DOWNINGTOWN - Sixteen teams punched their ticket to the Eastern Presidents Cup being hosted locally next month in Presidents Cup finals played at United Sports Training Center on Saturday.
Vereinigung Erzgebirge SC Gunners (19U Boys), Hulmeville SC Dortmund (18U Boys) and Lancaster Elite Sprinters (18U Girls) repeated as champions while defending champions Steel United PA fell 1-0 to Warrington SC Storm.
All but four of the 16 finals were decided by two goals or fewer and one (14U Boys) was decided by penalties after champions Lehigh Valley United tied the game up 4-4 in overtime to Southern Chester County Dragons.
PA Classics swept the 17U age division with wins in both the boys and girls finals while West Mont United won 12U and 19U girls titles. Twelve other clubs had a champion crowned that will get to stay in-state to compete in the regional competition being hosted at The Proving Grounds in Conshohocken and nearby Plymouth Whitemarsh High School June 16-20.
12U Boys: Keystone FC Elite 2 Lehigh Valley United 1
Kolt Dixon picked up his goalkeeper with a finish in the box to put Keystone FC back in front 2-1 and win the 12U Boys Presidents Cup final. Keystone opened the scoring with a goal from distance Gio Garcia but Lehigh Valley United was able to equalize on a ball that took a tricky hop off the grass and went in.
12U Girls: West Mont United 2 PA Rush 0
West Mont opened the scoring with a goal off the rebound from a long free kick and tacked on an insurance goal from some individual effort to capture the Presidents Cup trophy.
13U Girls: Central Susquehanna Phoenix 3 South Parkland Storm 2
In last year’s 2022 12U Presidents Cup final, Central Susquehanna Phoenix conceded the game-winner with thirty-nine seconds remaining. This year, in the 13U Presidents Cup final, they scored with seconds remaining to beat South Parkland 3-2. CSSC, the team that logged the most miles to reach the state finals, scored twice in the opening fifteen minutes before South Parkland pulled a goal back before the half. South Parkland equalized early in the second half, and with the teams almost certain to be headed to overtime, Central Susquehanna connected on a cross and finish to pull out the dramatic victory and claim the elusive title.
13U Boys: United Philly Soccer 5 Lower Merion SC FCE 3
Lower Merion took a 2-0 lead inside 10 minutes on a pair of goals from Benjamin Roitman but United Philly got back into the game with a PK before halftime and then found an equalizer shortly after the half on a shot that beat the keeper high. United Philly pulled in front but Lower Merion tied it up at 3-3 from the penalty spot. A pair of goals in the 58th and 71st minutes gave United Philly the lead once and for all.
14U Girls: Warrington SC Storm 1 Steel United PA 0
Carina Dignetti scored at the half hour mark off a rebound after a strong run down the middle from Addison Langlois created the chance and made it stand up to defeat defending champions Steel United PA and capture the Presidents Cup title.
14U Boys: Lehigh Valley 4 (4-2 on PKs) Southern Chester County Dragons 4
Aidan Haymaker made a save in the penalty shootout and Colin Mcguigan followed it up with a make to clinch Lehigh Valley United’s victory on penalties after an eight-goal seesaw of a match. Lehigh Valley went up early and had a 3-1 lead early in the second half erased by a PK and an own goal. The Dragons took the lead early in overtime on a Josemar Acuna Aguilar goal but less than three minutes later Devil Moyzan responded with an equalizer.
15U Girls: Capital Area SA 3 Western Lehigh United 1
It took CASA just 18 seconds to score thanks to a darting run into the box and finish from a tight angle by Lea Carmona. Carmona’s goal was the only one of the game until 52 minutes later when she burst into the box again. This time her attempt was saved and the clearance went right to Delaney Babish, who doubled the lead with a wonder strike from about 25 yards out. Western Lehigh found a way back into on a long range strike of their own when Alexis Lively benefited from her own work pressing to deliver a goal from outside the box on the right flank. Babish wasn’t done and was able to finish this time in the box off a throw-in from Casey Keller to put the game away.
15U Boys: Southern Chester County Dragons 2 Dillsburg Area Fury 1
After a scoreless first half, the Dragons opened the scoring when Cameron Phouthavongsa found Jonatan Tomas-Mendez at the back post and he slotted the ball home past the keeper and off a Fury defender. The Dragons doubled their lead from the penalty spot nine minutes later. The Fury keeper initially saved the penalty but was whistled for an infraction and Morgan Peletier stepped up to convert and make it 2-0. The Fury pulled a goal back in the 57th minute on a beauty of a strike from the top of the 18 by Dean Merrill. The Fury had a chance to tie it late when Jacob Amerine got in behind but Dragons keeper Derek Hall was able to lay and deflect the shot away to a defender to clear.
