Chattanooga Red Wolves 08G (16U Girls) are continuing their quest for a national title on Saturday morning after advancing past group play and into the semifinal round of the US Youth Soccer National Championships in Orlando, Florida. The Tennessee representative now faces FW United 08G Elite 64 (IN) tomorrow with a trip to the championship match on the line.
Chattanooga Red Wolves 08G emerged as the top seed from their bracket after a stellar showing in group play. The team won each of their three opening round games, all of which were shutouts. Chattanooga Red Wolves 08G outscored their opposition by a tally of 12-0 over the course of those three matches to punch their ticket to the final four for their age group. Their meeting with FW United 08G Elite 64 (IN) kicks off at 8:00 AM on Saturday morning at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando.
The Tennessee State Soccer Association was represented by an additional six teams at the USYS National Championships. However, no quarterfinal round at the national tournament meant a smaller pool of teams advanced to the elimination rounds. Also competing at the USYS National Championships but unfortunately seeing their tournament run end after group play was Lady Lobos Rush U14G Elite 64 (14U Girls), Kononia Lady Fire (15U Girls), Germantown Lady Legends 08 Black (16U Girls), Pateadores SC Nashville 2008 Blue (16U Boys), Lady Lobos Rush Elite 64 (17U Girls) and Chattanooga Red Wolves 06G (19U Girls).
Pateadores SC Nashville 2008 Blue (16U Boys) went unbeaten in their group on a 2-0-1 record, which placed them level with Stony Brook LGN Wildlings Blue B2008 (NYE) at the top spot in their bracket, but an extremely close goal differential in favor of Stony Brook gave them the tiebreaker. Incredibly, Pateadores SC Nashville 2008 Blue was unbeaten in nine matches over the course of the Southern Regional Championships and National Championships (cumulative 8-0-1 record). Lady Lobos Rush Elite 64 (17U Girls) were also unbeaten in their group with five points (1-0-2 record), but Nationals Union 07 Girls Black (MI) secured the semifinal berth after completing the opening round with seven points (2-0-1 record).
The USYS National Championships Presented by New York Life are the final stage of the USYS National Championships, which begin at the state level before progressing to the regional and then national stages. The event is a culmination of a year-long series of competitions, providing approximately 185,000 players on 10,000 teams from US Youth Soccer’s 54 State Associations with the opportunity to showcase their soccer skills against the best competition in the nation.
