2004 News Archive

2004 Orange Classic Champions
12/30/04—The Gaels traveled to Ft. Lauderdale during Christmas break to play in the top flight of the Orange Classic. They started out with a win over a talented Yankee United (CT) team, 1-0. The second day had the same outcome, coming away with a 2-1 win over Mattituck Strikers (NY). The third game matched Gaels against Kirkwood Phantoms, in a game of little significance, since the Gaels knew they clinched their division, resulting in a 2-0 win. The Championship game was dominated by the Gaels, coming away with a 3-0 win over Blast FC, Ohio. The Gaels outscored their opponents 9-1 in the 4-day tournament. The Gaels are coached by Sean McCafferty and Jon Pierce.

U-13 Spirit Storm triumphs in PAGS Division 1 finals!
12/10/04—The Storm beat Parkland (Nov. 21st) and Marple Newtown (Dec. 4th) on its way to the final game against the Montgomery Mustangs on Dec. 5th. The game ended in a tie after regulation time, then went into overtime and finally penalty kicks. Lauren Dodson and Hallie Berger scored on their penalty kicks while only one Montgomery penalty kick found the net, giving the Storm its victory. The girls rebounded after several losses at the end of the season to play well in all three playoff games. They ended the season with eight wins, 4 losses and no ties in league play. GO STORM!

Gaels won the CASL Shootout
12/9/04—The Spirit United Gaels U16 girls won the CASL Shootout this past weekend in Raleigh, NC. The Gaels started out with a 1-0 win over Greensboro Twisters, NC on Friday morning. In Saturday's games, Gaels ran over Cup Red, OH with a 7-0 win. Later on Saturday, the Gaels tied the Javanon Girls, KY team 1-1. Gaels played FC Bucks in the final and took home the championship trophy from the CASL Shootout. This brings the Gaels currently to a 19th place ranking in the National U16 standings. Coach Sean McCafferty is pleased with the improvement the players have made as a team in such a short period of time, and looks forward to the Orange Classic (Ft. Lauderdale, December 26–30) where the girls will be tested again.

The Rapids are: (bottom row L to R) David Leaf, Allan Neskie, Sean Rode, Andrew Yacka, Scott Ross, Matt Donnachie, Nick Jenny, Alex Palmer, (top row L to R) Coach-Bill Clark, Owen Phillips, Bryan Shultz, Nick Clark, Eric Emerson, Jake Holler, Luke Kessler, Ryan Kendra, Coach-Derek Ross.

Rapids are DELCO Champions!
12/8/04—Congratulations to the Rapids U15 Boys as they became DELCO CHAMPIONS this past weekend. The Rapids played both their semifinal and finals game this past Saturday. The Rapids played their first game on an ice covered frozen field and won by a 2-1 score over Southern Chester County Soccer Association who were last year's champions. The Championship game matched the Rapids with Upper Darby. After getting behind by two goals the Rapids scored two goals in the second half to send the match to overtime. It took a total of four overtime periods to declare that the Rapids and Upper Darby would share the Championship. The Rapids had a tremendous fall season. After starting the season with a loss to SCCSA they went 11 games without a loss including a span of 9 straight wins.

Congratulations, Courage! U-13 PAGS Cup Division Champions!
11/26/04—The U-13 Girls Courage capped off a very strong fall campaign with a 2-1 victory in the U-13 PAGS Cup Division final against a very tough Kirkwood team. The Courage battled hard all season and finished with an overall record of 20-5-4 this fall (11-2-2 in PAGS). Great job, ladies, in earning our first league championship! GO, COURAGE!

Lightning U11 Girls . . . Division 1 PAGS Champions!
11/25/04—Lightning strikes again! The Lightning U11 girls team earned victory in Saturday's (11/20/2004) semi-final PAGS league match against the Central Delaware Synergy team in sudden death penalty kicks after two periods of overtime play. In Sunday's (11/21/2004) PAGS league championship against Hockessin's number one ranked Hotspurs, the Lightning girls won the hard fought contest with the games single goal in overtime play. With four recent tournament championships and a first place finish in the Philadelphia Area Girls Soccer league—these girls are smokin'! Congratulations Lightning girls, coaches, and parents!

