Tennessee saw its first champion get crowned today at the US Youth Soccer Southern Regional Championships Presented by New York Life, with NUSA 06G Maroon defeating fellow Tennessee representative 05/06 Lady Lobos Rush Elite 64 in the 19U Girls Final, 2-0. In addition to full state representation in the 19U Girls Championship Match, the Tennessee State Soccer Association (TSSA) also saw five more teams advance to the finals of the regional tournament on Thursday morning.
NUSA 06G Maroon reached the 19U Girls Final after defeating Mighty Bluebirds Wright (AR) in the semifinals, 5-3. They opened the Southern Regional Championships by registering seven points (2-0-1 record) and a 7-2 goal differential in group play, which placed them at the top of their bracket. 05/06 Lady Lobos Rush Elite 64 earned a 2-0 shutout over Miami Springs Soccer MSVG 2005 Blitz (FL) in the semifinal round after winning their bracket with nine points (3-0 record) and a 14-4 edge in goals.
Advancing to the final day of competition at the Southern Regional Championships is TSC Williamson 2012 Girls Showcase (13U Girls), who blanked Greater Boca SFFA 2011 Girls Elite SUN (FL) on Wednesday in the semifinals, 1-0. Prior to that outing, TSC Williamson claimed a 4-1 victory over MS Rush 11G Premier (MS) in the quarterfinals. They entered the elimination rounds after a runner-up finish in group play, registering six points (2-1 record) on a 7-5 goal differential in their bracket. Next up for TSC Williamson is a reservation with HTX 12 (STX) in the championship game on Thursday morning.
Kononia Lady Fire 2009/10 (15U Girls) is also moving onto the final round of the Southern Regional Championships following a 2-1 result over MS Rush United 09G Premier (MS) in the semifinals on Wednesday. Kononia reached the semifinals after securing a dominant 6-2 victory over Dallas Texans G09 (NTX) in the quarterfinals, which came after going undefeated in group play with nine points (3-0 record) and a 17-4 goal differential. Kononia now looks to lift the trophy when they battle MIFC 2009 Girls (FL) tomorrow morning in the championship match for their age group.
Also punching their ticket to the finals on Thursday is 2007 Lady Lobos Rush Elite 64 (17U Girls), who won their fifth consecutive match at the Southern Regional Championships this morning. They squared off against Sav United 07G Premier (GA) in the semifinals on Wednesday, defeating the Georgia side by a tally of 5-2. Lady Lobos Rush arrived at the semifinals after earning a 3-2 result over FC Dallas ETX 07G Premier (NTX) in the quarterfinals. They opened the tournament in dominant fashion, securing the top seed in their group on nine points (3-0 record) and outscoring their opposition by a goal differential of 14-2. One more win against BVB International Academy Louisiana 07 G’s Yellow Elite (LA) in the finals on Thursday will see Lady Lobos Rush get crowned Southern Regional Champions in the 17U Girls Division.
Pateadores SC 2008 Blue (16U Boys) continued their fantastic run at the Southern Regional Championships on Wednesday, rolling to a 4-1 win over Nona Soccer 2008B Black Elite 64 (FL) in the semifinals. That win came off the momentum of a dominant 7-0 victory over 08 NCF HPJ Gold (NC) in the semifinals. Pateadores opened the regional competition with nine points (3-0 record) in group play, outscoring their opponents by a tally of 13-3. Next on the docket is a Thursday pairing with AFC 08B Black (STX) in the 16U Boys Championship Match.
NUSA 07 Boys Maroon (17U Boys) is now just a single victory away from lifting the trophy at the Southern Regional Championships after earning a 2-1 win over Kendall Hammocks Lightning KHL 07 (FL) in the semifinals on Wednesday. They arrived at the semifinals after defeating BRSC 07 B Black (LA) in the quarterfinals by a tally of 6-3. NUSA opened the regional competition by winning their group on seven points (2-0-1 record) and a 10-3 edge in goals. NUSA now seeks a 17U Boys Championship when they face off against Strikers Miami FC 2007 Elite (FL) on Thursday morning.
USYS Southern Regional Finals on Thursday (TSSA Teams in Bold, Times in EDT)
13U Girls – TSC Williamson 2012 Girls Showcase vs. HTX 12 (STX) at 8:30 AM
15U Girls – Kononia Lady Fire 2009/10 vs. MIFC 2009 Girls (FL) at 8:15 AM
16U Boys – Pateadores SC 2008 Blue vs. AFC 08B Black (STX) at 8:45 AM
17U Girls – 2007 Lady Lobos Rush Elite 64 vs. BVB Louisiana 07 G’s Yellow Elite (LA) at 7:45 AM
17U Boys – NUSA 07 Boys Maroon vs. Strikers Miami FC 2007 Elite (FL) (SC) at 7:30 AM
TSSA teams that reached the tournament semifinals but unfortunately saw their run end today were Chattanooga FC 2010G Navy (14U Girls) and One Knox 09 (15U Girls). Matches for the USYS Southern Regional Championships are being played in Florida at the Tampa SportsPlex and the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex in Auburndale.
Winners at the USYS Southern Regional Championships will move onto the USYS National Championships in July at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida. The USYS National Championships Presented by New York Life is the country’s most prestigious national youth soccer tournament.
