SOCA’s Elite high school-aged boys teams attended the nationally recognized Jefferson Cup Showcase in Richmond, over the weekend of March 29-31. The U18 squad completed a three game sweep of opponents who range from coast to coast. The locals finished second in their Elite group of 12 teams, edged out of the top spot only on goal difference.
In their opening match on Friday, SOCA defeated Maryland United FC by a 3-2 margin. On Saturday, SOCA repeated the same score line against eventual third place finishers, San Francisco Elite Academy, from California.
Their closing match on Sunday capped a strong weekend showing with a 5-0 romp over Wilmington Hammerheads from South Carolina.
SOCA’s U17 Elite Boys completed the high level showcase tournament weekend with two 1-0 wins over Achilles FC (Maryland) and Lower Marion SC (Pennsylvania) after suffering an opening defeat to FC Europa (Pennsylvania).
All Jefferson Cup Boys Showcase results can be found here: https://events.gotsport.com/events/default.aspx?EventID=66909
The weekend of March 16-17 was a busy one for several sections of the SOCA Travel program. Teams headed off in various directions to jump start their spring season with tournament competition.
Augusta Premier and Classic squads made the trip to Stafford, VA where they competed in the Stafford St. Patrick’s Day event. The Augusta U12 Girls Premier claimed their division crown, while both the U13 Girls Premier and the U14 Boys Premier teams advanced to their division championship match.
SOCA Charlottesville Classic teams trekked to the Hunt Country Classic in Fauquier County, where the U12 Boys White and the U13 Girls White squads both made it to the final championship match before bowing out.
SOCA’s U11 and U12 Girls Apprentice teams, and the U13 and U14 Girls Elite teams made the trip to Richmond to compete in the Jefferson Cup, where they faced stiff competition in a competitive early-season event. The high-level tournament will launch the girls into their CCL spring campaign.
SOCA’s U18 Girls Elite team completed a three game sweep at the vaunted Jefferson Cup Showcase, featuring top teams from around the country. The Richmond based tournament is a high-level national event, which took place the weekend of March 22-24.
In pursuit of their three wins, the SOCA girls faced unique opponents, hailing from near and far.
In their first match on Friday, SOCA faced FC Stars from Massachusetts, and came away with a 3-0 win. The victory built confidence and set the tone for the remainder of the tournament.
On Saturday, San Francisco Elite Academy, from California, provided the competition. SOCA prevailed 2-1 over the west coasters.
In their final match, SOCA defeated their near neighbors, Richmond Strikers, 1-0, to close out the successful weekend campaign.
The spring 2019 campaign kicked off with some steep challenges and good results for the SOCA U13 Boys Elite squad, at the Jefferson Cup in Richmond. With snow and wet conditions limiting training opportunities prior to the nationally recognized event, the U13’s faced tough competition while trying to quickly acclimate to high level matches.
The local squad faced four opponents from four different states over the March 9/10 weekend. SOCA dropped their tournament opener, a 2-1 loss, to United Futbol Academy of Georgia in a closely contested match, while getting their legs adjusted to game conditions after the winter lay-off.
The second match on Saturday saw SOCA press for a 4-3 win over Maryland United FC, from the Bowie area. The result was a confidence booster, as the team rolled into their Sunday morning match and posted a solid 3-1 win over Charlotte SA of North Carolina.
The win put SOCA at the top of their bracket, and set up a championship final showdown against South Carolina United in the Sunday afternoon match. The boys from Carolina carried the day as SOCA legs tired, with a 3-0 final score line.
The opening tournament will serve to launch the team into CCL league play, which will begin on March 24.
Over the weekend of March 16/17, SOCA’s Girls U11 and U12 Apprentice, and U13 and U14 Elite teams will get their turn at the Jefferson Cup.
SOCA’s high school aged Elite teams have completed their 2018/2019 league play and have racked up success in all divisions, currently placing SOCA at the top of the club-wide table going into the spring season.