Freedom wins at Hempfield Fall Classic
11/22/04—The Freedom U-10 Girls closed out the fall season as champions at the Hempfield Fall Classic this past weekend. They went undefeated in the 5 team bracket, scoring 12 goals, allowing only 2, and earning 2 shutouts. This is the team's first championship and it is a tribute to their hard work. The team displayed large improvement in the PAGS, division 2 league. The team will take December off to enjoy the holiday and will get back together in January for indoor league play, lightning fast training and some indoor tournaments. Congratulations girls!

Lightning U-11 Girls . . . Champions Again!
10/12/04—SUSC Lightning U11 Girls earned their fourth consecutive tournament championship for the season at the Dillsburg Dual Shootout held on October 9th & 10th. Preliminary games qualified the girls for the top bracket. The girls captured their first place trophy with a marathon effort winning 5 of 6 games. The final 3 victories were played back-to-back without break, as the weather grew cold and the wind got stronger - way to go Lightning! The team and their coaches are looking forward to the Bethesda Soccer Tournament next month.

Chaos wins Blue Division at Horsham Tournament
9/23/04—U-13 SUSC Chaos girls soccer team caused quite a bit of chaos on the field dusting their opponents at the 16th Annual Colleen Reilly Horsham Tournament, Blue Division, held on August 21-22. Chaos walked away with 13 goals scored and only letting in 3 goals over the weekend. Hats off to our coaches Gwen Ferrier, Mike Weaver and Susan Barr, Trainer.

Lightning Strikes Gold ... Again!
9/6/04—The SUSC Lightning U-11 girl's soccer team continues to dominate with their third consecutive tournament championship at the 18th Annual Al Perlini Tournament held in Warminister, PA. With a record of 3-0-1, the team demonstrated exceptional defense, crisp offensive play and stellar goalkeeping to take home the champion gold trophy. The team is coached by Jim Lewis. The girls look forward to the upcoming PAGS season and the Dillsburg Dual Shootout Tournament on Columbus Day weekend. GO LIGHTNING!!!

Tigers Claw Their Way to The Silver Medal
8/30/04—The newly formed U-12 girls Spirit United Soccer Team took 2nd place in their division at the 2004 Kick-off Classic. The girls played four games and came away with 2 wins, 1 tie, and 1 loss. The team is coached by Kurt Worley and Peter Manning-Smith. The girls are looking forward to the upcoming PAGS season and the Hamilton Tournament in New Jersey on Columbus Day Weekend. GO TIGERS!!!!

Thunder Roars to Victory at Spirit Kick-Off Classic
8/29/04—Despite the heat this past weekend, the U-9 girls Thunder captured the championship of the Gold Bracket at the Spirit Kickoff Classic. The team started out strong with wins of 4-0 and 6-1 against TE and GCVSA on Saturday. They faced a bigger challenge Sunday when they played undefeated Rose Tree where they were defeated in a close game of 3-2. In a hard fought championship match against Rose Tree, Thunder came back to win it 1-0. Way to go girls!!

Surge Won Platinum Division
8/28/04—The U-14 Surge won the platinum division of the Spirit United Kick-Off Classic. Playing in the excessive heat with only one sub (due to several players being injured) the team entered the championship game to face a strong YMS team that had held its opponents scoreless. Using a total team effort the Surge prevailed by a 2-1 margin to take the gold medals. Go Surge!

Lightning Strikes Again and They Strike Hard!
8/28/04—Despite heat and humidity, the SUSC Lightning U-11 girl's soccer team achieved victory at the Spirit Kickoff tournament in Downingtown this weekend. With two shut-outs and a tie, the girls worked their way into the championship round. They overcame heat and strong competitors to win the tournament with a 3-1 victory in the championship game! With two championship titles under their belts, the girls are charging
full steam ahead into the fall season! Kudos to the team, their coach Jim Lewis, and coaching assistants Kevin Kloss and Dan Nardo! Go Lightning!

