U14-U19 #NorCalStateCup State Division Quarterfinals Recap
Over the course of two days at the Davis Legacy Soccer Complex, the number of teams remaining in the State Division of NorCal Premier Soccer’s State Cup was whittled down from eight to just four.
Teams from all across Northern California came to Davis to contest the quarterfinals of the competition, with those proving victorious earning the right to compete in the semifinals, which are set for May 13 at Turlock Regional Sports Complex.
Saturday and Sunday’s action in Davis lived up to the billing, with several games going down to the wire, while several teams also stood out with complete performances.
Here are your State Division recaps:
U14
Boys
The standout team in the U14 Boys division so far has been South Valley Chivas, who hit the back of the net six times in both the round of 16 and quarterfinals. In Davis, Chivas posted a shutout victory over Valley Surf to set up a semifinal matchup against Spurs FC, who narrowly edged Burlingame SC on kicks from the mark. The other half of the bracket will feature AC Marin and Turlock Academica Jrs. The former downed Santa Clara Sporting in a comfortable 4-1 win, while Turlock left it late in defeating Woodside SC on kicks from the mark.
Girls
The only particularly close quarterfinal matchup in the U14 Girls division came Friday night, as MVLA defeated Almaden FC 6-5 in an absolute shootout to move into the semifinals of the competition. There, they’ll take on San Juan South, who posted a modest 2-0 victory over Granite Bay FC Saturday afternoon. The other two quarterfinals featured blowouts as Association Football Club downed El Dorado Hills Soccer Club 4-0 to set up a matchup against Stanislaus United, who beat De Anza Force via a 3-0 scoreline.
U15
Boys
Since the round of 32 kicked off in the U15 Boys State Division all the way back at the start of March, the vast majority of the games in this age group have gone down to the wire, with few blowouts and a ton of great play. Those trends continued this past weekend in Davis as the four quarterfinals produced a combined margin of victory of just six goals. Semifinal opponents IR Academy and Association Football Club each advanced to the next round through one goal victories, while San Francisco Elite and Clovis Crossfire both posted two-goal wins. Expect a pair of tight semifinal battles in this division on May 13.
Girls
With a trio of 4-0 thrashings in the quarterfinals, three teams in the U15 Girls State Division cruised through to the semifinals in style: Walnut Creek Surf, Stanislaus United, and Rocklin FC. The former two will face off May 13 with a coveted spot in the final up for grabs. Meanwhile, Rocklin FC will take on North Coast Futbol Club, whose game went down to the wire Saturday morning. North Coast started off strong and led by two goals, only for Modesto Ajax United to strike back and ensure that the Bay Area club would spend the entire second half sweating until the final whistle finally blew to end a 2-1 victory.
U16
Boys
Every single quarterfinal in the U16 Boys State Division went down to the wire as all four were decided by a solitary strike or kicks from the mark in what was an exciting Sunday of action. Los Gatos United and Clovis Crossfire started the day out by beating MVLA and Elk Grove Soccer, respectively. In the next time slot, Sunnyvale Alliance took down Stockton TLJ via a 3-2 scoreline, with the dramatic winner coming late in overtime. Finally, Turlock Sports Park played 1974 Newark FC to a scoreless draw in regular time, before trading goals in either period of extra time. The match was forced to be decided by penalties, which TSP won in sudden death.
Girls
Two weeks ago, Folsom Lake Surf knocked off Marin FC via a 2-1 to punch their ticket into the semifinals, leaving just three U16 Girls State Division matches to take place this past weekend in Davis. Two of those games provided plenty of drama in deciding a winner: the matchups featuring IR Academy and MVLA. The Sacramento area side knocked off California Odyssey in a thrilling 4-3 affair, while their Bay Area counterparts scored an overtime winner to knock off California Magic 2-1. The last tie was the least eventful as San Carlos United thrashed North Coast FC 4-0.
U17
Boys
The standout side in the U17 Boys State Division so far has been Elk Grove Soccer Platinum, who are scoring goals in bunches, most recently hitting the back of the net five times in a shutout victory over San Francisco Elite Academy Sunday. In the semifinals, they’ll face Elk Grove Soccer EA, a team from the same club who reached this stage thanks to a thrilling 4-3 win over 1974 Newark FC. The other semifinal will feature El Dorado Hills Soccer Club and Palo Alto SC, who each scored close one-goal victories in the quarterfinals.
Girls
Bay Area clubs Walnut Creek Surf and Marin FC posted the most impressive performances in the quarterfinals of the U17 Girls State Division this past weekend. The former picked up a 3-0 victory over Burlingame SC, while the latter advanced thanks to a 4-1 win over Central California Soccer Alliance. Those two sides will face off May 13 with a spot in the final on the line and face the winner of Blackhawks SC and Clovis Crossfire. Both Blackhawks and Clovis also managed to win in the quarters, but did so by just a combined three goal margin.
U19
Boys
The last division to kick off this weekend provided plenty of strong play for those still at Davis Legacy Soccer Complex to enjoy as just one game was decided by more than a single goal. Spurs FC defeated Association Football Club 2-0 in that multiple-goal margin of victory. They’ll advance to face Sacramento United, who picked up a 3-2 victory over California Odyssey in the quarterfinals. The other semifinal will be between Revolution FC and Blues FC, who each posted one-goal wins as well.
Girls
Just three of the four quarterfinals in the U19 Girls State Division have been played so far, with the last set to take place on May 9 between West Coast Soccer and Marin FC. The winner of that match will face Sierra Surf, who picked up a 3-1 victory over Manteca FC in the late game window Sunday. Earlier Folsom Lake Surf and Diablo Valley Wolves became the first two sides to secure a spot in the semifinals after posting 1-0 wins over South Valley United and MVLA, respectively.
