2024 U14-U19 #NorCalStateCup Quarterfinals Preview
It’s nearly the end of April, which means that the U14-U19 NorCal Premier Soccer State Cup is coming down to the wire.
This weekend at Davis Legacy Soccer Complex and Turlock Sports Complex, NorCal will begin the first round of neutral site games as the competition has now reached the quarterfinal stage.
“The neutral site games are always some of the most exciting games of any of the competitions that we administer,” said NorCal State Cup Coordinator Brian Voltattorni. “We’re looking forward to a fun weekend of soccer in which everyone will be playing against a similar level of competition with the hopes of staying alive in State Cup for a few more weeks.”
Just eight teams remain in each bracket and those teams that prevail this weekend will earn a spot in the May 11 semifinals, which will also be hosted at Davis Legacy Soccer Complex.
For those who advance yet again, they will garner a spot in the State Cup finals, set to take place June 1 and 2 at Cosumnes River College in Sacramento.
For more information about the U14-U19 State Cup, including schedules and results, click here.
Here are your State Division previews:
U14
Boys
All the sides in the U14 Boys State Cup come into this weekend’s quarterfinals in good form, however, perhaps no team is on a streak like Elk Grove United, who defeated last year’s runners-up via a 4-0 scoreline in the round of 16. Elk Grove will face a Solano Surf team that narrowly edged South Valley United in that same round. Meanwhile, Santa Clara Sporting are coming off of a 5-0 victory and FC Fresno Academy blanked Diablo Valley Wolves 3-0 during the last stage of the tournament. Rounding out the quarterfinalists are Almaden FC, Folsom Lake Surf, SF United FC, and San Mateo County FC.
Girls
While several of the U14 Girls State Cup round of 16 matches were close, there were some outliers, none bigger than WSC Crush’s 12-0 victory that put them in the quarterfinals. Given that Crush have already clinched the spring ECNL-RL with a perfect record, they would appear to be the favorites heading into the last few knockout stages. Other sides posting big round of 16 victories were California Odyssey, Pajaro Valley United, Reno APEX, and Revolution FC, while two Ajax United teams and Solano Surf complete the list of quarterfinalists.
U15
Boys
Of the eight U15 Boys State Cup round of 16 matches, just two were decided by one goal, while the other six involved teams comfortably punching their ticket into the quarterfinals. The standout result was a 7-1 victory for defending finalists Turlock Academica Jrs, while AC Marin posted an almost-as-impressive 5-1 win to advance as well. Albion SC Merced, Almaden FC, Santa Clara Sporting, and Sheriffs FC all reached the quarterfinals thanks to shutout victories, where they’ll be joined by Elk Grove United and Fresno Heat.
Girls
Defending champion San Juan South and defending finalist Stanislaus United began the knockout round of the State Cup by confirming their status as favorites thanks to a pair of emphatic victories in the round of 16. San Juan South won 4-0, while Stanislaus put 11 goals in the back of the net to reach the quarterfinals. Also with an impressive round of 16 win was Marin FC, who posted a 5-0 victory. Rounding out the quarterfinalists are Blues FC, ECFC Salinas, Folsom Lake Surf, MVLA, and San Juan SC.
U16
Boys
Defending finalists Clovis Crossfire rushed out into a good position to make it back to the same stage this year, defeating Ceres Rush and San Jose Rush in the first two knockout games of the competition. In the quarterfinals, they’ll be joined by Reno APEX and Turlock Academica Jrs, who each scored four goal victories in the round of 16. Rounding out the U16 Boys teams that are still alive are Elk Grove Soccer, Pajaro Valley United, Real Salinas, Stanford Strikers, and Vacaville United.
Girls
Both of last year’s finalists, North Coast FC and Stanislaus United, are still alive in the U16 Girls State Cup, and each reached the quarterfinals thanks to multi-goal victories in the round of 16. The only other side to earn a multi-goal win last round was South Valley United, which knocked off San Juan SC via a 3-0 scoreline. Every other round of 16 game went down to the wire, with IR Academy, Marin FC, Mustang SC, and Rocklin FC each narrowly advancing to the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, North Coast FC’s opponent hasn’t been decided yet as California Odyssey will take on Almaden FC Saturday in Turlock to determine who advances to Sunday’s action.
U17
Boys
Defending runners-up TSP FC are just two games away from returning to the finals after posting 5-1 and 3-1 victories to start their knockout round campaign in the U17 Boys State Cup division. With last year’s champions already out and several round of 16 games going down to the wire, this division appears up for grabs. In the last round, only Almaden FC, Eastshore Alliance, and Los Gatos United won via multiple goals, with Albion SC Central Valley, IR Academy, Monterey Surf, and Sierra Surf narrowly advancing to the quarterfinals.
Girls
After lifting the trophy again last year, IR Academy are looking for their fifth State Cup title and are just three games away from accomplishing that after a close victory over Stockton Storm FC in the round of 16. In the quarterfinals, they’ll face San Juan South, who reached this stage of the competition thanks to a 5-0 victory last round. Also posting multi-goal wins in the round of 16 were Burlingame Soccer Club, North Coast FC, and West Coast Soccer, while the quarterfinalists are rounded out by De Anza Force, Marin FC, and Santa Cruz County Breakers.
U19
Boys
Other than a 4-1 victory by Richmond Sol, every round of 16 matchup in the U19 Boys State Cup was close, with five games decided by one goal and one decided by two goals. There’s still one match to play to decide who will be in the quarterfinals as Folsom Lake Surf and Elk Grove Soccer are set to play Friday night to see who faces Clovis Crossfire fewer than 12 hours later on Saturday. The rest of the U19 field is made up of Chico United, De Anza Force, Monterey Condors Club, Mustang SC, and South Valley Chivas.
Girls
West Coast Soccer are back in the quarterfinals of the U19 Girls State Cup one year after reaching the final but falling to Diablo Valley Wolves despite taking the lead. Their path to returning to the final starts with a matchup against North Coast FC this Sunday. In the round of the 16, the most impressive victories belonged to 49er United and Pajaro Valley United, who knocked off their opponents 6-0 and 5-0, respectively. Also hoping to reach the final will be Albion SC Central Valley, Albion SC Merced, Central California Soccer Alliance, De Anza Force, and San Carlos United.