Hammerheads are Finalists
8/26/04—The U-15 Hammerheads played well during the Spirit Kick-Off Classic. They shut out off Buckingham and the Rapids to extend to extend a seven game shut out streak that goes back to their championship in the Clash of the Cleats. They were finalist and took the silver on Sunday. Earlier in the summer they won the Clash of the Cleats and in June they performed well in the Us Club Soccer Regional. This fall Hammerhead players will play for Downingtown East, Downingtown West, Garnett Valley High Schools and Castle Rock, Colorado, others will be at Malvern Prep, Tower Hill. They will also be part of the Delco Fall League.

Fury are Finalists at Redlands Summer Classic
8/26/04—SUSC Fury U-14 Girls had an excellent outing at the Redland Summer Classic. Their strong defensive play allowed only two goals in four games on their way to capturing the Runners-up trophy. Saturday's games were played on saturated fields in heavy downpours. The Fury tied both games, one with the host Redland Strikers (0 - 0) and the other with a speedy Commack Twisters team from Long Island (1 - 1). Sunday's semi-final against Lower Dauphin United Freedom was a nail-biter. Despite dominating play throughout regulation and sudden death overtime, the Fury advanced by winning a PK shootout, 3 - 2. In the championship game, Fury met the Commack Twisters a second time. It was another strong showing for the Fury, but they were unable put one in the net to overcome the game's lone goal scored by the Twisters late in the second half. August has been a great start for the Fury allowing just three goals in seven matches. Look for them to have more success at this year's Spirit Kick-off Classic. Go Fury—Bonsai!

Sting Undefeated at Kick-Off Classic
8/24/04—The Sting U-12 Boys represented the Spirit United Soccer Club well in winning the U-12 Boys Elite Championship at the Spirit United Kick-Off Classic. The boys went undefeated in a division with teams from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, and Delaware in route to winning the championship.

Three-Peat Champions
8/20/04—The Predators (Boys U-14) scored 21 goals while only giving up 4 in route to capturing their 3rd consecutive West Chester United Tournament. The boys posted 6-1, 7-2, 5-1, and 3-0 victories to go undefeated throughout the tournament. Pictured from left to right top- Devin Sugg, Norman Joyner, Carolyn Shirley, Alex Martin, Coach Ken Aab, Adam Matteo, Brendan Birmingham, David Avenick. Bottom- Graham Fenton, Brian Carter, Al Cesario, Ian Weigand, Andrew Solimeo, Teddy Mellas, Mike Lentz. Not Pictured Danny Newell.

Lightning Girls U-11 Season Starts Out Strong!
8/8/04—SUSC Lightning U-11 Girls are off to a strong start! With three wins and one tie, the girls won first place and the Champion gold trophy at the Warrington Summer Classic! Spirits were high with this first tournament of the season!! Future tournaments include Spirit Kick-off, 18th Annual Al Perlini, and Dillsburg Shootout. Jim Lewis coaches the Spirit Lightning U-11 team. Great job girls! Let's see Lightning strike again!!

Hammerheads Win Clash of Cleats
8/3/04—The Hammerheads traveled to central Pennsylvania and faced strong teams from New York and PA. Despite playing in constant rain on Saturday, the 'Heads posted two scoreless draw's against Santos and East Hudson Select. Sunday in the heat, the Hammerheads knocked off the host Mifflin County 4-0. Great team defense and passing which lead to goals, helped lead the 'heads to the victory. The second match was against Centre County out of State College, the 'Heads rolled on to a 1-0 victory. Tremendous team defense set the tone in that game. In the finals the 'Heads drew the familar East Hudson Select. The Hammerheads scored early and often, taking a impressive 4-0 half time lead. They went on to win the match 5-0. All in all the team shut out 5 quality opponents and played a great team game the entire weekend.

Premier Won National Directors Cup
7/30/04—The Spirit United Premier (formerly Tantrum) Boys U-13 team recently won the prestigious National Directors Cup. This National competition is held thorughout the country, with the winners from each Region of the United States meeting in the national finals. This summer league competition is open to any USYSA-based team. Competing in Region 1 with teams from Maine to Virginia, Spirit United finished 2nd in the regular season and earned a semifinal match against the Virginia Rush based out of Virginia Beach. A thrilling 1-0 win earned them in a spot in the finals, held in Kirkwood, DE, against the Rancocas Valley Blue Lightning (NJ) who had won their semifinal versus Rochester FC (New York West) 2-1.
     In the final the Premier boys completely dominated the team from New Jersey, taking a 2-1 victory and the championship of the Directors Cup. Players from the 2003/4 roster, along with a few new members played together from May thru late July. Also, 2 members of the Spirit United Predators (Newell, Weigand) and 2 members of the YMS Diablos (Calhoun, MacMain) completed the roster.

