A Dream Season Continues for the Wilson FC U14 Boy’s Team

The Wilson FC U14 boy’s team coached by Mike Feehan and Bob Mochan is one of four teams competing in the Nationals in Raleigh, NC next Month.

The spring 2009 soccer season began with the Feehan and Mochan coached team with a chip on their shoulders.  During the previous season, the team had lost in the finals of the Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Association (EPYSA) Challenge Cup to Montgomery United in double overtime, with only 10 players.  The other 6 missing team members had a previous commitment for that weekend and attended a school sponsored band trip to Virginia.

The season began with a round-robin format (the EPYSA Challenge Cup) with each team playing 3 games.  There were 29 teams in the U14 age group.  WJSC beat the Ukrainian Nationals 6 – 0 and Vereinigung Erzgebirge United 7 – 1.  The team played a scoreless tie against the Langhorne Strikers.  WJSC advanced based on points to the quarterfinals and defeated the Hulmeville Thrashers 5 – 0.  The 4 – 3 double overtime semi-finals victory against the team from Lower Merion provided another opportunity to avenge last year’s loss.  The final, against the Fox Chase Gunners resulted in a 1 – 0 victory for Wilson FC.

As winners of the EPYSA Challenge Cup, the team was invited to participate in the National President’s Cup.  The continental United States is divided into 4 Regions (Regions 1 – 4) of 12 states each, with each region holding a qualifying round and a finals round.  Pennsylvania is part of Region 1 central division.

On May 30^th and 31^st, Wilson FC traveled to Cranberry, PA (northwest of Pittsburgh) to compete against Challenge Cup winners from western PA, eastern NY, and western NY in a round-robin format in one of 3 Region 1 qualifiers.  The top 2 teams from the Region 1 central division advance to play against the winners from the Region 1 north and south divisions in New Castle, Delaware on June 20^th and 21^st at the Kirkwood Soccer Complex.

Wilson FC defeated the team from western PA 6 – 0 and the team from western NY 3 – 0.  They lost to the eastern NY 2 – 3, but qualified for the Region 1 finals.

On Saturday, June 20^th in the first game of the Region 1 finals Wilson FC found themselves in a 2-0 deficit on a rain-soaked field against a team from Maryland.  Wilson was able to come back and earn a 2-2 draw.  Wilson then beat a team from New Jersey 3-0 in the afternoon.  On Sunday, in a rematch with the Eastern NY team from the previous round, Wilson was able to avenge their earlier loss with a 1-0 victory and a trip to Nationals in Raleigh, NC July 17^th – 19^th at the WRAL Soccer Complex.  The other three teams at the National Championships are from Missouri, Texas and California.

Coaches Mochan and Feehan combined have over 60 seasons (including indoors) of experience coaching soccer.  This current team started to form at the U9 age group, with 5 of the original players on this current 8-player team.  6 additional players and coach Mochan were added at the U10 age group another 3 at U11s and 3 more at U12s.  The last player to join the team was in the spring of 2009.  The team consists of a bunch of athletes that participate in a number of sports other than soccer; basketball, baseball, track, swimming, lacrosse, water polo, diving, wrestling, and the martial arts.  At the early age groups, the team played in the Reading-Berks Junior Soccer League winning several league championships, but left at the U12 age group seeking better competition.  The team has played in the LANCO and Lehigh Valley Leagues, also winning league championships.  The team is currently playing in the DELCO Premier League down in Philadelphia.  The team consists of the following players.