March 23, 2009-
The Jefferson Cup, in Richmond VA, is the 5th ranked girls tournament in the United States with over 700 teams from all over the country, along with one of the biggest and greatest college showcases in the country.
Another tremendous acheivement for Charlotte United FC and the Hellenic Park program!!
The 97 Girls Chlesea, part of CUFC's Hellenic Park program, got their first taste of action at the prestigious Jefferson Cup in Richmond, VA on March 21st - 22nd. The girls came away with an unbelievable experience by going 4-0 for the weekend and champions of the U10 Elite Division. Saturday brought two hard fought matches and two victories against the Penns Forest Cheetahs (PA) 2-1, and 3-1 against the NVSC Junior Majestics (VA). By going 2-0 on Saturday, they only needed to score one goal in the last pool play game on Sunday morning to reach the final. The Chelsea easily handled that and finished up the preliminaries with a 1-0 shutout against West Mont United Fury (PA). The championship game was then set against FC Revolution Lightning (PA), who also went 3-0 in pool play. The match lived up to what a final should be. At the end of regulation no one had found the back of the net, a scoreless tie. The teams battled for two 5 minute overtime periods and still no goals scored. PK's had to settle the winner of a well played final. At the end, the Chelsea took home the gold with a 3-2 advantage! It was a great experience for the Chelsea in their first 7v7 tournament. Defense and possession was the key to their success in only allowing two goals in four games.
"I couldn't say enough about the FC Revolution girls and coaches. Teams and clubs like you are what make Jefferson Cup the tournament it is. There is nothing to be disappointed about, your team has a very bright future in this game and we look forward to meeting you in events of this caliber in many years to come," commented Coach Sean Carlisle.
"Our girls were a different class! After a bit of a nervy start Saturday morning going down a goal early, the girls came alive and capitalized on a couple of chances and I feel those two goals really settled the players for the rest of the weekend. The girls woke up Sunday morning and had no doubt what they wanted, the Jefferson Cup, and it showed in what was one of the most entertaining and incredible finals I have had the privilege to be a part of. These girls have been an absolute pleasure to coach and watch grow and develop into the brilliant young players they are," stated Sean.
Congratulations to the team and Coach Sean Carlisle! Way to go United!