Three Time a Lady!
Congratulations to the Tornadoes Girls U-19 for winning the 2004 State Cup for the third time. In the final, the Tornadoes faced FC Delco Appaloosas and won by the score of 3-1. This is the fifth time that the Tornadoes had faced the Appaloosas in the final since U-15. This is the last year for the Tornadoes and the club would like to thank the players and coaches for setting a high standard with dedication and sportmanship. Good luck at the Regional!

Frenzy Capture Championship
June 28, 2004—The U-9 Girls Frenzy accumulated 5 wins and no losses on the way to the championship in the 25th Annual Lehigh Valley Youth Soccer League Tournament on June 12 and 13. The victories capped a very successful 2003-2004 campaign for the girls starting with a solid 2nd place finish in the 2003 West Chester Tournament, a championship in the 2003 Spirit Kick-Off Classic and some great experiences in the fall 2003 PAGS season, 2004 Nether Field of Dreams tournament and 2004 Eastern Pennsylvania Invitational Classic. The girls are looking forward to starting their U-10 season later this summer!
 

Lightning Strike Again!
May 10, 2004—SUSC Lightning U-10 Girls see gold again! The girls of the U-10 Spirit team have one more trophy to add to their collection. The team came in as finalists at the Eastern Pennsylvania Invitational Classic held on May 8th and 9th. With two wins and one tie, the girls battled into the playoffs coming in second in their division. Future events in June include the PAGS and Hershey tournaments. The Spirit Lightning U-10 team is coached by Jim Lewis, Kevin Kloss, and Dan Nardo.
Keep that lightning rolling!

The Lightning U-10 Girls achieved their 1st Outdoor Tournament Championship at The Nether Field of Dreams Spring Challenge held on Saturday, April 10th. The girls played 3 games finishing undefeated, outscoring their opponents by 13 goals. To top off a great day, the girls did not allow a goal the entire tournament!!! The girls continue to work hard to prepare for their remaining Spring events including the upcoming Leagues United Burke Cup which is kicking off at the end of April. In addition, the Team has been accepted to the Eastern Pa. Invitational Classic Tournament scheduled for the weekend of May 8th. The team is coached by Jim Lewis, Kevin Kloss and Dan Nardo. Go Lightning!!!

Arsenal U-9 Boys Finished 2nd
April 12, 2004—The Arsenal U-9 Boys finished 2nd at The Nether Field of Dreams Spring Challenge held on Saturday, April 10th. The team played 3 teams from Division 1, defeating both Nether Providence and Concord 2-1. Defense was solid the whole day giving up very few shots on goal. The offense was sharp and was able to capitalize on their opponents mistakes to take full advantage of scoring opportunities. In all, it was a fine showing against our traditional regular season rivals. The team is coached by Juan Lazares, Duane Oakes and Randy Warren. Go Arsenal!!!

Tantrum A Jefferson Cup Finalist
March 22, 2004—Congratulations to the Tantrum U-13 Boys for placing as a Finalist in the 2004 Jefferson Cup Premier Division this past weekend in Richmond, VA. Opening round wins over Syracuse United (NY) 4-0 and Beach FC (VA) 2-1 sent the Spirit boys into the Sunday a.m. semifinal round. They defeated a tough Inter SC squad from Boston, MA with a hard-fought 1-0 victory. The Tantrum lost in the finals, getting there for the 2nd straight season. They lost to NJ State semifinalist, Bergen (now TriState) Raiders 2-0. The team is now setting it's sights on their opening round State Cup game v. Lehigh Valley on April 3rd.

The Destruction U-14 Girls achieved their 15th Tournament Championship at The Chesapeake Ice Breaker Tournament over the weekend of March 6th & 7th. The team played 3 teams from Region 1 and an Elite Team from Canada. The Destruction Girls went undefeated and did no allow a goal the entire weekend. The team is coached by Mike Keller, Dave Peterson and Tim Michel.

