Florida Elite Soccer wins U-13 NPL East Championship in North Carolina
Tallahassee youth soccer has added another title to its mantle.
Florida Elite Soccer Academy won the silver cup in the Boys' National Premier League East Playoffs following their championship win.
At Truist Sports Park in Bermuda Run, North Carolina, the Florida Elite U-13 team from Tallahassee defeated Charleston (South Carolina) 4-2 on June 28.
The 16-player roster, named the 2009 Elite Boys, won the championship in head coach's Joel Di Castri second season with the team.
The organization provides instructional youth soccer at all skill levels and ages, from 4-18 years old.
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Preparing for the trip
For eight months beginning in September, 2019, the 2009 Elite Boys competed against teams all over Florida, prevailing in all with the exception of one tie.
Once May rolled around, they had a rest period before it was time to train for the trip to North Carolina.
"We had to play around 13 games against different clubs across the state of Florida," Di Castri said. "Some teams would come to visit Tallahassee -- other teams, we would go to visit in Naples, Orlando, and Miami.
"The boys started to show up from the beginning. They won out all of their games and only tied out one game in the process. That's what set the stage in that winning culture that we try to install in the kids."
How they got there
It wasn't easy clinching a championship berth.
The 2009 Boys spent nearly a week in North Carolina competing in a match per day against the winners of the East Coast.
"It was a five day experience," Di Castri said. "We played one game everyday against the champions of the each league across the east coast.
"We managed to get to the championship due to the fact that we won the Florida league. It was a really good experience -- early morning games and we did some activities off the field so all-around, it was just a great experience."
Raising the trophy
Tallahassee had to take down a stingy Charleston defensive team. Charleston was riding high off three shutouts heading into the championship.
Tallahassee's coaching staff formulated a plan that combined its knowledge and parents' observations that led to the 4-2 win.
"Going into it, we knew it was going to be tough," Di Castri said. "Charleston had not conceded a goal in the previous three games.
"We knew they were dangerous in set pieces and good with ball movement. Thanks to some scouting from some parents, we got a little bit of a strategy in place the night before and we knew that if we put them under pressure and played direct and with purpose, we would be able to create a challenge. We felt the pressure, embraced it, and stood strong."
The championship comes in Di Castri's second season coaching U-13. Previously he's coached the U-17 team of Florida Elite Soccer Academy.
"They've had some excellent coaches previous to me, so that's important to mention," he said. "It's been an opportunity for us to put all of work together over the course of those two years and get rewarded for it.
"We preach hard work, dedication, and commitment to not only the game but each other. This culture that we've instilled in them has developed a squad of gritty and purposeful soccer players that would do anything for one another. In the end, they got what they deserved which was to be a championship."
Roster
Gerald Ananga
Noe Arceo
Lucas Balog
Alfred Beemer
Brady Cohen
Christian Heath
Jackson Kukla
Evan Mauldin
Luke McElroy
Gabriel Mejia
Bain Brannen
Rhys Newman
Braden Rommel
Kenji Sun
Nathan Thomas
Camden Williams
Gerald Thomas III covers FAMU athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at gdthomas@gannett.com or on Twitter @3peatgee.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Community Sports: Florida Elite Soccer wins U13 NPL East title in NC
