State Cup championship matches will be played Saturday May 24, 2008 at Lakeside Sports Complex in Orem. U12-U18 winners of the Utah State Cup will qualify to represent Utah at the Far West Regional Championships hosted by Hawaii June 16-22.

Matches have been set, and there may already be some predictions. There has been Cinderella stories told and are currently being written. Opinions of who is the best have been made and may stand regardless of who the actual winners may be. Throw all that out! The State Cup is always a different setting that brings surprises and excitement to all who attend, play, and coach in the matches. Those reasons alone are why we play the games. The following is a brief summary of the match ups, game times, and fields that you can use to help determine which games will provide the most excitement for you.

U-11 Time: 9:00 AM Field 6
This match will mark the first time either team will have the opportunity to compete at State Cup. The match will feature Avalanche RD coached by Rick Dunn vs. La Roca FO coached by Pancho Ovalle. Both these teams finished 1st and 2nd respectively in their league play. With a neutral location for the State Cup final expect both teams to come out and play hard to be crowned State Cup Champions for the first time.

U-12 Time: 11:10 AM Field 6
Sparta 96 coached by Mathew Long vs. Avalanche SB coached by Scott Butler provides an interesting match up. Both teams are unbeaten (5-0 and 3-0-2 respectively) in tournament play but had different routes that got them to the final. Sparta has used a powerful offense scoring an impressive +10 tournament goal differential, where as, Avalanche has relied on a staunch defense by only allowing 1 goal all tournament. This final is a repeat of 2007 State Cup with Sparta coming out on top. The match will provide plenty of action as both teams compete the crown. The U12 age group has drawn a regional wild card so both teams will have the opportunity to go to Hawaii.

U-13 Time: 12:50 PM Field 6
Both Sparta 95 Premier coached by Dennis Burrows and Avalanche 95 Premier coached by Simon McFall, played in the under 14 Premier division finishing 6th and 9th respectively. Their experience playing up a whole year has helped them both achieve very impressive tournament play records of 5-0. When these teams met in league play the played to a 0-0 draw. This match could be the tournaments "firecracker" game. Avalanche is the defending 2007 State Cup Champion, however, Sparta came out victorious at the 2006 State Cup. Look for hard, well played and contested match as these two teams play to become State Cup Champions in their true age group-under 13.

U-14 Time: 11:50 AM Field 4
In review of these teams a few things need to be considered before viewing this match live. The match between La Roca Premier PT coached by Tim Crompton and Sparta 94 Premier coached by Albert Rees features two teams that finished in a tie for 1st and outright 4th respectively. However, throw away the head-to-head match these teams have faced a bit of adversity in this tournament and have preserved. Neither of these teams have won State Cup before, however, Sparta94 made it to the finals in 2006. Both teams will need to play the match first before preparing for a trip to Hawaii for the winner.

U-15 Time: 10:20 AM Field 1
This match features two teams that are no strangers to State Cup championship play and to each other. Both teams are from La Roca FC and play in the premier division. La Roca Premier AO coached by Adolfo Ovalle (2007 State Champions) vs. La Roca Premier RP coached by Ray Parkhurst will showcase two teams with similar styles of play. Having the luxury of being from the same club these two teams get to see each other often with the end result often flip-flopping. It will be anyone's guess as to who will win but what is not a guess is that both teams will go to Hawaii, as this is an age group that receives a wild card to Regionals.

U-16 Time: 12:30 PM Field 1
The match between Celtic Storm 92 Premier coached by Layne Bown vs. La Roca Premier WR coached by Will Rader, will showcase two teams that finished 3rd and 5th respectively in their league play. An additional note, both teams upset the number 1 and 2 seeds of the age group to get to the State Cup finals. During league play these two teams played to a 2-2 draw. Both squads will look to prove that result should have been a win for either side as they clash for a chance to go to Hawaii.

U-17 Time: 9:40 AM Field 4
Avalanche 91 Premier coached by Gabrielle Smart vs. Sparta 91 Premier coached by Dennis Burrows boast impressive tournament goal differentials of +9 and +12 respectively. Both teams have Regional Tournament experience with Avalanche winning the Utah State Cup 2006 and 2003; Sparta was champion in 2005. Each team will bring intensity, commitment, and experience to the match to prove their sides' worth to be Utah's representative for the Region IV tournament in Hawaii.

U-18 Time: 2:00 PM Field 1
Being the last match of the day and the only game that doesn't have another game playing concurrently, many people view this match as the feature event of the 2008 State Cup tournament. Celtic Storm Premier JR coached by Jennifer Rawlings vs. Avalanche 90 Premier coached by Joanna Barney will prove to be a good contest. In their last league game Avalanche 90 Premier beat Celtic Storm Premier JR 4-0. However, Celtic Storm Premier finished (1st) four standings ahead of Avalanche 90 Premier (5th). Avalanche has won the most State Cup Championships with a remarkable total of four previous wins (07, 06, 04, 03). Celtic Storm came close to unseating Avalanche in 2006. Regardless of standings and score lines, this game will be a classic!