All eight of the SOCA U16-U19 boys and girls squads finished in the top four of their respective division. Leading the way are the U18 Boys with a first place finish and undefeated record. The U19 Boys and U16 Girls also hold the top spot in their respective divisions. The U17 & U18 Girls finished second in their group, U16 Boys & U19 Girls finished third and the U17 Boys claimed fourth place.
This remarkably consistent success in the state’s top league is testament to the comprehensive quality of SOCA’s players and coaches. SOCA’s ability to compete and succeed against clubs from much larger population centers results from thoughtful programming, a commitment to player development and continuing coach education. SOCA continues to attract quality players throughout west-central Virginia.
SOCA’s U11-U15 Elite teams will complete their CCL league play during the course of the spring season. First league matches of the spring are scheduled later in March. Final club-wide standings won’t be known until early June. The younger Elite teams will be eager to maintain the high standard set by their older club-mates.
Seven SOCA Elite players are named to the ODP East Region pool of players. The honor of selection to the regional pool allows players to participate in inter-regional matches under the scrutiny of top federation and college coaches.
SOCA has become a regular contributor to the regional squads as a result of the quality environment provided at the club level. Top players are attracted to join peers at SOCA where the training, retention and development enables players to advance their game to the highest level.
Members of regional pools are observed and evaluated for consideration at the national level.
Congratulations to these players for their achievements:
Henry van Wincoop (2002)
Brad Lagrua (2004)
Nigel McLaughlin (2004)
Taylor Diminick (2005)
Michaela Easter (2001)
Jaya Daniel (2003)
Catherine Domecq (2004)
Over the weekend of December 8 and 9, 13 intrepid SOCA Recreational teams competed in the annual fall season finale Frostbite Tournament where they faced spirited competition among themselves and an unexpected wallop of winter. The tournament was original scheduled one week earlier, but the incessant fall rains forced delaying the wrap-up tournament to accommodate an additional week of make-up league matches.
Despite the later start, teams from both Augusta and Charlottesville regions joined the fun in the frost and came out to claim bragging rights in their age group. Competition took place in two U10 boys divisions and one U12 boys division.
Everyone got a bit more authentic December weather than they may have hoped for when Sunday saw the arrival of 8” of snow at the South Fork Soccer Park venue. While games were completed on Saturday without complications, the Sunday matches were cut short by the arrival of snow that exceeded earlier forecasts.
Once games got underway on Sunday morning on clear ground, it wasn’t long before it was understood that Old Man Winter was going to have the final say. Snow made its first appearance at around 10:00 am and by mid-day, the accumulation was enough to force cancellation of the final matches.
Despite the disruption, players, coaches and supporters all seemed to enjoy the final event of a challenging season. The flakes were flying and the joyful sounds of delighted children playing soccer in the snow reverberated throughout the park.
Champions were crowned in all three divisions based upon completed matches, as follows:
Boys U10 Blue Division: T21 Navy Blue
Boys U10 Red Division: W23 Gold
Boys U12 Division: C32 Forest Green
For more information and complete results and standings, follow this link: https://www.socaspot.org/tournaments/frostbite-tournament-schedule-and-results/
SOCA-Charlottesville Classic teams combined efforts to win the Skyline Club Soccer League Club Championship for a record eleventh consecutive season. The Club Championship is determined by points earned by each club based on the placement of teams in each division.
Leading the way, three SOCA-Charlottesville squads claimed first place in their respective divisions: U12 Girls, U14 Girls White and the U15 Boys. Additionally, Charlottesville based Classic teams took two second place finishes and four third place finishes.
SOCA-Charlottesville amassed 87 points in the overall standings, outpacing the nearest competitor by 42 points.
SOCA-Charlottesville’s domination in the Skyline League Classic competition is a function of both quality and quantity. The club has a large number of teams entered in the Classic level, and the teams typically perform well in league play. The breadth and depth of success is a testament to the committed players and families, devoted coaches, and a club structure supporting player development through multiple levels of play.