Destruction also accepted at 2004 Jefferson Cup
The SUSC Destruction U-14 Girls have been accepted in to the 2004 Jefferson
Cup, Premier Division. This is the 3rd consecutive acceptance into the Jefferson Cup. You go girls!

Fury Has Strong Show at West Chester University Indoor Tournament
February 8, 2004—The SUSC Fury (U-13 G) had another strong outing at the Annual WCU Indoor Tournament. Tournament rules limited the number of field players permitting the Fury to enter two separate teams, White and Blue, in the event. Fury White had a good outing just missing the playoff rounds by one goal on the goals against tie-breaker. Fury Blue turned in an excellent performance and captured second place overall with their only setbacks coming against the tournament champions from Harleysville. Congratulations to both Fury teams—it was a great weekend of soccer!! Up next for the girls are team sessions at Lightening Fast and more indoor training sessions to prepare for the upcoming Spring tournament season. Go Fury!!

Hammerheads Recap
February 5, 2004—The U-14 Hammerheads made the playoffs again in the Fall Delco League. The competition among all the teams was very strong. The Hammerheads lost a heart breaker 1-0 in the semi finals. In addition during the fall, all of the Hammerheads were members of Malvern Prep, Lionville and Downingtown MS teams. The summer campaign saw the 'Heads travel to Penn State, then reach the finals of the Spirit Classic and they played well in a tough bracket at Virginia Beach. The Hammerheads are midway through their indoor tournament campaign. They played well at the League United Cup. They traveled to Wilkes Barre to reach the playoffs of the Wyoming Valley Cup. This past weekend they in the u-14 West Chester University Cup. They had a successful run and played very well against the premier side from Montgomery. They were awarded the finalist trophy. They will soon play at Quakertown and finish their indoor league at USTC.This summer the Hammerheads will be part of the spring cups and consider the FC Delco Cup and the US Club Soccer Cup.

Weather the Storm—Finalist at Tide American Indoor State Cups
January 17, 2004—The Storm (U-12 Girls) is really quite a success story that the players and coaches are proud of. They had weather the difficulty in the fall having been pieced together out of the demise of the GCVSA Chaos. Through the fall the team grew stronger and stronger. Competing well, and winning against teams that had played at the Cup level the year before. Through adversity, they learned the concept of "team". In the winter indoor tournaments, they have excelled. Last week they finished as finalist in the Tide American Indoor State Cups. Congratulations!

Fury Capture USTC Indoor League Championship
January 16, 2004—After finishing league play in second place, the SUSC Fury (U-13 Girls) advanced to the final of the Championship Tournament and defeated the Spirit Courage in an exciting 1-0 game to win the league title. The girls advanced to the final by defeating the Lionville White in a hard fought 2-1 overtime victory. These wins capped a successful indoor campaign that saw Fury establish a strong 5-2-1 record with their only regular season losses coming against the Courage. The Fury looks for continued success in the New Year with indoor tournaments at Albright College and West Chester University. Go Fury!!

Hericanes Fall in Semi-finals of EPYSA Indoor Cup
January 15, 2004—The U-11 Girls Hericanes recorded 3 wins and a loss in the EPYSA Indoor Cup at Red Rose Arena in Lancaster County, PA on Saturday. The Hericanes defeated the Warrington USA Stars 3-2, the YMS Charge 4-3 and the Hershey Kick Kats 3-0 to win their bracket and go on to the semi-finals. In their semi-final, they fell to the FC Bucks Rage 1-2. The Hericanes will next be competing in the Leagues United Indoor Cup on January 31 and playing in a Wyoming Valley Sports Dome tournament on February 21.

Arsenal Place Second in New Year Indoor Tournament
January 14, 2004—The Arsenal ( U-9 Boys) started the New Year off with a bang by finishing second in the USTC indoor tournament January 3rd. They beat West Chester 4-1 to advance to the finals before losing 4-2 to Lower Merion.
      In an earlier tournament at the Dillsburg Shootout in the fall, the boys finished 4th out of 28 teams. Congratulations. The Arsenal starts their winter indoor league the end of January and looks forward to a fun and successful spring as they prepare for the fall.