Tickets to the National Championships on the Line

HONOLULU (June 21, 2008) - Today thirty-two teams remained in the hunt to be crowned US Youth Soccer Region IV Champions and advance to the US Youth Soccer National Championships in Little Rock, Arkansas. Finals start tomorrow at 7 a.m. with final games starting at noon at Waipio Peninsula Soccer Park in Honolulu.

The Slammers (CA-S) knocked the 2007 (Under-17 Girls) US Youth Soccer National Champion Eagles SC out of the tournament this morning, 3:0, in a rematch of last year's regional final. The Slammers, no stranger to the Eagles as rivals in Cal South for many years, lost to the Eagles 1:2. Jessica Zavalza scored in the 32^nd for the Slammers. It took two minutes for Ashley Soro to add to the advantage at 2:0 (34^th).  As the end of the first half neared, Emily Cressy formerly of the Eagles and last year's adidas Golden Boot winner at Nationals, put the Slammers up 3:0 in the Under-18 Girls semifinal. 

"We came out with a lot of passion and our coach told us to have the heart and that is what we needed to win this game. We are both great soccer teams, it is just who wants it more," said the Slammers, Charney Burk. "I think it was a very good thing for us (to come out with an early goal). A lot of times, the hardest thing is getting that first goal because of your nerves at the start. We picked up that first goal and we realized that this is in our hands now. We had to keep playing every minute like it is the final." Burk is playing next year for the University of Portland one of the top women's programs in the country. 

The Under-15 Boys Valley United Blast Red and West Coast FC needed overtime after regulation left them tied at 1:1. Phillip Muscarella made the game tying score in the 69th. Coach Norman Mejia motivated the Blast before they started the second half and the team came out strong. With everything on the line and the team determined to advance, Armando Gaitan scored a hat trick (three goals) in overtime sending the Blast to the finals.

Mejia said, "It is great to see your impact players doing just that in tough games. And I think he (Gaitan) has been doing that for us. He put the team on his shoulders."

This is the Valley United Blast Red Under-15 Boy's first time to the regional championships. An older Valley United Blast Red team has had great success at the US Youth Soccer National Championships. The Under-15 Boys hope to make a name for themselves at during tomorrow's regional final match against Arsenal (CA-S).

Muscarella said, "When they (West Coast FC) got the first goal, we didn't let up. We just kept fighting and the game went our way. We have been training to prepare, our team wants this championship bad. Since we won the US Youth Soccer Far West Regional League we have been training, knowing that we were working hard for Hawaii. To go to nationals would be amazing. That is our goal."