18U - 19U Teams Ready for Their Next Test
In a few short days, eastern Pennsylvania will quickly find some of the region’s best 18U and 19U soccer players. On Saturday, May 21, 2022, only a few qualified teams will compete head-to-head for their opportunity to play in the NCS State Cup Semifinals. If they succeed, they’ll move on to the finals for a chance at being named the NCS Eastern Pennsylvania State Cup Champion.
For now, 18U Girls, 18U Boys, and 19U Boys will need to dig deep to come up with a win during their respective semifinal matches this weekend.
Here’s who is playing this Saturday:
18U Girls
| Quarterfinals A Winner (TBD) |
vs |
Keystone FC Premier '04G |
| Quarterfinals C Winner (TBD) |
vs |
Eagle FC '04G Black |
18U Boys
| Penn Alliance Select Elite ’04 |
vs |
Council Rock United FC
Bucks Dominion
|
| *Lower Merion SC Invictus |
vs |
*Lehigh Valley United 2004 Boys Black |
19U Boys
| Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals 2003 Black |
vs |
Lehigh Valley United 2003 Boys Black |
| Capital Area SA '03M United (formerly HMMS Eagle FC ’03) |
vs |
Radnor SC 2003 Boys
|
We can expect the competition to be fierce for all of the matches happening that day. After all, many of the club team programs are familiar with the semifinal competition process. Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals, Keystone FC Premier, and Lehigh Valley United are three programs that have established their presence within the semifinal round.
Between 2015 and 2018, Philadelphia Ukrainian Nationals crowned many of its boys’ teams as either NCS State Champion or NSC State Finalist for three consecutive years.
Historically, the girl’s program at Keystone FC Premier has plenty of experience competing in the NCS State Cup. Its Premier ‘03G team won the NCS Eastern Pennsylvania State Cup in 2021 after making Cup finals appearances for three consecutive years.
Lehigh Valley United is another known force in both the state cup semifinals and finals. Its program has since established itself as one of the most successful soccer clubs in the greater Lehigh Valley area. Its proof lies in its qualified teams. The 2000 Boys Black, 2002 Girls and Boys Black, 2003 Boys Black, 2004 Girls Black, and 2009 Girls and Boys Black, and a handful of others have made an NCS State Cup appearance as either a semifinalist, finalist, or champion.
The 18U/19U games will be held at United Sports Training Center in Downingtown, PA.
(*The Lower Merion SC Invictus vs Lehigh Valley United 2004 Boys Black semifinal match will be held on Wednesday, June 1.)