July 2015 Local U15 boys' soccer team brings home National Championship
The Global Premier Soccer-MA National Premiere League Elite U15 Boys recently won a pair of regional tournaments, qualifying for a pair of national tourneys which took place July 8-20 in Westfield, Indiana.
They can officially be called national champions.
The Global Premier Soccer-MA National Premiere League Elite U15 Boys recently won a pair of regional tournaments, qualifying for a pair of national tourneys which took place July 8-20 in Westfield, Indiana.
At the NPL Nationals, which took place July 9-13, the team finished in 11th place, but then bounced back after a three-day layoff and was crowned champions in the US National Cup (National Cup XIV), which ran July 17-20.
The team features six players from the area (Aidan DaSilva of Westport, Troy Mattos of Somerset, Jacob Castro of Swansea, John Aguiar of Somerset, Skylah Dias of Swansea and Kendall Pacheco of New Bedford).
"They made two nationals and that is beyond unbelievable said team manager Neal Dias. "It is very rare to win two regionals and play in two nationals. For them to come back and win the second one is beyond incredible. It's something they will remember forever."
The locals completed their crowning achievement with a 2-1 victory over FC Florida Elite in a game in which they held a 2-0 lead at the break and held on for the victory.
"We did a great job possessing the game," Dias said. "We had 15 shots on net in the second half, but their goalie kept them in the game."
In five games during its title run, GPS-MA scored 17 goals and allowed three.
"The defense is incredible," Dias said. "Everyone is taught to defend and taught to attack. They move as one."
Prior to the trip to Indiana, GPS NPL was ranked third in Massachusetts with a 15-3-1 overall record (.789 winning percentage). Prior to a scoreless draw against Explosion FC Cannella on June 21, GPS NPL had won eight consecutive matches, outscoring the competition 24-2.
For one of the team members, this national championship is only the beginning.
DaSilva, who attends Bishop Connolly, left for Ireland on Wednesday after being selected to the GPS International Soccer Team as one of the top players in the country in his age group.
"He will be playing against some of the best club teams in the world," Dias said.
Dias said it's still hard to grasp the fact the team was able to make a run at a pair of national titles.
"We were gone for 13 days," Dias said. "It was a huge commitment for the players and parents and it paid off. One of the parents said that the stars were aligned. This just doesn't happen very often. I'm really proud of them."
