FRISCO, Texas (May 18, 2022) — The Great Lakes Conference saw another exciting weekend of high-stakes competition come to a close on Sunday, and numerous teams positioned themselves for success after coming away with crucial victories.
Multiple teams in the top-tier divisions of the Great Lakes Conference also earned berths to the 2022 USYS Midwest Regional Championships and the 2022-23 season of National League P.R.O.
A brief look at some key girls results:
GTFC Impact Girls 08 Premier (OH) capped off a perfect, undefeated season with two more convincing victories this weekend in the 14U Premier I Division. Included in GTFC’s impressive performance was a pivotal 2-0 win over TFA G08 Elite (OH) on Sunday, with both entering the match with a chance to finish in first place.
Mike Aubry, head coach of GTFC Impact Girls 08 Premier (OH), credited the Great Lakes Conference for helping his team stay prepared.
“The Great Lakes Conference has been amazing at preparing us for any level of competition,” Aubry said. “We are grateful to have so many great opponents close to home to challenge us and foster growth.”
With GTFC 08 winning its division, the team earned a berth to the Midwest Regional Championships and also secured a place in the 2022-23 National League P.R.O. season. Aubry talked about what it meant for his team to accomplish that feat — and with a perfect record, no less.
“We are truly honored to be representing our league at Regionals,” Aubry said. “To have a perfect record against the best teams in the region is a credit to my kids. I’m humbled by them daily. Their focus and drive make me determined to be a better coach so I never let them down.”
GTFC Impact Girls 08 Premier (OH) scored an impressive 24 goals while allowing only one through its seven games in the Great Lakes Conference and will look to build off that success at the Midwest Regional Championships next month.
A brief look at some key boys results:
Detroit City FC West 05B Rouge (MI) picked up two crucial wins this weekend in the 17U Premier II Blue Division with its sights set on earning promotion into the Premier I Division for next season.
Detroit City’s hard-fought matches against Liverpool FC Central 05 B Academy 2 (MI) and WNY Flash 05B Central Pilato (NYW) pushed them to 6-0-0 on the season and improved its goal differential to plus-12.
George Tomasso, head coach of Detroit City FC West 05B Rouge (MI), attributed his team's success to a multitude of things.
"Our team's success has come from a combination of goal setting, sacrifices, and some good fortune," said Tomasso. "First, we created expectations and then discussed how we were going to achieve them. Our players have committed to the challenging practice and game schedule, while sacrificing their personal time, to make the team the priority. They have also gone above and beyond to take care of their physical health and nutritional needs. Our team has done a great job of conveying the Detroit City FC culture, and these young men are respectable role models for our younger generations of players in the club."
Tomasso was also appreciative of the Great Lakes Conference for providing top-level competition.
"The Great Lakes Conference offers a competitive schedule that allows our team to play against a wide variety of tactics and demographics," Tomasso said. "All of our games have been close and every team has competed until the final whistle. The coaches and players have been very respectful throughout the year and this has been an enjoyable season."
A brief look at some key Club vs. Club results:
Cincinnati United Premier (OH) hosted Ohio Galaxies FC (OH) to wrap up a very successful boys Club vs. Club campaign across all age groups. Each of the matches between CUP and Ohio Galaxies were closely contested, but CUP managed to come away with victories in each game — three by one-goal margins to go along with a pair of shutouts.
The 1-0 win by CUP 06 Gold allowed it to finish 7-0-0 and on top of the 16U Boys age group, while a 2-1 win by CUP 07 Gold capped off a title-winning 7-0-0 run in the 17U Boys age group. Meanwhile, Club CUP Elite 03 secured a 2-1 win to finish 5-0-0 and on top of the 19U Boys standings.
In the 18U Boys age group, CUP 04 Gold’s 2-0 win helped it finish 4-0-1 and on top of the standings, while CUP 07B Gold had the biggest win of the day — a 3-0 result — that capped off a 6-1-0 Club vs. Club campaign that resulted in a second-place finish in the 15U Boys age group.
On the girls’ side of Club vs. Club, GTFC Impact Girls 07 Premier (OH) and Ft Wayne United 07G Academy (IN) played to a 2-2 draw, which left both sides in contention for the top spot in the 15U Girls standings entering the season’s final weeks.
In the 16U Girls group, Ohio Galaxies FC 06 Elite (OH) picked up a big 2-0 win against TFA G06 Elite (OH). Galaxies are just a couple points out of first place with a game in hand on the teams above it in the standings. Ohio Galaxies also holds the top spots in the 17U Girls, 18U Girls and 19U Girls age groups, with its teams having combined for a 12 wins from 12 games across those ages.
The Great Lakes Conference is one of 13 conferences in the USYS National League. Action in the Great Lakes Conference will continue this coming weekend with teams inching closer to earning qualification into National League P.R.O. or a spot at the USYS Midwest Regional Championships.
For more information on the Great Lakes Conference, including schedules, scores, and standings, click here.
For more information on all the National League Conferences and the National League P.R.O., click here.