U14-U19 #NorCalStateCup Quarterfinals Recap
Over a two day period in Davis and Lathrop, the U14-U19 NorCal State Cup quarterfinals were contested for the first time in three years this past weekend.
It was yet another exciting weekend of cup football, with powerhouses advancing, upsets galore, and plenty of the dreaded kicks from the mark.
The winners earned the right to play again, with the semifinals set for this Saturday in Lathrop or Turlock.
All schedules and results can be found here.
Here are your State Division recaps:
U14
Boys
IR Academy 2 – SF United 1
FC Sporting Sacramento 1 – Los Gatos United 1 (Los Gatos advance on penalties)
MVLA 4 – San Juan 2
Association Football Club 5 – Placer United 3
The first round of the U14-U19 NorCal State Cup quarterfinals brought us the highest scoring match out of any of the weekend with Association Football Club knocking off Placer United via a 5-3 scoreline in a back-and-forth match that set the tone for the entire weekend. Due to a scheduling conflict, AFC were forced to wait until the afternoon to learn who their next opponent would be, but that game also delivered as MVLA defeated San Juan 4-2. The other pair of quarterfinals were played a bit tighter to the chest as two first half goals allowed IR Academy to defeat SF United 2-1, while FC Sporting and Los Gatos United went to kicks from the mark after drawing Los Gatos scored a late equalizer to make it 1-1. United proved cooler from the spot and advanced to face IR next weekend.
Girls
North Coast Futbol Club 3 – De Anza Force 0
MVLA 1 – Modesto Ajax United 0
Stanislaus United 3 – Clovis Crossfire 2
Blues FC 0 – Placer United 1
Every game in the U14 Girls division was decided by just a single goal. Well every game except for the Bay Area battle that saw North Coast Futbol Club defeat De Anza Force. North Coast scored early in the game before holding onto a 1-0 lead and finishing De Anza off with two goals in the last 10 minutes, making it a tighter contest than the scoreline would indicate. While North Coast left it late, their semifinal opponents in MVLA left it even later as the final whistle blew in their game against Modesto Ajax United without either team having scored. However, MVLA found a goal eventually, saving them from a dreaded penalty shootout. On the other side of the bracket, Clovis Crossfire looked to be cruising into the semifinals after scoring two first half goals to put them up 2-0 over Central Valley rivals Stanislaus United. Stanislaus fought back, though, scoring two goals to take the game into overtime. There, they found a winner in the first period to complete a 3-2 comeback. Their opponents will be Placer United, who knocked off Blues FC 1-0 thanks to a second half goal.
U15
Boys
Monterey County Soccer 3 – Napa United 1
Sunnyvale Alliance 2 – Woodside Soccer Club 1
TSP FC 2 – Soccer For Kids 1
Clovis Crossfire 3 – 1974 Newark FC 1
In a division in which every team scored at least one goal in the quarterfinals, the matchups in the U15 Boys State Division were all close and went down to the wire. Playing late Saturday afternoon, Monterey County Soccer knocked off Napa United via a 3-1 scoreline to advance to this weekend’s semifinals, where they’ll meet Sunnyvale Alliance. The Bay Area club were made to work a bit harder as local rivals Woodside SC kept it within one goal until the very final whistle. Meanwhile, the other semifinalists have something of a similar story as the first two as Clovis Crossfire beat 1974 Newark FC 3-1, while TSP FC defeated Soccer For Kids 2-1.
Girls
FC Bay Area Surf 6 – North Coast Futbol Club 0
IR Academy 1 – MVLA 0
Placer United 1 – SF Aftershocks 0
PSV Union 3 – Marin FC 0
The U15 Girls State Division proved to be the division full of shutouts last weekend at the NorCal State Cup quarterfinals – no winning team also allowed a goal, with this being the only division where that happened. Two teams, FC Bay Area Surf and PSV Union, completely dominated the proceedings both on the field and with the scoreline. The former defeated North Coast FC 6-0 in what is the largest margin of victory in the quarterfinals for any State Division, while the latter coolly knocked out ECNL side Marin FC 3-0. In the semifinals, the pair will face a couple of teams coming off 1-0 victories with FC Bay Area taking on IR Academy and PSV Union playing Placer United.
U16
Boys
San Jose Surf 1 – San Juan Soccer Club 0
FC Sporting 2 – 1974 Newark 2 (Sporting advance on penalties)
Santa Clara Sporting 2 – Union Sacramento 0
Stanislaus United – Association Football Club
While one quarterfinal has yet to be played and will be contested between Stanislaus United and Association Football Club this Wednesday, the other three semifinal spots in the U16 Boys State Division have been decided after three close games Saturday afternoon in Davis. For the one semifinal that’s set so far, both teams qualified thanks to victories that went down to the wire. First, San Jose Surf defeated San Juan thanks to a single goal, but while Surf celebrated their victory, the match between 10-man FC Sporting and 1974 Newark FC was still underway. After drawing 2-2 in regular time and overtime, Sporting prevailed on kicks from the mark to earn a spot in the semifinals. The other quarterfinal saw Santa Clara Sporting knock off Union Sacramento via a 2-0 scoreline. Santa Clara will meet the winner of Stanislaus and AFC on Saturday.
