RICHMOND, VA – (Monday, May 23, 2011) – The Richmond Kickers are pleased to announce the U12 Girls Elite claimed the 2011 State Cup Championship Sunday with an emphatic 10-2 victory over Ashburn Arsenal. With head coach Mike Burke at the helm, the girls advanced to the final Sunday after blanking the Suffolk Explosion, 7-0, on Saturday. The Kickers will now compete in the US Youth Soccer Region 1 Championship tournament July 1-5 in Lancaster, PA.
“Attractive soccer prevailed this past weekend,” commented Burke. “The girls played some exceptional soccer, emphasizing the Kickers philosophy that if you can control the ball, you can control the score. The girls proved that you can still win competitive games by playing beautiful soccer.”
The Kickers girls took the lead 25 seconds into the showcase game when Riley Cook connected on a well-placed through ball from Laurel Ness. After a surprise equalizer five minutes later, Ness launched a 20-yard rocket into the far right corner. After the break, the Kickers controlled the run of play, opening up the game for five different players to get in on the action with Sabrina Daglish, Cozmel Fisher, Maxine Borris, Alyse Armentrout and Lyndsey Gutzmer contributing to the scoreline. Solid defensive performances from Linden Kelly, Jillian Butler, and Maxine Borris made it extremely difficult for Ashburn to get in behind to create scoring chances.
The Virginia Youth Soccer Association State Championships is conducted annually by the Virginia Youth Soccer Association (VYSA) for boys and girls teams in the U12 through U19 age groups. The VYSA State Cup is a part of and a qualifying event for, the US Youth Soccer Region I Championships and National Championships conducted by United States Youth Soccer. Winners of the VYSA Championships advance to the US Youth Soccer Region I Championships, with Region I winners advancing to the US Youth Soccer National Championships. State Cup competition is open to the teams of any member in good standing of VYSA.
About the Richmond Kickers
Today over 8,000 soccer players participate in programs sponsored by the Richmond Kickers and partner clubs, including Ashland Youth Soccer League, City of Richmond Parks and Rec., Goochland United Soccer Association, TOPSoccer, Elementary Soccer and Little KICKS. The Richmond Kickers Soccer Club provides opportunities for all players of all abilities and unites soccer in the Central Virginia community. Benefits include economy of scale, consistency of coaching philosophy, professional administrative and coaching staff expertise, positive role models for youth players and a clear pathway from youth to pro for aspiring young players.
