Granite FC Center of Excellence Partners with Souhegan Valley United

Souhegan Valley United Soccer and Granite FC are proud to announce the alliance of their soccer clubs for the upcoming 2010 spring season.

Granite FC will be one of the largest premier youth soccer clubs in Southern New Hampshire with over 250 players and more than 15 boys and girls teams U10‐U18, with multiple teams in many age categories. This means that soccer players aged 9‐17 will be able to develop “under one program” with professional British UEFA licensed career soccer coaches.

The nature of soccer in Southern New Hampshire often requires players to constantly change clubs as they develop and want to play at a higher level. Having a club of this scope in the Souhegan Valley and Merrimack Valley areas will allow serious soccer players to grow and develop in an appropriately competitive environment.

“This powerful alliance creates an exciting time for both organizations and competitive players in the area," said Amy Sparks, Director of Coaching for SVU. “The combination of SVU’s club design and Granite FC’s premier philosophy will present a new model for all youth soccer players to be professionally coached and trained. For players progressing to the “next level” this club provides a premier level of play, at State Cup competition and additional tournaments outside the local area. We are all excited about creating this new opportunity to provide a high level of club and premier play on a local and regional basis.”

“This partnership is an opportunity for two well established soccer clubs to join together to create something special. By combining the professional coaches, quality teams, and the UK Centre of Excellence playing academy, Granite FC and SVU will change the landscape of premier soccer in Southern New Hampshire. It was natural that we would look to becoming partners.” stated Lenny Webb, Director of Coaching for Granite Football Club.

For more information on our upcoming spring 2010 tryouts, see the tryout news at granitefc.blogspot.com. For additional club information or information regarding this announcement please contact Lenny Webb at lennywebb@gmail.com or Amy Sparks at amyspa@gmail.com.

C.O.E. Girls Senior Tryouts

The Granite FC Center of Excellence Senior Teams -- U-15, U-16 & U-17 -- are coming back together in mid-November for training, tournaments, league play and finally their State Cup runs in the spring. After great State Cup runs last year, these teams look to break through as champions this coming spring.

Tryout Dates

11/1 -- 9:00am -- U-15, U-16 & U-17 -- Nashua Corp Field
11/8 -- 9:00am -- U-15, U-16 & U-17 -- Nashua Corp Field
11/9 -- 5:00pm -- U-15 & U-16 -- NH Sportsplex
11/9 -- 6:30pm -- U-17 & U-18 -- NH Sportsplex
11/15 -- 9:00am -- U-15, U-16, U-17 & U-18 -- Bean Field (Front field Souhegan High School) 11/16 -- 5:00pm -- U-15 & U-16 -- NH Sportsplex
11/16 -- 6:30pm -- U-17 & U-18 -- NH Sportsplex


U-15 C.O.E. will be coached by Ryan Gwinnell
U-16 C.O.E. will be coached by Winston Haughton
U-17 C.O.E. will be coached by Lenny Webb

Other teams TBD

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the C.O.E. Director of Coaching, Lenny Webb at leenywebb@gmail.com or John Edwards at jedwar60@gmail.com.

3 STATE CUP CHAMPIONS!

Goal #1 -- Averi and Jamie Celebrating with Katherine Swallow After Her First Goal

Goal # 2 -- Checkered Jerseys Mob Katherine After Her Second Goal

Goal # 3 -- Even Tori Gets Into The Celebration of Molly Hemond's Goal

Holly Lesperance Closing Down Seacoast's Talented Attack

Having put six teams into the State Cup finals, the C.O.E. can say, without adding any more to the discussion, that it has already had a breakthrough year. The breakthrough is now underscored by three State Cup champions -- the U-12 boys, the U-13 girls and the U-18 girls. The U-12 boys took a convincing 3-1 win over the Concord Express trumping the draw these two teams had in the group stage. Shortly thereafter, the U-13 girls delivered a convincing 3-1 effort over a strong Seacoast squad. The U-13 girls were able to play a high pressure game well into Seacoast's defending half of the field which cut off the supply to and left stranded Seacoast's talented attacking players. The U-13s and the U-18s are now scheduled to represent New Hampshire at the Region 1 championships in West Virginia over the fourth of July weekend. New Hampshire has declined to send its U-12, 8 v 8 team to West Virginia so their remarkable season comes to a close , ready for a restart in August.

