Granite FC's State Cup Runs

With Memorial Day almost upon us, the group stages of the NH State Cup are now concluded and its a good time to review how the four Granite FC COE entrants fared. Two of the four teams -- Steve's U-15s and Gary's U-17s -- are through to the finals (although in the interests of full disclosure it must be pointed out that the U-17s have been byed through to the final). The U-17s were State Champions in last year's U-16 bracket and we are all hoping that they will repeat again in June 1 against Seacoast.

The U-15s road has been more challenging. They have had to play World Cup, the Seacoast "A" and "B" teams as well as the Classics. They picked up two wins against the Classics and World Cup, drew 0-0 against the Seacoast "A" team and lost 1-2 against t he Seacoast "B" team. The best and most challenging match was last weekend against the Seacoast "A" team. the game was matched by very fast and physical play with scoring chances falling to both sides and with great defensive efforts and keeper heroics.

Aubrey, Dana and Jill Preparing to Defend a Seacoast Corner

Amanda Beating Her Seacoast Defender

This past weekend was another story. The girls' played two puzzling matches in which they struggled to find their form. Against the Classics, they drew first blood going up 1-0 but the U-15s then went flat allowing two goals and trailing 2-1 with as little as 12 minutes left in the match. At that point, it was as if a switch was flipped and the girls' started exerting consistent attacking pressure. The result was a four goal explosion that assured a 5-2 win for the Wanderers. These few minutes of explosive attacking play demonstrated to the girls exactly how dangerous they can be going forward. This late in the game effort assured the girls that they would go through to the finals regardless of the outcome of their final match against the Seacoast "B" team. In that match, a few players were forced to sit with nagging injuries. The rest took the field as if in a fog. Although the U-15s had passages of control, they never looked dangerous in the final 18. The lackluster effort was met with determination and effort by a surprisingly able Seacoast "B" squad. The COE girls' efforts were duly punished with a 2-1 loss.

Shawna Starting the Scoring Explosion Against the Classics with a Nicely Taken Penalty Kick

Alyssa Battling Hard in the Middle

While the U-15s have successfully charted a course through the group stage to the finals, the U-12s fell agonizingly short. Having drawn Seacoast 0-0 and beaten World Cup 6-0, all the U-12s needed to go through was a draw or a win against the Classics to get through to the final. In the end, the U-12s could not handle the task dropping a squeaker 1-2. Although the U-12s were storming the Classics' final 18 in the last 10 minutes of the match, the athletic Classics' players defended well and held onto the victory.

Tori Making One of Her Trademark Slides Against Seacoast

Averi Bringing the Ball Forward in Search of a Second Goal Against the Classics

The U-14s also had their share of bitter luck dropping an opening match against the Classics 0-2. The U-14s rallied to pick up a draw against the Express and a 4-0 win versus the Upper Valley Lightning. This left the Wanderers with the daunting task of extracting a win from the Seacoast United girls. The girls could not fulfill the task falling 0-3 to a very talented Seacoast squad.