November 21, 2007--South Florida Elite Futbol Club’s U-13 were finalists and the U-14 Boys placed third in the Elite Gold Divisions of this past weekend’s 29th CASL Raleigh Shootout.
CASL Raleigh Shootout is an exclusive tournament that accepts the nation’s top ranked teams to participate. Approximately 1,200 teams from around the country apply, with only a percentage getting accepted. The 2007 tournament was visited by hundreds of college scouts seeking talent for their soccer programs. The Elite Gold Division was the highest level of play at the tournament.
Our U-13 Boys opened with a 3-0 win over heavily favored Birmingham United Jets 95. Birmingham United is Alabama’s # 1 (Gotsoccer) U-13 team. Our boys then defeated North Carolina’s GYSA 94 Greensboro SC Green 3-1 (State ranked # 2 by Gotsoccer) to end the first day of competition. With exceptional weather conditions, our U-13 Boys took on South Charlotte SCSA Gold 4-3 (State ranked # 3 by Gotsoccer) on the second day of competition. This proved to be the toughest test of the preliminary rounds for SFE. SCSC Gold pounced on our boys, taking a 1-0 lead and narrowly missing their second goal in the first 5 minutes of the match. Mathues Ayrolla knocked home the equalizer midway through the first half, only to have SCSA Gold regain the lead minutes later. SFE’s hopes of a comeback suffered what appeared to be a critical blow when offensive midfielder, Giancarlo Freitas, left the game with a leg injury. The half closed with SFE down 2-1. Both teams started the second half evenly, but SFE got a boost when Freitas limped back onto the field, determined to propel his team into the finals. SFE’s warriors tied the game on a goal by Ivan Gutierrez, and minutes later took a 3-2 lead on a sensational header by Alexander Marsh off a magnificent corner from Freitas. The ball found the top right corner of SCSA’s net. SFE put the game away on a beautiful header by Greg Joseph on a cross from Marsh. Joseph’s header found the top left corner of SCSA’s goal. SCSA pulled to within one on a late goal, but SFE tightened its defense behind Rashad Christie, Jared Skinner, and Yuri Sachnowski to seal the 4-3 win.
The finals was against vaunted FC Delco of Philadelphia. FC Delco is a compilation of Philadelphia’s top players. Our U-13 boys played this rigorous tournament with only 2 substitutes. Our warriors rose to the challenge,. They took an early 1-0 lead against FC Delco and battled a 1-1 tie through the midway point of the second half, behind superb goaltending. After withstanding FC Delco’s four-man substitution rotation for most of the game, our warriors’ legs finally succumbed, allowing FC Delco a 4-1 win. Coach Christian Block commented, "We are very proud of our U-13 players. They entered the finals against FC Delco with injuries to key players and tired legs, but played with the hearts of lions."
By the end of the tournament, Soccer In College ranked SFE’s U-13 Boys # 1 in the State of Florida, # 2 in the Region and # 8 in the Nation.
Our U-14 Boys also represented SFE in fine fashion at the Shootout. They got off to a slow start, losing 2-1 to Bridge Futbol Alliance of South Carolina (State ranked # 1 by Gotsoccer). Our boys, however, stormed back to defeat SYA Nova of Virginia (State ranked # 3 by Gotsoccer) 3-0 Saturday afternoon. The U-14s continued their dominant form on Sunday, defeating Texans FC Red Texans (State ranked # 8 by Gotsoccer) 5-0. Although they ended the preliminary rounds tied with Bridge Alliance atop the division in points, Bridge Alliance advanced on the head-to-head tie breaker. "SFE’s U-14 Boys demonstrated that they were the class of the U-14 Elite Gold Division," said Coach Charles Freitas. "They played a fluid form of soccer that drew many accolades from other coaches and fans."
By the end of the tournment, Gotsoccer ranked SFE’s U-14 Boys # 2 in the State of Florida, # 6 in the Region and # 18 in the Nation.
Giancarlo Freitas deserves special mention for his toughness, as he played the final game with a fracture foot and a busted knee. Erick Martinez (who missed the tournament due to illness), we missed you very much. Dylan Jones, thank you for your toughness and determination, even though you were carrying a 100+ fever. Many thanks to Sam Vinson and Aaron Braun (our U-12 players who played for the U-13 squad). Many thanks to Coaches Charlie, Christian, and Mauricio. Many thanks to the parents who committed their children to the tournament, rather than finding excuses. And last, but by no means least, many, many thanks to Illana Joseph and Carolina Freitas for making SFE’s presence at the 29th CASL Raleigh Shootout a success.
