Article found on the CESA website (www.carolinaelitesc.com)
Carolina Elite Soccer Academy ( CESA ) returned to the friendly confines of the Manchester Meadows Soccer Complex in Rock Hill, SC for the SCYSA Bob Brantley Publix Challenge Cup Final Four on December 11-12. As the final two championship games came to an end on Sunday afternoon it was only fitting that our CESA 92 Boys and Girls Premier teams would cap off a great weekend for our club with victories against Lexington County Soccer Club ( 3-0) and SC United-MP 92 Elite ( 1-0). The 92 Boys Premier won their 8th consecutive state title with goals from Brandon Burkholder(2) and Ricardo Garbanzo. The 92 Girls Premier team brought home their 2nd consecutive title with a great first half strike from Ali Simpson. CESA won state titles in all 8 age groups ( Under 15-18 Boys/Girls) for the second consecutive Fall and each of our teams will represent CESA and SCYSA at the Southern Regionals to be held in June 2011 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
The CESA 95 Girls and 95 Boys Premier teams began the day with wins over SC United 95 Elite ( 1-0) and Discoveries Soccer Club 95 Premier ( 2-1). The 95 Girls Premier won their 1st state title with a 2nd half header from McKenzie Harris , while the 95 Boys Premier earned their 3rd title with a come from behind penalty kick shootout victory highlighted by a penalty save by Eric Bykowsky. The decisive penalty was converted by Ryuto Amano. Josh Bertelsman had equalized for CESA with a powerful first time drive in the second half after DSC had taken an early lead 1-0 in the game.
The CESA 94 Girls Premier won their 4th consecutive state title and defeated SC United 94 Elite (1-0) with a second half free kick strike from Meaghan Carrigan, while the CESA 94 Boys Premier team produced another dominating performance with a 4-0 victory over SC United 94 Elite to capture their 4th title in a row. Goals in the final were scored by Austin Huddy(2), Nic Poupore and Aubrey Jones.
The CESA 93 Girls Premier won their 6th title with a convincing 3-0 triumph against SC United-MP Elite. Stephanie Devita (2) and India Robinson were the scorers.
The Under 17 Boys final was an all CESA affair and did not disappoint. In a game that was decided in overtime the CESA 93 Boys Premier team managed to overcome a great performance from the CESA 93 Boys Challenge team and come away with a 2-1 victory which gave them their 3rd consecutive title. Ryo Ogawa struck the game winner in the first overtime after Kyle Fisher had pulled the Premier team level late in the second half. Rivers Hughes had given the Challenge team the lead with a goal in the first half.
Congratulations are also in order for our CESA 94 Girls Challenge and CESA 93 Girls Challenge teams as they both advanced to the Final Four weekend. They had great seasons and it is apparent that our club is deep and talented throughout the age groups.
The ongoing success that the CESA program enjoys is a testament to the players, coaches and parents within our club. The dedication and commitment shown on the training fields on a weekly basis is of paramount importance. Players of all ages within our program have been willing to train and compete in order to continue to develop and improve. As pleasing as it was to see the older teams continue to have success on the field, it was even more satisfying to witness the camaraderie and support shown by all of our club members for all of our teams. This shows that there is a real sense of passion and pride that is associated with being a part of the CESA program and this will continue to give our club the impetus needed to forge ahead and strive for continued excellence.