16U Girls: Keystone Athletic 2 PA Rush 1
Olivia Abrachinsky scored off a corner kick and Madison Merrell added a free kick in the first half to spot Keystone Athletic a 2-0 lead but PA Rush fought back and made things interesting after cutting the lead in half on a lovely finish on the run from Monika Daly off a long line-breaking ball dropped right into her stride by Leah Zweitzig.
16U Boys: FC Ballyhoo Black 2 Quaker Elite Gold 1
Nathan Mcgladrie opened the scoring at the hour mark when he got on the end of a cross from Jaiden Eaton on a play started by a quickly taken throw by Wesley Keller. Ballyhoo then doubled their lead 11 minutes later on a penalty converted by Maddox Snyder. William Adair converted a penalty to make it 2-1 but Quaker Elite weren’t able to find an equalizer late.
17U Girls: PA Classics Elite Blue 3 1776 United FC 1
Jana Strait scored in the 25th minute and was involved in two plays leading to penalties that led PA Classics to a 3-1 win over 1776 United. Strait was played in by Alessandra Kernen and was able to beat two defenders and the keeper with a low left-footed shot. After a Kate McKinnon equalizer in the 34th minute, Strait was able to cause more problems for the defense when she attacked into the box and played a ball across to Katherine Morgan, who was taken down. Morgan converted the PK to make it 2-1 and just before full time added another from the spot after Strait was bumped over in the box.
17U Boys: PA Classics Elite Blue 2 Lionville SC Vipers 1
After a scoreless first half, Jackson Nutall opened the scoring for Lionville from the penalty spot after a foul was whistled near the corner of the 18. The lead would only hold up for 16 minutes, however, when Roberto Lozano found an equalizer on a free kick from close range. With the score tied 1-1 into overtime, David Lapp gave PA Classics a 2-1 lead they would not relinquish late in the first overtime period when Tyler Pietreanu found him at the back post on a cross from the right flank.
18U Girls: Lancaster Elite Sprinters 3 FC Providence 2
Ari McComsey’s strike over the keeper off a perfectly placed ball from Brooke Graham put Lancaster Elite up 3-0 and held up as the winner in a cup final for the second straight year for McComsey. Morgan Graham opened the scoring in the first half with a great strike directly off a turnover and Amber LeFever made it 2-0 just before halftime with a finish in traffic after a corner kick scrum. After McComsey’s great strike, FC Providence came back with a goal off a corner kick and a beautiful goal hit from just outside the box on the right flank but the Sprinters held on to win their second straight Presidents Cup.
18U Boys: Hulmeville SC Dortmund 2 Berks United Nottingham Forest 1
Ahmed Omer scored in both halves to lead Hulmeville SC Dortmund past Berks United 2-1 in the 18U Boys Presidents Cup Final and claim their second-straight title. Hulmeville opened the scoring early in the first half when Omer chipped the keeper then asserted a physical presence that carried them throughout the match. Berks nearly tied it midway through the half, but Hulmeville cleared multiple chances off the line before Berks eventually found the equalizer late in the half off a corner. Berks pushed early in the second half, but Omer headed home a corner to regain Hulmeville’s lead.
19U Girls: West Mont United 3 Fever SC 0
West Mont opened the scoring early in the first half when Gianna Deflavia split the defense with a lovely ball into the box that Leah Fowler ran onto and hit in stride with her left foot. Elizabeth Richardson doubled the lead when she took advantage of space in midfield and fired in a goal from 20 yards that hit the underside of the crossbar and went in. Juliana Minner then added a third late when she collected a ball in midfield from Deflavia, turned and danced her way into the box before finishing near post with her left foot.
19U Boys: Vereinigung Erzgebirge SC Gunners 3 Steel United PA 1
Steel United opened the scoring 15 minutes in on a long ball from center back Riley Carr that Simon Muther did well to gather, cut back and fire a shot from distance that skipped pas the VE keeper. Some sloppy play in the back led to VE’s equalizer in the 56th minute on a shot from Paul Nedeoglo after the ball had bounced around in the box. Michael Schaefer got to a second ball off a corner and put it away to put VE in front 2-1 in the 63rd minute and four minutes later Patrick McHenry made it three unanswered goals on a volley from an attempted clearance in the box to lift VE Gunners to their third Presidents Cup title as a team and second straight.