanna Phoenix
|
3-2
|
South Parkland Storm
|
14U Boys
|
Lehigh Valley United 2009 USYS
|
4-4 (PKs)
|
Southern Chester County Dragons
|
14U Girls
|
Warrington SC Storm
|
1-0
|
Steel United PA
|
15U Boys
|
Southern Chester County Dragons
|
2-1
|
Dillsburg Area Fury
|
15U Girls
|
Capital Area SA
|
3-1
|
Western Lehigh United SC
|
16U Boys
|
FC Ballyhoo Black
|
2-1
|
Quaker Elite Gold
|
16U Girls
|
Keystone Athletic
|
2-1
|
PA Rush
|
17U Boys
|
PA Classics Elite Blue
|
2-1
|
Lionville SC Vipers
|
17U Girls
|
PA Classics Elite Blue
|
3-1
|
1776 United FC
|
18U Boys
|
Hulmeville SC Dortmund
|
2-1
|
Berks United Nottingham Forest
|
18U Girls
|
Lancaster Elite Sprinters
|
3-2
|
FC Providence Rampage
|
19U Boys
|
Vereinigung Erzgebirge SC Gunners
|
3-1
|
Steel United PA
|
19U Girls
|
West Mont United Premier 04/05
|
3-0
|
Fever SC
|