Girls
Placer United 3 – Blues FC 0
San Juan Soccer Club 3 – Palo Alto SC 1
Marin FC 5 – Central California Soccer Alliance 0
PSV Union – West Coast Soccer
In another division in which one semifinalist is still unknown, the other three took care of business pretty easily, with each posting multi-goal wins Sunday to advance in the competition. Perhaps no one was as impressive as Marin FC, though, as the Bay Area side defeated Central California Soccer Alliance via a 5-0 scoreline. In the semifinals, they’ll meet San Juan Soccer Club, who knocked off Palo Alto SC 3-1 in the only game in the division that featured goals from both teams. Meanwhile, Placer United again advanced, this time thanks to a 3-0 victory over area rival Blues FC. Placer will take on the winner of PSV Union and West Coast Soccer, who play this Thursday.
U17
Boys
Sacramento United 2 – Napa United 1
Davis Legacy 2 – IR Academy 0
California Odyssey 3 – Union Sacramento 1
Walnut Creek Surf 0 – Atletico Santa Rosa 0 (Walnut Creek advance on penalties)
Early goals were the story for most of the games in the U17 Boys State Division as Sacramento United, Davis Legacy, and California Odyssey all came out to early leads in their respective quarterfinal games. While Sacramento United’s game went down to the wire thanks to a goal from Napa United, the capital city club was able to stave off a late challenge. California Odyssey went 2-0 up against Union Sacramento before surrendering a goal, but the Fresno-area club were then able to hit back late to make it 3-1. Meanwhile, Davis Legacy’s early 2-0 lead never felt threatened as the local side’s stout defense proved enough to advance. Meanwhile, the last quarterfinal proved an absolute slugfest with chances few and far between for Walnut Creek Surf and Atletico Santa Rosa. After neither side could score in regular time or overtime, Walnut Creek advanced thanks to kicks from the mark.
Girls
Placer United 4 – De Anza Force 0
FC Bay Area 2 – Marin FC 1
Ceres Earthquake 3 – Clovis Crossfire 0
West Coast Soccer – Diablo Valley Wolves
With West Coast Soccer and the Diablo Valley Wolves not having played yet, just three of the four semifinalists for the U17 Girls State Division have been decided. Whoever does end up winning that match will play against FC Bay Area, who started off by allowing an early goal against Marin FC, but stormed back into the fold in the second half for a comeback 2-1 victory. The other semifinal will feature the likes of Placer United and Ceres Earthquake. Placer were the most dominant team in the division, defeating De Anza Force via a 4-0 scoreline, while a scheduling conflict allowed Ceres to advance to the semifinals thanks to a 3-0 forfeit.
U19
Boys
California Odyssey 4 – Central Valley Premier 2
De Anza Force 2 – San Juan Soccer Club 2 (De Anza advance on penalties)
Placer United 4 – Monterey County Soccer 0
Davis Legacy 5 – Woodland Soccer Club 2
The U19 Boys State Division proved to be one of the highest scoring in the competition, with the fewest goals scored in any one game being the four in the San Juan Soccer Club – De Anza Force matchup, a matchup that went to penalties, with the Bay Area club winning to advance to the semifinals. There they’ll play Placer United who were dominant against Monterey County Soccer, winning 4-0. Meanwhile on the other side of the bracket, the lower scoring quarterfinal featured six goals in a Central Valley derby, one that California Odyssey bested Central Valley Premier in via a 4-2 scoreline. Another derby came in the matchup between Davis Legacy and Woodland Soccer Club, the latter of whom went up 2-0 before Davis scored five consecutive goals to claim a 5-2 victory.
Girls
Placer United 2 – Blues FC 1
Folsom Lake Surf 4 – San Juan South 3
Marin FC 0 – California Magic 0 (Marin advance on penalties)
PSV Union 5 – Santa Cruz County Breakers 2
In the last division to be completed over the weekend, the vast majority of the games were close and thus not decided until the last few minutes. Placer United defeated Blues FC 2-1 to become the fifth girls Placer team to make the semifinals – one in each age group. In that round they’ll face Folsom Lake Surf, who knocked off San Juan South 4-3 in an absolute barnburner of a match. Meanwhile the other two semifinalists are teams that took entirely different paths to get to this stage of the competition. Marin FC defeated California Magic on penalties after 100 minutes of scoreless soccer, while PSV Union defeated Santa Cruz County Breakers 5-2 in a seven-goal thriller.
