U9-U10 State Cup champions crowned

The results are in: NorCal Premier Soccer crowned four new State Cup champions in its two youngest age groups this past weekend at Woodward Park in Manteca.

On the Boys side, De Anza Force captured the U9 title, while the U10 trophy went to LFC IAA Bay Area, with each side defeating squads from the CenCal Cosmos in the final.

For the Girls, Mustang SC captured both of the titles, beating the San Juan SC Spirits in the U9 championship and IR Academy Elite in the U10 final.

While those four squads earned the right to call themselves “State Champion,” a total of 66 trophies were lifted overall during the weekend due to NorCal Premier’s unique structuring of the tournament in its U9-U10 divisions.

For older age groups, teams are eliminated after losses in the earlier rounds. But upon losing for the youngsters, squads are instead re-seeded into divisions with other teams of similar skill, allowing for every player to participate in a multitude of well-supported competitive matches.

“This past weekend, I visited multiple State Cup sites and, first of all, the parental support at the youth soccer level never ceases to amaze me,” said NorCal Premier Soccer president Benjamin Ziemer. “I was also very impressed with the level of respect shown to the referees, the opponents, and the game in general.”

After hundreds of matches over the weekend, NorCal handed out 16 trophies in the Boys U9 and Girls U10 divisions, 24 trophies to the Boys U10 age group and 10 trophies to the U9 Girls.

“Instead of it being typical cup action where you might lose after three games, our format allows teams to keep playing against teams of similar strength,” Ziemer said. “We think that’s important because it allows teams to participate in a competition which stresses winning more than the league, but still allows teams to play against teams of a similar strength, whereas in the older age groups, it’s after four games, they’re potentially eliminated and it’s more focused on competition and measuring yourself and seeing where you’re at.”

For results from every division, click here.