State Cup Returns This Weekend

After no games were scheduled during Halloween weekend, NorCal Premier Soccer-hosted State Cup returns to the fold this Nov. 5 and 6 with hundreds of matches all over Northern California in the U9-U13 divisions.

While all the U9-U13 age groups feature some sort of match play over the weekend, the biggest games come in the U9-U10 division where the boys will contest their entire three-game slate of second round games followed by a quarterfinal match.

The U9-U10 boys play their first two second round games Saturday, then the final game and quarterfinal Sunday, just six days before the semifinals and finals are due to kick off.

Each of the teams in the U9-U10 age group will be granted a spot in the quarterfinals regardless of where they finish in the second round, but the top eight teams will advance to the State Division, giving them a chance at the State championship.

In all, the U9-U10 boys will use three venues this weekend: Granite Regional Park in Sacramento, Davis Legacy Soccer Complex in Davis and Woodward Park in Manteca, the latter of which will also host the semifinals and finals.

Though the youngest age group features possibly the highest-stakes matches, there are still plenty of important contests among the older squads.

The U11 girls Gold, Silver and Bronze divisions are slated to participate in their second and third games of the second round Saturday at a trio of venues, while the U12 girls Gold, Silver and Bronze levels face the same situation Sunday.

In the U13 Gold, Silver and Bronze divisions, both the girls and boys will be in action with the second game of the second round Saturday and the third game Sunday, also at three different locations.