May 21, 2003

Drama Builds and Upsets Abound As Teams Battle to Qualify for Knockout Round of State Cup

Under clear blue skies, the West Jordan Soccer Complex has been host to some outstanding soccer in the last 48 hours. As pool play drew to an end, Darwinian instincts inspired teams to survive and advance thanks to upset victories. The common goal was to move into the knockout round of the spring 2003 State Cup Tournament. There are fewer than 40 births in this round for the 148 tournament entrants. Click [here] to check on the progress of your favorite team in the competition.

Among the titans to stumble on Wednesday was Robyn Bretzing's Celtic Storm team, which last year advanced to the Regional Championship match. Avalanche Premier beat Celtic Storm 1-0 in the final game of Group A pool play in the U16 tournament. Another noteworthy victory was captured by Utah Xtreme, which held off Inter F.C. 1-0 on Wednesday in a dramatic match in U17 Group D action.

State Cup has not been without broken hearts. Group D in the boys U13 division ended in a three-way tie among Sparta Premier, Advantage, and Impact. The courageous Impact team, which had upset the favored Sparta side during pool play, was eliminated from the tournament on the basis of goal differential.

The State Cup Tournament is the culmination of the seasonal year for teams from the Utah Youth Soccer Association's State Competition League, which is the state's premier youth soccer league. Girls teams from U12 to U19 and boys teams from U12 to U14 concluded pool play today. The knockout phase of the tournament begins on May 22nd with quarterfinal matches. By Saturday, the field will have been reduced from 148 to twenty teams. The State Cup Championship matches are scheduled on Memorial Day. The victors in these matches will earn the right to travel to Pearl Harbor to represent Utah at the Far West Regional Tournament in Hawaii.

Virtually all remaining games in the tournament will be played at the West Jordan Soccer Complex. For a complete schedule of the games and a map to the complex, click [here].