Champions Crowned at 2010 US Youth Soccer ODP Championships

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: US Youth Soccer: Mike Anderson, manderson@usyouthsoccer.org or 972-213-5272

Champions Crowned at 2010 US Youth Soccer ODP Championships

1993 Girls Champion – Colorado
1993 Boys Champion – Georgia
1994 Girls Champion – New Jersey
1994 Boys Champion – California South

PHOENIX, Ariz. (March 14, 2010) – Today, the 2010 US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program (US Youth Soccer ODP) Champions were crowned at Reach 11 Sports Complex in Phoenix, Ariz.

These state-level US Youth Soccer ODP 1993 and 1994 Boys and Girls teams, Under-16 and Under-15, earned their way to the US Youth Soccer ODP Championships by way of winning their respective regional championships.

Eagerly seeking the top youth talent in the country, collegiate and national team coaches observed the US Youth Soccer ODP Championship players during these matches. The participants represent the future of American soccer at the collegiate and international levels.

Brief recaps from the championship final and consolation matches are below.

1993 Girls
Colorado's offense once again overwhelmed their opponent as they claimed the 1993 Girls championship 5-1 against Missouri, matching the five goals they scored in the semifinal. Francesca Garzelloni got things started with goals in the 15th and 32nd minutes to give Colorado a two goal lead at halftime. Missouri pulled themselves back in the game after the break with a goal from Shea Groom in the 53rd, but Colorado sealed the game with goals from Darcy Jerman, Sarah Schweiss and Catherine Parchinski in the final 20 minutes. The victory gives Colorado Youth Soccer their first ODP Championship since 2004, and their first ever girl's title.

Georgia's three goals weren't enough to overcome Colorado on Friday, but in the third place game Sunday the defense stepped up to deliver a shutout as Georgia defeated Eastern Pennsylvania 4-0. Iyana Moore got Georgia going with an early goal and Cheyna Williams scored in each half before Anna Shea completed the scoring to deliver the bronze medal.

1993 Boys
The Georgia 1993 Boys put in a stellar effort to bring home the state's first ODP Championship as they defeated the defending champion California South 1-0. Iain Smith scored the game winner once again when he picked off an errant pass in front of the California South goal and buried it for the lone score of the game in just the 5th minute. Georgia threatened often in the early going, forcing two excellent saves and smacking the post, before California South gained momentum toward the end of the first half. In the second half, Georgia matched the intensity of California South, denying them a quality opportunity and putting the game away to deliver the trophy.

Zachary Batteer led Pennsylvania West to a third place finish as he scored a hat trick to overcome an early Minnesota lead. Andrew Rorick put Minnesota up in the 5th minute, but Batteer scored in the 35th, 55th and 75th minutes to bring his total to four in the tournament.

1994 Girls
Gabriella Galanti turned in a championship performance for her team this weekend as she added to her game winning goal in overtime Friday with two goals in the second half Sunday, leading New Jersey back from a 1-0 deficit against California South. Megan Crosson put California South in the lead in the 13th minute, but Galanti scored a beautiful 30 yard free kick coming out of halftime before drawing and converting a penalty in the 68th to give New Jersey the championship.

North Texas and Michigan traded leads before Jana Jeffery scored her second goal of the game in stoppage time as North Texas claimed a third place finish. Jeffery scored in the 24th as North Texas assumed the lead, but Mallory Weber put Michigan ahead after goals in the 41st and 50th. Jasmine Hart evened the game in the 68th, setting up Jeffery's game winner for North Texas.

1994 Boys
California South left no doubt as to who the best team in the country is in the 1994 Boys as they defeated Eastern New York 4-0 in the championship match, giving them seven goals scored and none conceded on the weekend. Ivan Hernandez scored in the 8th minute to set the tone and Justin Dhillon, Emilio Casas and Jared Hegardt all scored in the second half to complete a solid performance and win California South's lone championship, despite having three teams in Sunday's finals.

Iowa looked like they would take sole possession of third place as they led 2-0 on goals from Tyler Chavez in the 20th and Danton Irelan in the 49th. North Carolina had other ideas though, as they clawed back into the game with goals by Garrett Van Nutt and Griffin Heffner in the final 20 minutes to share third place.

