SUBMITTED TO CONNECT-BRIDGEPORT

 

It was a great weekend of soccer for the U10 Boys Mountain State Soccer Club.  They attended the Marietta Soccer Classic in Marietta, Ohio this past weekend, May 14-15.  Although it was an unseasonably cool and wet weekend, it did not stop these boys from accomplishing the goals that were set coming into the tournament. 

 

Saturday morning started out with a cold and wet 11-0 victory against Club Alexander from Ohio. The team moved onto its afternoon game and put up another big win, 7-0, against the Mid State Soccer Club of West Virginia. 

 

Sunday morning's semifinals paired MSSC with Old Town Soccer Club of Ohio.  It was a slow start for our boys, but they came alive in the second half and ended with a final score of 5-0, sending them to the finals

 

As the boys began to settle into their wins throughout the weekend, the finals were upon us and it was not going to be an easy win.  The boys would be facing the West Virginia Football Club out of Charleston.  Just as our Mountain State team had dominated their opponents throughout the tournament, so had the West Virginia Football Club.  This was going to be a battle for MSSC, but these boys were up to the challenge. 

 

Mountain State came out and put a great deal of offensive pressure on WVFC.  Within the first 10 minutes of the game, MSSC’s Liam Roberts scored the first two goals of the match. For the next 10 minutes, WVFC began putting pressure on Mountain State and scored a goal to make it 2 -1 by halftime. 

 

Going into the second half, Mountain State needed to shut down an opposing offensive threat.  Vaughan Evans was asked to man mark that threat and he neutralized things and that allowed the offensive game to open up.  Mountain State then came out very strong and Matthew Taylor scored two quick goals at the 6- and 7-minute mark of the second half.  Roberts and Evans added two more goals for a final score of 6-1 to win the Marietta Soccer Classic.

 

“I am very proud of this team and what they have accomplished over this past weekend.  The thing I’m most proud of with the boys is that they came together and allowed only one goal throughout the entire tournament,” said Coach Keith Dumas. “At the U10 level, that is an extremely tough task to accomplish. 

 

“This shows me that they are coming together as a team, beginning to trust each other more, and are recognizing the abilities that each of their teammates possess,” the coach continued. “Over the next couple of weeks, as we wrap up our season, these boys will have something to be proud of, along with lifelong memories created with their teammates throughout their tournament weekend.”

 

For their recent accomplishment, the team was invited to the Columbus Crew Professional Soccer game and were brought onto the field and recognized before the game. 

 

Editor's Note: Pictured, from left in the back row, are John David Dumas, Hunter Miley, Mathew Taylor, Vaughan Evans, and Zane Wagoner. Front row, from left, are Kaden Meighen, Ryan Jones, Liam Roberts, and Hunter Madden. Far back is Coach Keith Dumas.