No discussion of championship Sunday is complete without reference to the other finalists who fell a little short. The U-11s, in their first foray into the state cup competition, played up a year in the U-12 competition and fell to Seacoast 5-0. The result was a real reversal of fortune from the group stage when the girls beat the same Seacoast team 3-2. Full credit to the Seacoast girls who came ready to play their full roster of players. The U-15s came up tantalizingly short in a 2-1 loss against Seacoast. The game was knotted at 0-0 going into halftime. At the restart, Seacoast exploited a couple of lapses in defensive concentration and scored two goals in quick succession. Thereafter, the C.O.E. girls pressed the attack and, in the closing minutes clawed back one goal but, despite continued pressure on the Seacoast defense, it was a little too late to find the second, equalizing goal. The U-16s fell to their Seacoast rivals 3-1 in a game that was closer than the score implies. The C.O.E. girls drew first blood and battled in a 1-1 setting until the later stages of the game. With two critical injuries to important defensive players the thinly rostered team's energy started flagging and the two goals that broke the game open for Seacoast were the result.

Six C.O.E. Teams Go Through to State Cup Finals

U-13 Jamie Sherburne Making

One of Many Runs Through the Classics' Defense

U-13 Megan Ethier lets loose a Volley on the Classics' Net, Tori Sailor Waiting for the Rebound

U-16 Leah Gundrum Blocking a Cross

U-16 Aubrey Ouellet Making a Big Save

The NH State Cup group stage came to a close last weekend and, when the dust settled, six of the seven C.O.E. teams that had entered were through to the finals. The U-12 boys and the U-16 girls have earned their second consecutive trip to the finals with the U-18 girls going for the sixth consecutive time. Joining these teams for the first time will be the U-11 girls (playing up at U-12), the U-13 girls and the U-15 girls.

Two games are worth noting from this past weekend because of the quality of the C.O.E.'s attacking play. The U-16s and U-13s both had must win games against their Classics' counterparts and the Classics' athleticism and physical style of play are well suited to frustrate sides such as these that like to get forward. In both games, the girls matched the physical intensity and threatened to score for long stretches. Not surprisingly, the U-16s poured in 5 goals and, although the U-13s only managed 2 goals to the Classics' 1 goal, the truth is that players like Tori Sailor, Jamie Sherburne and Megan Ethier spent long periods of the game marauding into the Classics' defensive 1/3rd of the field.

Now, onto the Londonderry West Fields complex and the Seacoast sides that await!

C.O.E. Teams Looking Strong as They Enter the Last Weekend of State Cup Group Play

Amanda Roberts Battling to Hold Up the Ball Against Seacoast B as the COE Gets Forward

Mackenzie Logan Looking to Press Upfield Against Seacoast B

Summing Up th e Whole Day for the U-13s Against Seacoast A --
Jo Cossey Going Down with a Sprained Ankle

Two weekends are down and one is to go in the group stages of the NH State Cup and every team is in the hunt for finals berth! Each team -- the U-12 boys and the U-11 (playing U-12), U-13, U-14, U-15 and U-17 girls have all put in at least one strong showing and are looking for more this Saturday and Sunday (May 16 & 17).

U-11 Girls

The U-11 girls, playing up an age in the U-12, 8 v 8 division, are making their first appearance on the State Cup stage. They have played two tough and gritty games against Seacoast and World Cup and came away with 3-2 and 2-1 wins respectively. Sparked by a great keeper performance from Hannah Smith, very energetic midfield play from Brianna Purcell and Marie Laplante, solid defense from Megan Olsen and Alyza Sayward, and gritty runs from Shannon Ryan at Striker, the girls' two wins, combined with two losses by the Classics guarantees the U-11s an appearance in the finals.

U-13 Girls

With two games under their belt, the u-13s have had the best and worst of times. In their first match, they comprehensively drubbed the Seacoast B team 4-0. They played wonderful flowing football and were unlucky not to have scored a handful of additional goals. The form was not to last when they laced up their cleats against the Seacoast A team the next day. The girls were listless and lacked cohesion from the start. Seacoast, on the other hand, came ready to play. From the 1-1 draws that have been the result of the girls' other two games this year with this Seacoast side, our girls know that nothing but a top notch performance will do the trick. Predictably, our girls went down by two goals within minutes. Even this did not wake the girls from their torpor and, in the end, the U-13s endured a painful 5-0 loss. All is not lost, however. A win this coming weekend against the Classics would assure that the girls' go through to the finals for another crack at Seacoast.