US Youth Soccer ODP Championships
Championship and Consolation Results
March 14, 2010

1993 Girls
Championship
Colorado 5, Missouri 1
Goal scorers: Colorado – Francesca Garzelloni (15:00) (32:00), Darcy Jerman (70:00), Sarah Schweiss (82:00), Catherine Parchinski (90:00)
Missouri – Shea Groom (53:00)

Consolation
Georgia 4, Eastern Pennsylvania 0
Goal scorers: Georgia – Iyana Moore, Cheyna Williams (2), Anna Shea

1993 Boys
Championship
Georgia 1, California South 0
Goal scorer: Georgia – Iain Smith (5:00)

Consolation
Pennsylvania West 3, Minnesota 1
Goal Scorers: Pennsylvania West – Zachary Batteer (35:00) (55:00) (75:00)
Minnesota – Andrew Rorick (5:00)

1994 Girls
Championship
New Jersey 2, California South 1
Goal scorers: New Jersey – Gabriella Galanti (47:00) (68:00)
California South – Megan Crosson (13:00)

Consolation
North Texas 3, Michigan 1
Goal scorers: North Texas – Jana Jeffery (24:00) (80:00), Jasmine Hart (68:00)
Michigan – Mallory Weber (41:00) (50:00)

1994 Boys
Championship
California South 4, Eastern New York 0
Goal scorers: California South – Ivan Hernandez (8:00), Justin Dhillon (42:00), Emilio Casas (65:00), Jared Hegardt (70:00)

Consolation
North Carolina 2, Iowa 2
Goal scorers: North Carolina – Garrett Van Nutt (60:00), Griffin Heffner (70:00)
Iowa – Tyler Chavez (20:00), Danton Irelan (49:00)

2010 US Youth Soccer ODP adidas MVP and Golden Glove Winners
1993 Girls
MVP – Francesca Garzelloni (CO)
Golden Glove – Andi Tostanoski (CO)

1993 Boys
MVP – Dominic Bonilla (GA)
Golden Glove – Jacob Tenzer (CA-S)

1994 Girls
MVP – Gabriella Galanti (NJ)
Golden Glove – Jillian McVicker (NJ)

1994 Boys
MVP – Emilio Casas (CA-S)
Golden Glove – Colin Webb (CA-S)

US Youth Soccer ODP, designed to identify and develop a pool of players from which U.S. National Teams may be selected, is the original ODP program. US Youth Soccer ODP is the only elite player development program that can claim members of Major League Soccer and Women's Professional Soccer, as well as a majority of current and past national and youth team members, as alumni. And, with programs in all 55 State Associations as well as regional and national championships and participation in international tournaments, US Youth Soccer ODP continues to lead the way in elite player identification and development.

For more information on US Youth Soccer and US Youth Soccer ODP, please visit www.USYouthSoccer.org.

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About the United States Youth Soccer Association (US Youth Soccer) – US Youth Soccer - "The Game for ALL Kids!®" is the largest youth sports organization in the country and largest member of the United States Soccer Federation, the governing body of soccer in the United States. US Youth Soccer registers more than 3 million players annually, ages 5 to 19, and over 900,000 administrators, coaches and volunteers in 55 member State Associations. US Youth Soccer programs provide a fun, safe and healthy environment for players at every level of the game. For more information, visit www.USYouthSoccer.org.

Media Request: When referring to the United States Youth Soccer Association, the largest youth sports organization in the United States, please refer to the association only as US Youth Soccer, and never as USYS or USYSA. We appreciate your cooperation.

About US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program (US Youth Soccer ODP) - US Youth Soccer ODP, established in 1977, is the original Olympic development program in the United States. Formed to identify a pool of players in each age group from which a National Team could be selected for international competition, selected players are exposed to the nation's top coaches from collegiate institutions, U.S. Soccer and the professional leagues. Programs exist in each state and with competitions such as the US Youth Soccer ODP Championships, Interregional Training/Competition, Regional Camps and International play. US Youth Soccer ODP continues to lead the way in elite player identification and development. US Youth Soccer ODP is an approved program of the U.S. Soccer Federation.

Media Request: When referring to the US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program, the original elite player program in the United States, please refer to the program only as the US Youth Soccer Olympic Development Program or US Youth Soccer ODP, and never as USYSODP or simply ODP. We appreciate your cooperation.