Wisconsin Soccer Central

North Shore United and SC Waukesha won two titles apiece as the six fall girls divisions of the Wisconsin State Championships wrapped up with finals in late October at Uihlein Soccer Park in Milwaukee.

NSU Blue teams claimed the Under-16 and Under-19 championships, while SC Waukesha Blue sides prevailed at Under-14 and Under-17. The Elm Grove SC Blue Under-15 team and the Madison 56ers Red Under-18 side won the other titles in the annual competition better known as the State Cup.

In addition to being crowned as state champions, winners in each division of the Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association event also earned berths in the U.S. Youth Soccer Region II Championships, which are June 23 to 28 in Sioux Falls, S.D.

The SC Waukesha Blue Under-14 team didn't allow a goal in the competition, winning all three of its group matches and its semifinal by shutout and blanking Madison 56ers Red 2-0 in the Oct. 25 final to finish with a 13-0 goal differential.

That was one of five finals that featured clean sheets – NSU Blue's 2-1 victory over Strike FC Wisconsin in the Under-16 final Oct. 26 was the lone exception.

The Under-18 final between 56ers Red and the Elm Grove Blues on Oct. 27 was a rematch from group play; the division included only 12 teams, meaning the three group winners and the best runner-up qualified for the semifinals.

Elm Grove tied the 56ers 2-2 in a group finale Oct. 22 and claimed the Group C title on goal differential (plus-6 to plus-5), but the Madison side beat Rush Wisconsin 1-0 in the semifinals and topped Elm Grove by the same score to claim the title.

SC Waukesha dominated the Under-17 competition, outscoring its five opponents by a 27-2 margin and posting four shutouts, including a 3-0 win over Central FC Success in the Oct. 26 final. The Elm Grove Blue Under-15s had a similar experience, posting a 24-2 goal differential with four clean sheets, including a 1-0 victory over SC Waukesha Blue in the championship game Oct. 25.

In the Under-19 final on Oct. 27, NSU Blue blanked SC Waukesha Blue 1-0 after beating MKSC Academy by the same result in the semifinals.

The State Cup divisions that feature high school-aged girls traditionally are played in the fall to avoid conflicts with the WIAA prep girls season in the spring; all other age groups will be contested in the spring.

Under-14
Final: SC Waukesha Blue 2, Madison 56ers Red 0.
Semifinals: SC Waukesha Blue 3, Croatian Eagles Red 0; Madison 56ers Red 2, Strike FC Wisconsin Premier 1.

Under-15
Final: Elm Grove SC Blue 1, SC Waukesha Blue 0
Semifinals: SC Waukesha Blue 1, Strike FC Wisconsin Premier 0; Elm Grove SC Blue 3, North Shore United Blue 2

Under-16
Final: North Shore United Blue 2, Strike FC Wisconsin Premier 1.
Semifinals: Strike FC Wisconsin Premier 2, United Hurricanes 1; North Shore United Blue 3, SC Waukesha Blue 0.

Under-17
Final: SC Waukesha Blue 3, Central FC Success 0.
Semifinals: Central FC Success 3, Oshkosh United 2; SC Waukesha Blue 3, Madison 56ers Red 2.

Under-18
Final: Madison 56ers Red 1, Elm Grove SC Blues 0.
Semifinals: Madison 56ers Red 1, Rush Wisconsin 0; Elm Grove SC Blues 4, Brookfield Red 1.

Under-19
Final: North Shore United Blue 1, SC Waukesha Blue 1-0.
Semifinals: SC Waukesha Blue 3, FC Green Bay Orange 1; North Shore United Blue 1, MKSC Academy 0. 

Complete fall State Cup schedules and results

• Group play for the spring State Cup divisions will be May 27 to 29 at Scheel's USA Youth Complex in Appleton, with the semifinals and finals June 3 and 4 at Woodside Sports Complex in Wisconsin Dells. The competition will include Under-13 through Under-19 boys teams and Under-13 girls teams.
• The state President's Cup, which is open to any team that doesn't participate in State Cup group play, is set for May 19 to 21 at Woodside. State champions earn berths in the Region II tournament, which is June 15 to 19 in Overland Park, Kan.
• FC Wisconsin players Porter Provan and Vincent Bennage were selected to participate in the upcoming U.S. Club Soccer id2 Training Camp from Dec. 8 to 11 in Casa Grande, Ariz. The id2 program is an Olympic Development Program and is scouted by U.S. Soccer national team coaches and staff.
• Thirteen Wisconsin players were named to Region II teams for upcoming U.S. Youth Soccer ODP events:

BOYS
Thanksgiving Interregional
Nov. 24 to 28 in Casa Grande, Ariz.
2002: John Harms, Whitefish Bay (Bavarian SC). 2003: Timothy Browning, Middleton (Rush Wisconsin); Matthew Roou, Germantown (Bavarian SC).
Florida Interregional
Nov. 30 to Dec. 4 in Bradenton, Fla.
1999: Jackson Dryden, Whitefish Bay (Bavarian SC); Andrew Schweinert, Brookfield (Bavarian SC); Austen Schweinert, Brookfield (Bavarian SC); Manuel Valenzuela, New Holstein (North Shore United).
2000: Jack Longville, Eau Claire (St. Croix SC, Minn.); Nolan Wolf, Racine (SC Waukesha).
IMG Interregional
Dec. 14 to 18 in Sarasota, Fla.
2001: Tamirat Knutson, Rothschild (Portage County YS); William Taylor, Madison (Madison 56ers).

GIRLS
Thanksgiving Interregional
Nov. 19-25 in Boca Raton, Fla.
2000: Haley Johnson, Pleasant Prairie (SC Waukesha); Bonnie Lacey, Sheboygan Falls (Lakeshore United).

• The Wisconsin Youth Soccer Association is accepting applications for its Mike Kabanica Scholarship until March 31. Each year, the organization awards six $500 scholarships to graduating seniors – three boys and three girls – who are soccer players and exhibit commitment and excellence in high school, in memory of the former WYSA president. Application form (pdf)
• Next year's National Premier Leagues Finals and National Cup XVI Finals will be held at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind., U.S. Club Soccer announced. The NPL Finals will be July 13 to 17, with the National Cup XVI Finals set for July 21 to 24. FC Wisconsin and the Madison 56ers, which both field boys teams in the Midwest Developmental League, are the two state clubs in the NPL.