PAGE 12

August 2006

25 WSYSA Teams Compete in Far West Regional Championships

and Andy scored the first goal of the game. Fifteen min-

(continued from previous page)

BU-14 - EYSA Eastside FC 91 Red

utes later, Liam scored to give Eastside some breathing

By Aaron Con, Parent

room. The game ended 2-0; a tremendously entertain-

The toughest test in the tournament came in the

ing game played by both teams.

semifinals, vs. Southern Cal's Slammers, the #1 ranked

In the second match of the tournament, two first

team in the country. The Slammers scored first and car-

half goals for the hometown Idaho team, including an

ried the 1-0 lead into halftime. Coach Porter Lombard

own goal, put our boys under a lot of pressure to pull

made some strategic player adjustments going into the

out points from the game. After what must have been a

second half that resulted in more speed up front and

"spirited" halftime discussion, the Eastside boys come

intense pressure on the Slammers defense. A beautiful

out on fire and took it to the host team. Andy's goal

through ball led to a Crossfire breakaway, a takedown

scored midway through the second half put the game

in the box, and a successful PK to even the score. With

in reach. Coach Stuart switched to a 4-3-3 formation

the score 1-1 at the end of regulation, Crossfire's short-

to try to generate more offense late in the game.

handed side had to endure two 15-minute OT periods

He brought in the big man, Chase, and moved right

in the mid-day heat. The girls dug deep, and held the

defender Jordan to the central midfield. The moves

paid off as Chase flicked the ball into the box and

score to 1-1 through pure grit and determination. All 5

Jordan finished it with only minutes left in the game.

Crossfire shooters buried their PKs in the shootout,

Our boys secured a critical point with a tie and were

while one Slammer went wide, and Crossfire was in the

he road to the Far West Regional Championships

T

now in the driver's seat to advance into the

finals.

started Sunday June 18th with our long drive to

quarterfinals.

Crossfire faced the explosive Rage of Northern Cal

Boise to compete with 13 other states for the right to

On a postage stamp sized and severely slanted

in the finals, the leading goal-scoring team in the tour-

represent the Region at the National tournament in

field, our boys pulled off an impressive victory against

nament. But it was Crossfire who struck first, with two

July.

an overmatched Montana team. Our boys started off

first half goals and the upper hand. The Rage managed

With clear skies and clear roads (except for some

slowly as the best chances early in the game were by

a second half goal to cut the lead to 2-1, but Crossfire's

rather large road kill) we made it to Boise in just under

Montana. Brian made several brilliant saves early in the

eight hours! By 5:30 pm, Coach Stuart had all fourteen

tournament-leading defense held firm and Crossfire

game but then our boys seem to switch to a different

boys ready to go for their first practice in a "secret"

became the 2006 Region IV Champions.

gear and the balls started to hit the back of the Montana

practice facility to prepare for their first game against

The outpouring of support for this team has been

goal. At the final whistle, Eastside netted seven goals,

FC United, our State arch-rivals that made it to

fantastic from the moment the whistle blew to end the

with Race scoring a hat trick. 2 wins - 1 tie - 0 losses in

Regionals as a wild card team.

the preliminary round. Great team effort by all 14 of the

final game. We'd like to thank the Crossfire Club and its

As anticipated, game one was a thrilling match

Eastside boys. Now on to the quarterfinals against a

coaching directors, LWYSA, WSYSA, Ristorante

between two hard battling teams, Eastside 91 Red and

tough Hawaiian team.

Luciano in Bellevue, and everyone else who has helped

FC United Zamira. It was the rematch from the State

In the sweltering 90 degree Boise heat, the Eastside

support this team as they prepare for the final leg of

Cup Championship that Eastside won in shootouts 2-

boys continued to roll, beating Hawaii in a thriller 1-

their journey. Now it's on to represent Washington and

1. Here at Boise, under clear skies but strong winds,

0! A very evenly matched game featured Honolulu

Region IV at the National Championships in Iowa on

both sides played an excellent match with great ball

Bulls' very quick forwards against Eastside's solid

July 26-30.

movement, good chances at both ends and tremendous

defense anchored by Matt. Overtime was looming

goaltending, especially by Brian, our Eastside

To follow this team's journey at the

until the final ten minutes when John pushed through

US Youth Soccer National Championship Series

goalie. The first half ended scoreless. Early in the sec-

visit http://Championships.USYouthSoccer.org.

(continued on next page)

ond half, Eastside capitalized on an FC United mistake

GAMEDAY CHECKLIST

Players ✔ Field ✔

Great Gift

for your

Ball ✔

Fun ✔

✔

Coach or

Team!

"The seating solution for the masses"

www.insta-bench.com

425-996-0567

contactus@insta-bench.com

·

·