Boca Team To Attend Under-20 USASA Regional Championship
July 14, 2004
The Jersey Shore Boca Soccer Club announced today that the Club has been selected to represent the Mid-Atlantic Summer Showcase League at the United States Adult Soccer Association’s Under-20 Men’s Regional Soccer Championship to be held on Saturday and Sunday, July 17th and 18th at the Manalapan Recreation Complex in Manalapan, New Jersey.
Boca Team To Attend Under-20 USASA Regional Championship
Club Will Represent Mid-Atlantic Summer Showcase League
TOMS RIVER, NJ (July 14, 2004) – The Jersey Shore Boca Soccer Club announced today that the Club has been selected to represent the Mid-Atlantic Summer Showcase League at the United States Adult Soccer Association’s Under-20 Men’s Regional Soccer Championship to be held on Saturday and Sunday, July 17th and 18th at the Manalapan Recreation Complex in Manalapan, New Jersey.
The Mid-Atlantic Summer Showcase League (MSSL) is a first year regional soccer league fostering high-level competition during the summer months at both the youth and adult ages in which Jersey Shore Boca is an inaugural member.
The adult level of MSSL is specifically designed for collegiate players under the age of twenty-three and is fully sanctioned by the United States Adult Soccer Association (USASA), the national governing body for adult amateur soccer.
In addition to Boca, the eleven other MSSL inaugural adult member clubs include PDA (NJ), Cherry Hill United (NJ), World Class SC (NJ), Connecticut Strikers (CT), FC Westchester (NY), Manhattan Kickers (NY), ISA Heat (NY), Lehigh Valley United (PA), NJ Rangers (NJ), The Philadelphia Soccer Club (PA) and Voorhees SC (NJ).
Because of the league’s regional affiliation with the USASA, MSSL was awarded one entry by the USASA into their annual Under-23 Regional Championship and two entries into their annual Under-20 Regional Championship.
The World Class Soccer Club represented MSSL at the USASA Under-23 Regional Championships last week-end making it to the semi-finals before loosing a tough match to the eventual U23 Regional Champion Baltimore Bays (MD). Boca lost to World Class 3-1 in a regular season MSSL game on June 20th.
The Manhattan Kickers will be the other MSSL Under-20 representative competing in the USASA U-20 Regional Championship. Boca and Manhattan tied 1-1 during a MSSL regular season opening day game on June 5th at Fort Dix, NJ.
“We are extremely excited about our selection by MSSL for the USASA Under-20 Regional Championship and feel honored and proud that the league chose our Club to represent them. We will represent MSSL and our soccer Club at this prestigious regional competition with the best of our ability” said Walt Konopka a member of the Jersey Shore Boca Board of Director who also coaches the Boca team currently playing in MSSL along with Kevin Cheeseman.
“Because our MSSL team this summer has only a few players over the age of twenty, we will make some minor roster adjustments and add some younger age players to the mix for this tournament. It should be a great weekend of soccer and a great experience for all of our players. However, we will have our work cut out for us. Hopefully, our guys will come ready to play” finished Konopka.
The USASA Under-20 Regional Championships will be composed of eight teams from CT, NY, NJ, PA, DE and MD split into two divisions of four teams each. After three preliminary round games by each team on Saturday, the top two leaders in each division will advance to the semi-finals on Sunday. The semi-final winners will play in the USASA Under-20 Regional Championship game on Sunday afternoon.
Teams qualified for the U-20 USASA Regional Tournament either by State Cup competition or by a league wild-card selection, such as Boca.
The Jersey Shore Boca twenty man roster named by Coach Konopka for the USASA Under-20 Regional Championship is as follows (Position-Name-Hometown-School):
D – Patrick Bulvanoski – Oceanport – Mount St. Mary’s College
D – Sean Cahill – Whiting – Kean University
D – Kris Cheeseman – Barnegat – New England College
D – Jim Coletti – Warren – Assumption College (MA)
D – Nick Gkionis – Jackson – Stevens Institute of Technology
D – Dan Haydu – Toms River – Monmouth University
D – Dan Corti – Lakewood – Nyack College
F – Joe Cutler – Manahawkin – Rider University
F – Justin Fuccello – Brick – Rutgers University
F – Vinny Lagares – Long Branch – Brookdale Community College
G – Jon Curry-Edwards – Spring Lake Heights – Old Dominion University
G – Sean Grayson – Plainfield – Middlesex County College
G – Chris Konopka – Toms River – Providence College
M – Jack Facemyer – Tuckerton – Yale University
M – Wanderson Silva – Long Branch – Brookdale Community College
M – Will McMaster – Rumson – Loyola College (MD)
M – Andrew Finger – Harrison – Kingsway Regional HS
M – Roberto Munoz – Barnegat – Ocean County College
M – George Gkionis – Jackson – Drexel University
M – Christian Pontier – Forked River – Stevens Institute of Technology
The status of Boca Defender Dan Corti (personal commitment) and Goalkeeper Chris Konopka (injury / PDL commitment) may be in doubt for the weekend tournament.
Jersey Shore Boca has been a fixture in the soccer community since 1978 and is one of the most respected soccer clubs on the East Coast.
The Club celebrated their 25-year anniversary in 2003.
For more information on all of the Jersey Shore Boca teams and programs visit the Club’s official web site at www.jerseyshoreboca.com
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