does anyone have any bold predictions for state cup? will we have another Bolts boys bonanza along with Stars/Scorps girls continued domination? i'll go way out on a limb and say scorps girls win 12,13 and stars win 14,15,16
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Here is my synopsis as moved from that other old forum which shall remain nameless:
U13 G
Probably the most balanced division with the Scorps, Stars and Hamlets the favorites. Stars probably have more big game experience from tournament play (a bit of a silly statement for U-13s... ) but the Scorpions have played the best this spring. This is probably the best Renegades team of the entries in the younger ages and so they are the darkhorse.
U14G
Still sets up as a two team race with the Scorpions and Stars the favorites but the Bolts have had a great spring and are hungry to proove that they belong with the other two. Ultimately I think it is just too much to ask of the other teams to have to beat these three strong teams to win it all - especially if it is means playing the Stars/Scorpions back to back in the semis and finals. MPS Renegades had a good tourney last year but probably aren't ready to play with the big dogs.
U15G
The brackets are yet undecided with the two top MAPLE D1 teams having still not secured their spots in the RR (NOVA and Pioneers) but the Stars remain the real quality in this group despite their struggles in the R1 Director's League. Look for the NOT MPS Crusaders to emerge from the other group to challenge. No real MPS threat at this age.
U16G
Select and Aztecs are great teams who have played well in this tournament in the past and Pioneers had a great spring in the sub-regional but this remains the Stars tournament to lose. They may be the best girls team in the state regardless of age group (and I do mean head up and not comparitively). MPS Crusaders neeed to beat a solid NOVA to get in but since as always there would be little knowledge about an MPS entry heading into the RR it would make them dangerous to opponents.
U17G
Bolts remain clear favorites despite their inability to really separate from the Scorpions or CRU this spring. It is always hard to pick against a team that has found ways to win so many big games... so I wont, but this may be the group with an upset special... look for an improved MPS Crusaders team maybe be that entry. -
I'll go out further on that limb and predict that three clubs Scorpions - Stars - Bolts will win 90%+ of all U-13 to U-18 state cup championships on both the girls and boys sides and are favorites to win everyComment
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Look for a surprise in the GU14 Round Robin with Bolts over Scorpions. Bolts have closed the gap with Scorpions. Stars have open a significant gap over all others and I think they will when all five games easily. The Stars have National Championship potential. Could be best Mass team ever if they can stay together.
In GU17 CRU will prevail as they have alway had slight edge over Bolts. This Bolts team while wildly talented has not risen to it's potential. Watch out for MPS Crusaders as well.Comment
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It is awful hard to diregard a team that won the prior years regional championship. They may have struggled some this spring but in part that is because of the lofty standards set for them and the fact that they play a very difficult and competitive schedule. Bolts have the most to prove in the state cup round robin and certainly need to show that they are something more than a semi-final team if they want access to the top end tournaments and showcases which really seems to be the goal for this group. Because neither the Stars nor the Scorpions have played a lot of in-state games this year it is pretty hard to know how the rest of the state (including the Bolts) matches up with them. However, we'll see in a couple of weeks!Comment
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I agree you. Thi :arrow: s Stars team could be the strongest team ever to come from Mass. It's a very well balanced team which is unlike the typical Scorpions team which always seems to depend on a few key players. The Stars have some real depth and work well as a team.Originally posted by AnonymousComment
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Scorps - always find a way to win the big games and should be well on the way to adjusting to the injuries they've faced. They have their long-held reputation as the BEST team in Massachusetts to uphold. The Delco tournament results may be telling.
Bolts - have an incredible combined record in their two leagues of 12-0-1 with 45 GF and 4 GA. These guys know how to win. Are they playing Mem Day weekend?
Stars - would like to earn the respect within the borders of the commonwealth that they have earned outside Massachusetts and the region. Oddly, despite historically not being "the team" in Massachusetts, they seem to have the biggest target on their backs for State Cup this year. They also need to win State Cup because otherwise much the team will have no place to stay for the Regionals in Maine since the wild card hotel doesn't have enough rooms.
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state cup
Does anyone know why the state cup was a forfeit for the GU13 FC Puma vs BlackhawsComment
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Upset Special -- In the G U17 grouping the Aztecs to advance past the round robin to the finals.
The reasons -
* Goalie who can cover more of the net than most
* Team that has jelled late for their age group and plays a strong possession game
* Strong center D tandemComment
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Aztecs making the final at this age group would be a very big upset in that very few D2 teams make it through to the RR never mind the semis. Not sure what they have added coming into this year but they will likely face a similar quality of team as last year's RR which is significantly better than what they have faced up to this point. The Aztec program is certainly emerging as tops on the north shore, but I'm not sure if they are ready to compete with strong Bolts, CRU, MPS and Scorps programs at this age group, but we shall see.Comment
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Best bets to win are at the U-15 age group. Stars for girls and Bolts for boys. Even though they haven't done as well out of state both teams are dominant in-state.Comment
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Re: state cup
I noticed this too -- but I believe that the game may have actually been played with Puma coming out on top (I think results were posted earlier). My guess is a roster issue?Originally posted by ielevenComment
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Re: state cup
Red99 is correct. FC Puma had an illegitimate roster.Originally posted by Red99Comment
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Butkusfan your statement has good logicOriginally posted by butkusfan
Some info you may not know is last year in this age group the Aztecs had to win 3 games to get to the round robin from the D group. Once they got there they had the run of play against Western and had 2 direct kicks bounce off the cross bar and two more sail a foot over the top of the goal. Western won on a cross that turned out to be the last play of the game and while Western played well they gave up 8-10 quality scoring chances and generated only 2-3. In the second game CRU had a slight run of play advantage and won 2-0 and in the 3rd Aztecs played the Bolts with 10 players and lost 1 or 2 to nil.
So my point is last year acclimated them to State Cup. Since then they have grown considerably as a team and played tough competition in various tournaments and against their own WPSL, 18's and 16's teams - I think that they are used to this level of competition.
They are my upset pick to make it out of the RR, and while they most likely won't win, I believe thay will get to the finals. But like you said that is why they play the games.Comment
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Agreed-the U14G Stars team is excellent and could be scary good in the future.Originally posted by bigmikeComment
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