HONOLULU (June 20, 2008) - Dreams were realized today at the US Youth Soccer Region IV Championships as 32 teams advanced to the semifinals. Only four teams remain in each age group as teams look forward to their chance at a lucrative spot at the US Youth Soccer National Championships.

Les Bois Elite Under-16 Girls have qualified for their first semifinal match at the US Youth Soccer Region IV Championship. The three-time state champions are confident about their ability to continue to be successful throughout the championships. Les Bois played the THUSC Neon (OR) today winning 1:0.

The Neon are also three-time state champions and last year made it to the semifinals. Neon boasts 10 US Youth Soccer Olympic Development players and one national team player, Molly McCool. McCool is the team captain, but has been ill and only played five minutes during the tournament. They also have three players who travel three hours to practice.

"Every game we are the more dominate team. We are one of the top two teams at the tournament," said Les Bois coach Michael Mollay. "We don't see it (being from Idaho) as being a disadvantage at all. These are highly recruited players and the reality is we are developing quality players in Idaho."

"I thought we played really well. It turned into a dog fight and one of our players (Roxie Snealy) connected with the ball and finished it," Mollay said.

Jessica Elkes from Les Bois said, "We have been working really hard. We expect a lot from each other and ourselves. So we aren't really surprised (to continue to the semifinals) we know we can do it. It would be a dream come true and it is why we want to be here."

The Under-19 Girls Leahi 89 Premier have qualified for their first US Youth Soccer Region IV Championships semifinal match, though they have been state champions since they were Under-14.

"Being here is exciting. We are all trying a lot harder since this is our last year. We are trying to make it worth it," said Lizzy Carlson, who currently plays for the University of Denver.

When asked how playing in US Youth Soccer has helped them advance to the collegiate level, Kylee Ah Choi said, "It developed us as players and gave us a lot of experience traveling. These events give you a lot of exposure to college coaches."

To compete in competitive tournaments on the mainland, fundraising has been part of playing soccer since the team was eight years old. The team has held car washes, sold bread and had numerous garage sales to raise money to afford to travel to US Youth Soccer National Championship Series and other mainland tournaments.

"The regional tournament (US Youth Soccer Region IV Championships) has been the one thing all Hawaii teams look forward to," said Michele Nagamine, Leahi 89 head coach. "Regionals is a great learning experience. It gives you exposure to college coaches and other cultures and styles of play. Without the college coaches at this event, a lot of these girls might not be playing in college." All of the Leahi 89 Premier players do play at the collegiate level, all across the country.