Three SOCA Elite squads remain in the VYSA State Cup competition after the most recent round of matches on April 29.  The U14 Boys, U14 Girls and U13 Boys are all through to the quarter-final round of play and will seek to punch their ticket to the semi-finals in matches this coming Saturday, May 6.

The U14 Boys won 3-1 at home this past weekend against a resilient Vienna team.  After dominating the opening minutes SOCA went down 0-1 at the 10 minute mark, with the counter attack goal coming against the run of play.

SOCA’s response was swift, and inside a minute had knotted the score at 1-1.  Early in the match SOCA had been finding partial success on the right flank through Josh Inouye, before he was able to connect a well-placed cross to Ethan Ott at the back post.  Ott finished the chance with conviction, and he would go on to complete the hat trick before the day was over.

At the 19 minute mark it was Malcolm Brickhouse who complete a swift exchange through the midfield before providing Ott with a nifty scoop over the back line.  Ott ran on to the pass and neatly poked the ball past the oncoming keeper for the go ahead goal.

Late in the opening half Vienna battled to remain in the game, clanging a shot from outside the penalty area off the cross bar.  The effort seemed to inspire the guests and rattle the hosts, who closed out the half without further excitement.

The early second half proved to be an even battle, as SOCA sought to maintain its grip on the game while Vienna stubbornly refused to yield.  SOCA was able to find increasing success on the flanks, particularly with Brickhouse’s penetrating forays on the left side.  After a handful of chances that went begging, it was outside back Noah Boswinkel-Magrum who stormed the left flank and provide Ott with perfect service at the back post, which the striker cleanly finished with a headed goal to put the game out of reach.

The U14 Boys will next face NVSC at home this Saturday, May 6, at 10:00 am.

Also playing at South Fork Soccer Park on Saturday will be the U13 Boys Elite squad, as they face off against Loudoun at 12:00 noon.

The U14 Girls Elite managed a difficult 2-0 win on the road at Beach FC, and will next travel to second seed VSA for their quarter-final match on Saturday.  Matches at Beach FC have proven to be tricky fixtures and full credit must be given for overcoming the travel and conditions to claim their passage to the final eight.

The State Cup brackets are filled with familiar clubs in the closing rounds as CCL squads populate many of the remaining slots.  SOCA will seek to push all three of its squads through to the semi-finals, which will be held on the weekend of May 20.