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Seacoast United soccer tournament a success
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 EPPING
- Sarah Tucker was a visiting soccer player at Seacoast United Soccer
Club’s Spring Invitational.
The 14-year-old from Pittsfield, Mass., and her teammates from Berkshire
County United were getting ready to play a match Saturday afternoon
on the Nike All-Conditions Field, one of three new Field Turf fields
at SUSC’s new outdoor facility. The fourth field is nearing
completion.
"The fields are really, really nice compared to what we have
at home," said Tucker.
Tucker, a fullback/stopper, was excited about the tournament’s
high-level of play. She said her team wasn’t used to playing
at such a high level, but she was excited about the opportunity.
"I think this is one of the best soccer tournaments,"
said Tucker. "It’s the highest level we played in my
career."
Aside from the four games her team was playing, Tucker was enjoying
her stay at a Portsmouth hotel and about the chance to go shopping
at all the nearby stores.
Thirty-seven teams - girls and boys, U-12 to U-14, - from 15 different
clubs from the New England region competed at last weekend’s
tournament, which was sponsored by Portsmouth Regional Hospital.
This was the first annual Spring Invitational at SUSC’s new
outdoor facility.
SUSC’s Tony Lepore was the director of the tournament. His
U-12 boys premier team had just lost a close 1-0 match to PDA Ronaldo,
but he noted the nature of the competition exemplified what the
weekend was all about - two teams trying to play soccer with skill.
There was no overall winner in this invitational. No round-robins.
No semifinals or finals. Instead there were three different award
categories for each age group - boys and girls.
(1) A team award for fair play - the team, which coaches, players
and parents believe best exemplified good sportsmanship and fair
play throughout the weekend.
(2) All-Star team selections - 18 in each age group, boys and girls
- made from the input of coaches, players and the US Soccer national
staff coaches in attendance.
(3) A team award for the teams in each division which display the
most attractive and skillful style of soccer. Lepore called the
award "Joga Bonito" in the spirit of SUSC’s proud
relationship with Nike leading up to the 2006 World Cup.
All teams were scheduled to play four games.
Lepore noted Seacoast United was thrilled to host the event and
"share in the excitement at this awesome facility."
Chris Morrill, who coaches SUSC’s 13-and-under boys team,
said his players love playing on the new fields.
Friday night under the lights, the Seacoast United U-13 boys defeated
one of the top teams in the New England region, Oakwood, N.J., 2-1.
Spencer Palmer and Alex Lamparelli scored for SUSC.
Saturday afternoon Trent Roy and Palmer scored to give Exeter a
2-0 win against Coastal from the Portland, Maine, region. It was
Ryan Carpenter’s great save with the game scoreless that Morrill
was raving about, noting Coastal would have probably won the game
if they scored that goal.
http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/04252006/sports/99447.htm
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