West Pines United teams continued to set new club records when 5 teams fought their way to the 2010 REGION A CUP FINALS to be held this SATURDAY, MARCH 20th and SUNDAY, MARCH 21st, at the Pine Island Park in Plantation. Scoring a total of 72 goals with 12 against, the teams combined for a win/loss record of 21-0-2 for the tournament, setting a number of firsts for three teams. After three week-ends of matches, our U-10, U-11 and U-14 boys as well as both our U-12 girls’ teams overcame tremendous odds to book their places to the main event.
Congratulations to the following teams and their coaching staff:
Boys under-10 Black - Bernard Guilloid/Jose Rico/Cole Haynes
Boys under-11 Black - Arturo Acosta
Boys under-14 Gold - Philip Brady
Girls under-12 Black - Richie Chin
Girls under-12 Gold - Patrick Chin
Champions of a number of local tournaments during the season, our U-10 boys stepped up to the older U-11 division 2 bracket to contest the Region Cup. The skillful squad tore through its rivals with a 24-1 goal-scoring spree and a perfect 6-0-0 record, marking the first time a WPU team has succeeded in making the Cup finals while playing up an age division. Eight different members of the 12 player squad were successful in finding the back of the net during the run-up to the finals. Their championship game at 9:00 am on Sunday against Soccer Paradise, a team that played in U-11 division one throughout the season, should be a dandy.
Also recording a perfect 6-0-0 record with 18 goals for and 3 against, our U-11 boys continued to demonstrate a maturity seldom seen at this age. The 2009-2010 SFUYSA League champions were fully extended in their semi-final game against Team Boca which ended in a 4-3 penalty shoot-out victory for the West Pines team. Scheduled for a 9:00 am kick-off on Saturday, their championship game against Weston pits the two most consistent teams in the age group against each other once again and should be a closely contested affair.
The decision to play in division one during the regular season league paid handsome dividends for our U-14 boys gold team. Improving with each passing week, the squad has positioned itself to be the surprise of the season. With a record of 3-0-1 with 13 goals for and 5 against, their march to the finals almost ended when, leading 3-0 in the waning moments of the semi-finals, the squad surrendered two goals before hanging on for the victory. Their opponents in the finals will be old nemesis, Kendall Hammocks, who has a victory over them via the penalty shoot-out phase of the West Pines Classic and who held them to a tied game in the early round of this tournament. Game time is set for 11:30 am on Saturday.
Our U-12 girls have done it again. As they had in the finals of the Plantation Thanksgiving tournament late last year, the teams are set to go head-to-head in the championship game of the Region Cup.
Our Black team, the 2009 under-11 division one Region A Cup champions, struggled to find its usual rhythm in the early rounds before finally exploding in the semi-final game for a comfortable 3-1 win. The team, plagued by a number of injuries suffered during the season, enters the championship game with a 2-0-2 record, scoring 7 goals with 2 against. The coach has embarked on a course loaded with friendly games in preparation for the big one.
Our much-improved Gold squad, last year’s under-11 division two Region Cup champions, also played in FLUGSA division one company this season. The high-flying squad enters the fray after posting a perfect 4-0-0 record and a healthy goal ratio of 10-3. The team feels confident that they will be repeating their Thanksgiving championship victory over their club sisters. We are certain of an exciting, hard-fought contest. A 10:45 am kick-off is scheduled on Saturday.
Congratulations to all our teams and good luck this week-end as you continue to make club history. We’ll all be at Pine Island to cheer you on. GO PINES GO!
