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.