May 30, 2004

2004 Utah State Cup Champions to be Crowned on Memorial Day

The championship matches of the 2004 Utah State Cup will be held at the West Jordan Complex on Memorial Day. The games begin at 10:00 a.m. with the U12 Boys on field A. The winning team in each age group will advance to the Far West Regional Championships, the next round in the US Youth Soccer National Championships. The Far West Regionals will be held in Spokane, Washington between June 21-26, 2004. You can find information about each of the teams participating in this year's championship matches below.

U12 Boys--Advantage vs Northern United

Advantage coached by Dan Purkhurst is currently in 1st place in the U12 Premier league with a record of 11-2-1. During State Cup competition Advantage won all four of their games with an impressive 22 goals scored. Northern United coached by Bill Noble Jr. is currently in 4th place in the U12 Premier League with a record of 7-5-1. Northern has won all four state cup matches by shutting out all of their opponents. During the Spring League, these teams have met twice. The first match Advantage won by 3 goals to 0 and the second match ended in a 1-1 tie. Start your day on Field A at 10:00 a.m. with the crowning of a new U12 State Cup champion.

U13 Boys--Rangers 91 vs Impact Black

Coach Dave Woolley's 91 Rangers team narrowly missed winning last year's State Cup in a 1-0 loss to UFC in overtime. Having a year to think about that loss has made them hungry for the crown. They will meet Chris Madsen's Impact Black team in the championship game at 10:30 a.m. on field B. Both teams came through state cup play with 5 wins and 1 tie. Impact Black beat defending champions UFC in their semi-final match with a 2-0 win. Rangers beat Soccerheads in the semi-finals with a close 4-3 win. The Rangers team is currently in the number 1 spot in the U13 Premier League with a record of 9-2-3. Impact Black is close behind with a record of 9-3-2. Even through Impact Black has won both matches against Rangers during the spring season, this championship match is up for grabs.

U14 Boys--Inter FC vs Nighthawks

Nighthawks, coached by Ben Staples, eliminated last year's State Cup champions Sparta Premier in an exciting semi-final match by a score of 1-0. During the spring season, Nighthawks has scored 48 goals and has a record of 11-1-1 in the U14 Premier League. Inter FC, coached by Daniel Suarez and MJ Tate, has played in U14 Division 1 during the spring season. They have only given up four goals during the season and have a perfect record of 12-0-0. Inter FC comes to the match with a strong defense and will be challenged by Nighthawks scoring power. This will be a great match to watch on field C at 11:00 a.m.

U12 Girls--Sparta Premier vs Avalanche

The U12 Girls age group started State Cup competition with 22 teams. Avalanche and Sparta Premier are the two teams left to face off in the Championship game Monday at 12:00 noon on field A. Both teams are new to state-cup competition, however, Sparta Premier, coached by Tom Flynn, won the Chevy President's Cup last fall. Both teams play in the U12 Premier League. Sparta Premier is undefeated with a record of 8-0-2 and has given up only two goals during the season. Avalanche, coached by Karen Chin, has a Premier League record of 6-2-2. These teams met early in the season during league play and Sparta Premier won with a score of 4-0.

U13 Girls--Park City Extreme vs United Front

United Front, coached by Shara Fernandez, was runner-up to Avalanche in last year's State Cup. United took revenge this year by eliminating Avalanche in the semi-finals by a score of 6-1. Park City Extreme enters the championship round by defeating the U13 Premier leader Sparta Premier on Saturday. During the season PC Extreme, coached by Richie Breza, and United Front have played two matches. One game ended in a tie and United won the second. The teams are currently separated by only one point in the Premier League. United is currently in 2nd with a record of 6-2-4 and Park City Extreme is in 3rd with a record of 6-3-3. This match will start at 12:30 p.m. on field B.

U14 Girls--Advantage vs Avalanche

Coach Ray Parkhurst's Advantage team won the 2002 State Cup and is looking to win another championship crown. During this year's state cup, the Advantage team has won four games with 12 goals for and only one against. Advantage is currently in 1st place in the U14 Premier League with a record of 7-1-2. The Avalanche team coached by Joanna Barney and Simon McFall comes to the state-cup finals with 2 wins and 2 ties. They won the 2003 Chevy President's Cup last fall and have a record of 6-2-1 in the U14 Premier League. Advantage may have a slight edge to win this age group. The match will be played on field C at 1:00 p.m.

U15 Girls--Avalanche vs Advantage

Avalanche, coached by Becky Hogan is a 3-time State Cup Champion, however, John Toomey's Advantage team was close to taking the crown in last year's State Cup Championship in a close 1-2 match. The Advantage team will have another chance at the crown Monday. The game will start at 1:30 p.m. on field D. In league play, Avalanche has been playing in the U16 Premier league and is in 1st place with a 11-1-1 record. The Advantage team is also in 1st place in the U15 Premier league with a 9-2-0 record.

U16 Girls--Avalanche vs UFC Orange

Avalanche, coached by Joanna Barney, is the defending state-cup champion in this age group. This team has been to the Far West Regional Championship twice, advancing to the semi-final round in 2003. This spring, Avalanche has played in the U18 Premier League and is currently tied for 2nd place with a record of 8-1-1. UFC, coached by Gordon Ebner, played the 2004 spring season in the U16 Premier League and has a record of 6-1-4. Will Avalanche win again? Check it out on field A at 2:00 p.m.

17 Girls--Celtic Storm vs Avalanche

Celtic Storm, coached by Robyn Bretzing, is a familiar face at the Far West Regional Championships. During the last three years, Celtic Storm has been to the quarter-finals twice and advanced to the finals in 2002. The Storm currently plays in the U18 Premier League and is in 1st place with a record of 11-0-0 and an impressive 44 goals scored. Avalanche challenged Celtic Storm last year in the championship match of State Cup, but lost. Avalanche has earned a rematch this year by winning four State Cup matches , scoring 18 goals thus far in the tournament. Coached by Kevin VanderVeur and Connie Martin, this Avalanche team plays in the U18 Premier Division and has a 5-4-2 record. This match will start at 2:30 p.m. on field B.

U18 Girls--Inter FC vs UFC

The winner of this age group will be the first team to win more than once. Inter FC was crowned champion in 2003 and UFC was champion in 2001. Other champions in this age group have been Gator's Gold, Runnin Rebels, Starzz and Lightning. Both of these teams play in the U18 Premier League. Inter FC (8-1-1) is coached by Mark Graham and UFC (2-8-0) is coached by Chuck Miller. In the preliminary round of this year 's State Cup, Inter FC beat UFC in a close 3-2 match. Match starts at 3:00 p.m. on field C.

U19 Girls--Celtic Storm vs DC Raiders

The Celtic Storm U19 team, coached by Ron Asay, is the defending champions in this age group. As the representative from Utah at last year's Far West Regional Tournament, the Storm advanced to the quarter-final round. Coach Ray Connolly and his DC Raiders will challenge Celtic Storm for the title and the chance to representtive Utah at Far West Regionals in Spokane. The match will start at 11:30 a.m. on field D.