Bavarian SC looks to defend its U.S. Adult Soccer Association Region II Amateur Cup title on Saturday, as they travel to Chicago to face RWB Adria in the final of the eight-team tournament. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Hales Franciscan High School.
The Bavarians, who advanced to the national final last year, earned their spot in this year's regional final by outlasting the Michigan Future Stars 1-0 after extra time in a semifinal May 13 in Hamtramck, Mich.
Aaron Cranfill (New Berlin West/UW-Milwaukee) scored the lone goal in the first period of extra time, and Jim Jones (Kenosha Tremper/Cardinal Stritch) and the Bavarians' backline recorded their second shutout in as many tournament matches after blanking Minnesota's Stegman's 1977 by a 4-0 scoreline in the quarterfinals.
RWB Adria also hasn't allowed a goal in regional play, routing Ohio's Capitol FC 5-0 in the quarterfinals and blanking Kansas side Quinto Elemento 1-0 in Kansas City in the semifinals. They are 4-1-0 in Premier League of America East Division play, and dropped a 4-2 decision to the Bavarians in the PLA final last July.
Saturday's winner advances to the Amateur Cup national semifinals Aug. 4 to 6.
The only team already qualified for the semifinals is California's L.A. Wolves, who topped Colorado’s Latina Union Jerez 3-0 to win the Region IV tournament last weekend. The Wolves are coached by National Soccer Hall of Famer Eric Wynalda.
Eight teams are set to battle for the Region III championship this weekend in Raleigh, N.C., including 2016 semifinalists Legends FC from Texas, while Pennsylvania's Junior Lone Star will play New York's Lansdowne Bhoys FC in the Region I final on June 18. Maryland's Christos FC, which beat the Bavarians 2-0 after extra time in last year's final, was eliminated in the Region I quarterfinals in April.
USASA REGION II AMATEUR CUP
(Home team listed first)
Quarterfinals
Bavarian SC 4, Stegman's 1977 (Minnesota) 0
Michigan Future Stars 4, Milwaukee Brewers 1
RWB Adria (Illinois) 5, Capitol FC (Ohio) 0
AAC Eagles (Illinois) 2, Quinto Elemento (Kansas) 5
Semifinals
Michigan Future Stars 0, Bavarian SC 1 (AET)
Quinto Elemento 0, RWB Adria 1
Saturday's final
RWB Adria vs. Bavarian SC, 7 p.m.
- The Bavarians have won each of their first two PLA matches this season, but they've left it late on both occasions. In their opener May 20, Alec Philippe (Milwaukee Marquette) came off the bench and scored both goals in his PLA debut, including the 94th-minute game-winner in a 2-1 victory over the host Elgin Pumas. Then on Sunday night at Breese Stevens Field in Madison, Cranfill finished off an assist from Quinn English (Milwaukee Marquette) – again in the 94th – as the Bavarians pulled out a 4-3 win against a Madison 56ers side that had battled back from a two-goal deficit in the final 18 minutes.
- UW's Mark Segbers scored a pair of first-half goals as Chicago FC United rolled past Christos FC 4-0 in the third-place match of the USASA Hank Steinbrecher Cup on Saturday in Cleveland. The game was played just three days after the teams met in a third-round match of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup – the Maryland side scored in the opening minute and held on a 1-0 victory to earn a matchup against Major League Soccer's D.C. United in a fourth-round game next Tuesday in Boyds, Md. The Michigan Bucks, last year's USL Premier Development League champions, won the tournament with a 3-0 victory over host AFC Cleveland, the reigning National Premier Soccer League champions.
- Segbers and fellow Badgers striker Tom Barlow had goals and UW midfielder Michael Catalano added an assist as Chicago FC United ousted USL side Pittsburgh Riverhounds 3-1 in the second round of the U.S. Open Cup back on May 17.
- Badgers midfielder Chris Mueller, who recently was on trial with German second-division club 1. FC Nürnberg, also is playing with Chicago FC United this summer. He was named to the PDL Team of the Week last week after scoring twice and adding an assist in a 6-0 rout of the St. Louis Lions on May 23. The honorable mention selections on the weekly honor team included Segbers, who had a goal and an assist in the victory over St. Louis, and UW-Milwaukee striker Nick Moon (Waukesha West), who scored twice in Lane United FC's 3-1 win over TSS FC Rovers.
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