U-14 Girls

An entirely new team that came together for the first time this past August at our annual Kimball Union Academy pre-season camp, the U-14s have already assured a berth in the semifinals with a 2-0 win over the Express. The 2-0 scoreline does not adequately capture the dominance that the girls displayed in the match as the U-14s spent large amounts of the game linking up and attacking in the Express' half of the field. Although its not entirely clear who the U-14s will face in the semi finals, it appear probable that it will be the Classics. For anyone interested in watching an exciting, new team in the girls' side of the tournament, kick off will be Sunday at 1:00 pm in Pembroke.

U-15 Girls

Unlike the U-14s, the U-15s are a team that has been together for a few years. Nevertheless, with the departure of some longstanding stalwarts and the arrival of several new players the team has a new look and this is translating into different and better luck in the State Cup than in past years. The U-15s drew the Classics 1-1 in their first match and then fell 0-1 to Seacoast in their second match. Both results were unfair to the U-15s because in each game they had control of long runs of the play. The result against Seacoast was particularly cruel because Seacoast's goal came from a dubious penalty call made very late in the game. That said, the girls' remain alive for a finals berth. The outcome of the Seacoast versus Classics match this weekend will determine whether the C.O.E. U-15s advance.

U-16 Girls

The U-16s had little trouble sending the Seacoast B team crashing out of the tournament when they pounded Seacoast with 7 goals as against 1 for Seacoast. The win came at some cost, however, with Liz Pettis going down with a broken collar bone. Steve Hetherington's girls face off against the Classics this coming Saturday in a match that will determine whether it is the Classics or the C.O.E. that goes forward to take on the Seacoast A squad in the Finals.

U-18 Girls

No State Cup report is complete without some mention of the U-18s, last year's State Cup winners. With their historic dominance of the event, no other club but Seacoast put a team forward for the competition. The girls are headed once again to the State Cup finals against Seacoast-- State Cup Finalists by acclamation!

U-12 Boys

Last but not least, the C.O.E.'s first boys team started well with a 6-2 win over Seacoast and a 3-3 draw with the Express. The boys, led by coach Dave Eliot, put in compelling attacking performances against both teams and need only to shore up their defensive shape. A win against the Classics this coming Sunday will assure that the boys advance to the finals.

U-15 & U-16 GIRLS TRYOUTS

U-15 GIRLS
Sunday November 2 -- 10:30AM - 12:00AM
Saturday November 8 -- 3:00PM - 4:30PM
Sunday November 9 -- 11:00AM - 12:30AM

Coach: Winston Haughton -- 603.204.9005

U-16 GIRLS
Sunday November 2 -- 9:30AM - 11:00AM
Sunday November 9 -- 9:30AM - 11:00AM
Monday November 10 -- 6:30PM- 8PM (NH Sportsplex, Bedford)
Saturday November 15 -- 9:30AM - 11:00AM


Coaches: Steve Hetherington & Lenny Webb -- 603.204.9003

All tryouts will be held at the Nashua Corp Field (unless stated, otherwise).


Registration 30 minutes before tryout start time.


Directions: From North, take exit 10 off rte 3 south, at the ramp take a left, go through a set of lights and at the next set of lights turn right, take DW highway south, past Mobil garage, continue south and on your left you will see a sign "Nashua" take the next left into a industrial space at the bottom of the ramp go to the far left corner of the parking lot, and field is through a small entryway at the top of the parking lot.
From South: Take Exit 10 off Rte 3 North, turn right off ramp, and at the next set of lights turn right, take DW highway south, past Mobil garage, continue south and on your left you will see a sign "Nashua" take the next left into an industrial space at the bottom of the ramp go to the far left corner of the parking lot, and field is through a small entryway at the top of the parking lot.

For more information about Granite FC C.O.E., go to www.granitefc.org or www.granitefc.blogspot.com

U-13 TRYOUT

Len and the U-13 Girls

Granite FC U13 girls are looking for one or two additional players for the Winter and Spring season. The team is currently playing in MAPLE and looking for players who are interested in playing at a higher level and have a desire to improve there technical and tactical understanding of the game. We play and train in Nashua, NH and conduct winter training at the NH Sportsplex in Bedford NHIf you are interested, we are hosting open sessions on Wednesday November 5th and 12th 4.30pm at Nashua Corp Fields, Merrimack NHFor more information please contact Lenny Webb at lennywebb@gmail.com or at (603) 204 9004
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