The Northern Virginia Royals U16 Super Y-League team secured the South Atlantic Division championship this week, granting them an automatic berth into the United Soccer Leagues Youth North American Finals.  The upstart U16 Royals cruised by a depleted Carolina Dynamo team 5-0 on Wednesday to win the division outright. 

 

The U16 Royals have garnered a season record of 9-0-1 so far to lock in first place, but still face rematches with the Atlanta Fire United and Atlanta Silverbacks this weekend.   The Fire and Silverbacks (third and fourth place, respectively) both remain eligible for advancement into the championship tournament as the South Atlantic retains two slots in the North American Finals. Triangle FC (6-4-1) currently has a tenuous hold on second place by points, but could be over-taken by either Atlanta club. 

 

So far, the U16 Royals have scored 34 goals this season and only allowed 8 against them in ten games played. Their only blemish so far this season came at the hands of Alpharetta United, who battled Northern Virginia for a 2-2 draw.

United Soccer Leagues announced today the U17 Boys and Girls All-Tournament Teams following the 10th Annual North American Finals, held November 21 through November 25 in Tampa, Florida.  Northern Virginia Royals midfielder Abdul Ismail was honored as one of sixteen U17 boys players, while Northern Virginia Majestics Brieana White and Shondel Archer grabbed top honors on the elite girls list.

 

White and Archer led a strong U17 Majestics team to a semifinal appearance at the five day tournament.  Northern Virginia forward Archer was a central figure in a surging Majestic attack that scored eight goals in their initial three games of group play.  Majestic defender White battled top attackers from around North America over the course of the tournament, garnering the team a +4 goal differential that ultimately earned advancement into the semifinals.

 

Ismail anchored a solid U17 Royals side that finished the 2008 Y-League season atop the South Atlantic division at 8-0-2.   His presence in the Northern Virginia midfield has most apparent in the Super Y-League North American Finals featured match, in which he led the side to 3 -1 victory over the Reading Rage.

 

United Soccer Leagues announced today the preliminary Super Y-League First and Second 11 Club rankings for the 2008 season, recognizing the league’s top competitive and administrative clubs. Northern Virginia FC surged upwards on the First 11 Club ranking, nabbing the Royals and Majestics program the fifth best Super Y-League club in North America.

 

The release of the list precedes the 10th Annual Super Y-League North American Finals, where all but five of the 37 clubs in the rankings will be competing for 10 championships that are up-for-grabs beginning Friday, November 21.  The clubs will also be recognized during USL’s Annual General Meeting, the second half of USL’s SoccerFest, which is held in conjunction with the North American Finals in downtown Tampa. 

 

The Northern Virginia Majestics and Northern Virginia Royals U17 Super Y-League teams both claimed South Atlantic Division crowns with wins today, granting them each an automatic berth into the United Soccer Leagues Youth North American Finals.  The U17 Majestics and U17 Royals each defeated their CASL Railhawks counterparts to secure division titles with games still remain for both.

 

The U17 Majestics guaranteed themselves first place in their division with a solid 3-1 victory over South Atlantic cellar dweller CASL Railhawks in Raleigh, NC, on Saturday afternoon. Northern Virginia moved out of reach from the other division opponents, earning a 6-0-0 record with two games remaining against Hampton Roads Piranhas and NOVA FC Majestics, the other Northern Virginia U17 girls squad currently in second place.   

 

 The U17 Royals have rocketed to a season record of 7-0-2 so far to lock in their division title, scoring 30 goals and allowing only 13.   The upstart Northern Virginia Royals romped over CASL 5-1 Saturday and return home tomorrow to close out their 2008 regular season campaign against the Atlanta Silverbacks.

 

Last year, both the Royals and Majestics teams advanced to the 2007 Super Y-League North American Finals at the U16 age groups.

 

The Northern Virginia Royals Tyler Dunn and Andrew Whitlock both earned honors for the U14 Boys All-League team. U16 Royals Travis Pittman and U17 Royals Alex Berowski also gained recognition, each being named to their respective All-League team. Northern Virginia Majestic midfielder Brieana White rounded out the elite selection group by receiving All-League team recognition on the girls side. 

 

Selections were based off the nominations of opposing coaches made throughout the Super Y-League North American Finals tournament play. Selections per position were altered to include the players receiving the most nominations. All players selected to the list are automatically eligible to attend the Super Y-League ODP National Camps beginning Thursday, January 10 in Cocoa, Florida.

 

Northern Virginia Royals U16 Super Y-League entered into the final weekend of league play in third place with matches against the two teams above them in the South Atlantic division. Seemingly unfazed by the task at hand, the Royals finished the weekend with a miraculous last minute goal, beating the Richmond Strikers 3-2 and propelling them into the league championships.

 

With all three team vying for the single divisional berth into the USL North American Finals, the Royals needed a weekend sweep to earn the trip to the Super Y-League championships. After edging first place CASL Railhawks 3-2 on Saturday, the U16 Royals raced home to face instate rival Richmond Strikers to decide the South Atlantic winner Sunday.