97 Girls Blue are Finalists at the 2007 FCCA Carolina Fall Challenge
Facing some stiff competition from North Carolina teams, Columbia United 97 Girls Blue went on to win the Finalist trophy at the 4th Annual FCCA Carolina Fall Challenge November 11, 2007 in Concord, NC. With an opening game loss to a superb South Charlotte team, the girls regrouped and went on to play some of their best soccer yet against teams from Boone, NC and Matthews, NC to make it to the Championship Game. They rallied well against the South Charlotte team they had played earlier, holding them scoreless and disrupting much of their attack for large periods of the game, supported by some outstanding work by goalkeeper Charlotte Dover. In the end, though, South Charlotte played great soccer and earned the victory. Congratulations to the girls for their wonderful effort and continued success on the road!
2007 GSA Academy Invitational Champions
The Columbia United 97 Girls Blue had a great weekend December 1-2 at the GSA Academy Invitational, winning the U10 Girls Flight IV. The girls played strongly all weekend, and the results showed it: a 1-1 draw with GA’s Concorde Fire White, a 2-0 defeat of GA’s Coweta Cannons, and a 3-0 Semi-Finals defeat over Atlanta’s Tophat 16 Silver. The championship game was another tense one as Allie Crossland’s early goal was equalized in the second half, resulting in penalty kicks. The girls scored on 4 out of 5 penalty shots, and goalkeeper Charlotte Dover made two excellent saves that guaranteed the championship. It was the perfect close to a great season. Way to go girls!
The Columbia United 98 Boys Red also came home as champions of the GSA Academy Invitational. They won the U9 Boys Flight with 3 wins and one loss in the tournament. The boys played the AFC Lightning earlier in the day and lost 1-5, then came back and played them again in the afternoon in the finals. The game was a hard fought battle, with a 2-2 tie at the end of the game and in overtime, but the 98 Boys Red prevailed and we won in PK’s with a score of 3-2. This was the team’s first tournament other than Carolina Cup and the future is bright for these boys!
96 Girls Black Win at 2007 Charleston Select Shootout
The Columbia United 96 Girls Black has won their first tournament of the Fall Season at the 2007 Charleston Select Shootout held in
Mt. Pleasant, SC. Competing in the U-11 White Bracket they swept the opposition 3-0. Our girls faced good competition beating Mt. Pleasant SC 96 Maroon Girls 5-2, Mt. Pleasant SC 97 Elite Girls 3-2 and Charleston United Silver Bullets U11 Girls 3-1.
The team advanced to Sundays Championship Game in a rematch against the Charleston United Silver Bullets U11 Girls. After an intense regulation and 2 overtimes United found the back of the net in the final minute winning the match 2-1. This is the 2nd year in a row the title has been won by the Columbia United U11 Girls.
Overall The 96 Girls Black went 4-0 scoring 13 goals for and 6 against. The team played hard and maintained their composure the entire weekend. Congratulations girls and coach on an excellent weekend!!!
Academy teams do well at Balloonfest Tournament! (97 Girls Blue and 97 Boys Blue)
Amidst the scenic sight of hot air balloons taking flight, the Columbia United 97 Girls Blue, coached by Steve Ostrovsky, took the U10 Girls Championship title at the Great Southeast Balloon Festival Soccer Tournament in Anderson, SC, on Labor Day weekend following a heated defensive battle that went to overtime and penalty kicks in the championship game. After two rousing victories and a 3-0 loss during the course of the tournament, the team took the field in the championship game, to play against the team who had defeated them earlier. They determined to play with a total team effort. An early goal put them up in the first half, the opponent equalized early in the second, and the defensive battle was on. With no further scoring, goalkeeper Victoria White ensured victory with her two outstanding saves during the penalty kick phase.
Congratulations to the girls on their first tournament win!
Congratulations to the 97 Boys Blue who also participated in the Great Southease Balloon Festival Tournament in Anderson, SC, over Labor Day weekend.
The team, coached by Vince Williams, finished in second place with 1 win, 2 ties and 1 loss in the Championship game. They had a total of 11 goals scored for and only gave up 6 the entire weekend.
It’s a great start to their season!
95 Elite Boys Bring Home the Iron!
On the road for their first outing playing in the U13 division of the Adidas Labor Day Shootout in Greensboro, NC, Columbia United 95 Boys Elite came home champions outscoring the competition 17-2 by defeating a ranked team, Rocky Mount Rockers 3-1; Triangle United Silver 7-0; and 94 Greensboro SC White 3-0. Under the coaching expertise of Academy Director Coach Greg Vallee, the team met the Rocky Mount Rockers again in the championship match and defeated them 4-1. Way to go boys! Thanks for making
South Carolina and Columbia United proud.
95 Elite Girls are the Champs!
Columbia United FC 95 Girls Elite traveled to Greensboro, NC for the Adidas Labor Day Shootout on September 1 - 2, 2007. The first game of the tournament was against the home team from Greensboro Soccer Club which resulted in a 8 -1 win. The next game on Saturday was against FCCA U13 Girls. This game was quite a challenge and ended in a 1 -1 tie. Columbia United was then announced as being in first place for their group.
Sunday morning came with its own set of challenges as well. Columbia United competed against the number two team from Group B which resulted in yet another 3-1 victory for the girls. As Coach Greg Vallee told them they had achieved the difficult and now must move into the impossible for the championship; The team’s response: "Impossible is Nothing!" In a tough match up against FCCA, Columbia United endured through 60 minutes of regular play to find themselves in a 1 -1 tie. Two - five minute sudden death overtimes also left the teams evenly matched at 1 -1. The teams lined up for the penalty kicks showing as much determination as ever. After five penalty kicks, the teams were tied with four PKs each. Sudden death came into action and Columbia United proved that the Impossible is Nothing!
Congratulations, Columbia United 95 Girls Elite for being the 2007 Adidas Labor Day Shootout U13 Champions!
