Revolution United FC Girls U17 and Boys U19 Win CT State Cup

In two final nail-biting matches, Fairfield County premier soccer club Revolution United FC (“RUFC”) Girls U17 beat Everton America 3-2 and the Boys U19 beat AC Connecticut 1-0 to win the CT Cup championship last weekend at Wesleyan University.

RUFC’s Girls U17 squared off against Everton America and played hard to win the championship. Everton struck first to go up 1-0 on a ball that was misplayed in the back, when RUFC player, Maryna Barone came out and snuck the ball in on the first post. Later in the first half, Meghan Lesko serviced a ball from the right-wing side and Katie Senecal followed the play through the center midfield and put it away off the cross. During overtime, the team came out strong, creating more offensive opportunities. In the first half of overtime, Meghan Lesko was taken down in the penalty box while Cali D’Auria finished the penalty kick, making the score 2-1. In the second half, Co-Captain Skylar Jorge took the ball from about 40 yards out and dribbled in past three defenders where she created a breakaway and finished the game 3-1! The Girls U17 fought to the finish, making the game exciting and worth watching.

The Girls U17 team had to overcome some hardships and sidetracks before they made it to the stadium, however. “The team overcame some injuries to key players throughout the season, along with after school commitments,” Girls U17 Coach Joe D’Auria said, “It was a big sacrifice for some of the players and families.” The Girls U17 also had a slow start to the season. After losing the first game, then drawing a tie in the next match, the team was determined to turn it around. With the mental capacity that the team possessed, they pulled off 4 wins and are now competing for the top spot in the first division of their league.

After winning the U17 Girls Cup Championship, Coach D’Auria is confident that these girls will keep persevering, “The best part of winning the CT Cup was watching the reaction on these young ladies’ faces and the sense of accomplishment that was achieved. The overall joy after winning the CT Cup was one that I will always remember and cherish just for the simple fact of how hard this program worked to get to this point.”

RUFC’s Boys U19 match against AC Connecticut was also a tightly contested matchup. Both teams were missing key players due to senior end-of-year activities and forced both teams to go deep into their rosters and show how talented their players really were. The second half saw both teams creating and missing opportunities. In the 37th minute of the second half, RUFC’s Anthony Zarlenga received a ball in the midfield and played a great through ball to Senol Music who made a great run through. Senol took his first touch wide of the goalie who was coming out and was ripped down in the box. Matheus Nascimento stepped up to the penalty spot and buried the game winning penalty kick. With the crowd roaring at one ball striking off the post, man of the match player, Everett Lyons, made great saves. It was a very exciting game from start to finish!

According to RUFC U19 Boys Coach Marcos Monteagudo the win was a hard-fought team effort, “We needed to top a very difficult group. We were able to go 2-0 in group play and advance to the semi-finals. We then had the very difficult task of winning in the semi-finals with 3 of our starters leaving at half time due to prom. Connor Senecal, normally a field player, played goalie in the second half and was able to post a shut out! In the final, we had 13 players available on what is typically a 20-man roster. Players who were used to coming off the bench were asked to start and play most of the game in the year’s biggest match. I would say that we proved how good of a TEAM we really were this past weekend.”

As U17 Girls Cup champion and U19 Boys Cup champions, both teams qualify directly for the National Cup XVII Finals, (US Club Soccer's cup-based national competition), to be held on July 20-24, at Aurora Sports Park in Aurora, CO. This competition is the culminating event of US Club Soccer’s cup-based national championship series that includes six Regional events and various state cups.

Started in 2011, RUFC is a Fairfield County premier soccer club with a unique player-centered and family-centered approach that aims to develop boys and girls ages 5-19 to reach their highest potential both on and off the field. Unlike the “winning at all costs” that many teams, coaches, and parents expect from their child’s participation in youth sports, player development is the number one priority at RUFC. RUFC focuses on the international skills of soccer and cultivating the different talent in each one of their players with a coaching staff comprised of ex-semi-professional players, licensed coaches, and coaches who have played at the college levels D2 and D1. RUFC players of all age groups participate in comprehensive regular training, programs, events, and extra training opportunities including weekly practices and games at state of the art outdoor and indoor training facilities, as well as highly competitive indoor and outdoor local, regional and overseas premier tournaments. RUFC provides a College Advisory Program for U16-U19 high school players that works hand in hand with players and parents to provide guidance, support, and education on procedures and expectations during the college application and recruiting process.

For more information go to www.revolutionunitedfc.com or contact Fabiano Cano at fabian@revolutionunitedfc.com or 203-247-2524.