At the Premier level, only the SOCA-Augusta U12 Girls topped their division, with SOCA-Charlottesville placing three teams in the second slot in their respective grouping.
Valley AFC won the Premier Club Championship with 108 points and a 17 point margin over second place New River United.
Skyline league play will resume with a fresh spring season, beginning in early March.
To view full league standings, follow this link: https://www.socaspot.org/skyline/standings/
acac Fitness & Wellness Centers recently made a $100,000 donation to the Soccer Organization of the Charlottesville Area (SOCA). The gift supports SOCA’s plans to build a new Field House in the Belvedere neighborhood just north of Charlottesville. The Field House will serve as SOCA’s home and include a state-of-the-art synthetic playing field, fitness room, team rooms, and a café, in addition to the club’s offices and other supporting spaces.
acac, founded in Charlottesville in 1984, operates 13 fitness and wellness clubs in the mid-Atlantic region with five facilities in the Charlottesville-Albemarle area. The club is devoted to helping community members “live their best” by offering innovative health and wellness programming and services for all ages.
Community engagement and stewardship is one of acac’s five core values, and the organization takes an active role in the community. acac supports many local non-profits and civic groups, such as the Boys and Girls Club, Special Olympics, Alzheimer’s Association, and UVA Cancer Center, and has been a long-time supporter of SOCA. The SOCA-acac South Fork Soccer Park was built in 2002 after acac made a lead gift towards the initiative.
“SOCA has built a strong soccer community in our area, promoting all levels of play, for youth and adults,” said acac owner Phil Wendel. “Their emphasis on both player development and enjoyment helps participants stay active in the sport for life, which is an important key to good health. Aiding an organization that impacts nearly 7500 young people and adults each year is consistent with our mission of improving community health and we are proud to support their efforts.”
“We value our ongoing relationship with acac and appreciate their support of our Field House project. acac’s devotion to improving lives through health and wellness is an excellent fit with SOCA’s mission of growing the game of soccer and the many benefits that come from participating in the sport,” said SOCA’s Executive Director, Matt Wilson. “acac has been a great supporter of youth athletics throughout Charlottesville and Albemarle, not just for our organization but other youth sports and high school programs as well. We wouldn’t be able to offer the quality program we do without their support.”
In May, SOCA announced a $200,000 Challenge Grant issued by the Perry Foundation in support of construction of the SOCA Field House. If SOCA is able to raise $200,000 by December 5, it will receive a matching $200,000 from the Perry Foundation to aid in the facility’s construction. With acac’s $100,000, the fundraising count stands at $193,000 toward the goal. Donations can be made at www.SOCAFieldHouse.org. SOCA is a not-for-profit 501-c-3 organization. Donations can be tax deductible.
Two SOCA Elite Boys teams made the trip to the weather-impacted Bethesda Premier Cup and returned with championship finishes. The Bethesda event is considered a top-flight east coast tournament, drawing teams from throughout the eastern United States and Canada.
The U13 Boys Elite swept through group play with three wins over squads from New Jersey, Maryland and Ohio, and then faced St. Mary’s SC of Maryland in the final where SOCA rolled to a comprehensive 6-0 win. In the course of the four wins SOCA outscored their opponents 16-3.
Competing in a group packed with high powered clubs, the U15 Boys Elite also swept through group play, beating opponents from New Jersey, Pennsylvania and western New York State before dispatching the Connecticut Rush 2-1 in the championship final. Along the way the SOCA U15’s outscored the opposition 11-1 and defeated three State Cup champs en route to the crown.
The Bethesda Premier Cup schedule was hugely impacted by recent rains and snow which fell on Thursday prior to the Friday event kick-off. All the U16-U19 Boys age group play at the Cup was cancelled due to poor field conditions.
For complete results and standings follow this link to the Cup page: https://events.gotsport.com/events/Default.aspx?EventID=68088