FRISCO, Texas (April 20, 2023) — The USYS Frontier Conference standings are solidified after more than 60 teams from the conference came together to compete April 15-16 in exciting end-of-season matchups in Fort Worth, Texas.
The action at Rolling Hills Soccer Complex in Fort Worth provided plenty of meaningful games, as the results impacted advancement to the regional and national stages of the USYS National Championship Series, as well next season’s National League Conference Playoffs.
Several of the divisions came down to the final game, with every goal across the season impacting the top of the standings. That was the case in the 18U Boys Premier I Division, where FC Dallas Youth 05B North Blue (TX-N) won a three-way tiebreaker to take the group title.
“After playing in Frontier Conference for many years, it’s awesome to finally win Frontier Conference,” FC Dallas manager Mark Matz said. “We had a fun yet tight weekend at Rolling Hills. We needed a last-minute goal by Braeden Williamson on Saturday to squeak out a 2-2 tie. Then on Sunday, after a scoreless first 40 minutes, we went back and forth with Austin Texans — with goals by Sam Matz, Fabricio Martinez and Jacob Owings, until Braeden finished the scoring for our 4-2 win.”
In the 19U Girls Premier I Division, Sparta FC 04G (TX-N) experienced a similar conclusion to its Frontier Conference campaign, as the team entered the weekend in Fort Worth with a chance for its players to decide their fate on the field.
“This is the EXACT reason we love participating in the Frontier Conference. We came in needing a win and multiple goals, and the girls gutted out a 4-2 win — catapulting us from third place to first place and earning a spot in Southern Regionals,” said Sparta FC coach Clay Rasmussen. “We love the Frontier Conference, as it provides with a whole different level of competition and gives us a route to Nationals.
“This is our third year qualifying for Southern Regionals, and our girls make qualifying their primary goal at the start of every season. The level of competition is unmatched, and we love the exposure to college coaches. It’s a little sad this is our last year, but we want to make a deep run moving forward.”
In all, the final weekend of Frontier Conference play saw 14 berths to Southern Regionals determined, along with 19 placed in the 2023-24 Conference Playoffs, plus a berth directly to the 2023 USYS National Championships.
Take a look back at some of the key results from the Fort Worth weekend…
BOYS
- Avanti Soccer Academy 09B West won, 1-0, against Imperial SC 09B NLFC to secure first place in the 14U Boys age group. Avanti finished just one point ahead of Imperial in the final standings.
- FC Dallas ETX 08 Garcia secured a pair of 2-1 wins in Fort Worth to complete an 8-1-0 season and first-place finish in the 15U Boys age group
- Rayos 07B Martinez picked up four points from its final two games to narrowly edge DKSC 07B Yazzan by one point for the top spot in the 16U Boys age group.
- Barca Academy Austin 06B Blue came away with two big wins last weekend to finish 5-1-3 in the 17U Boys Age Group. Every game mattered, as its goal difference helped Barca clinch first place in a tiebreaker over Inwood SC ID TFC Pre-Academy 06B SCL.
- FC Dallas Youth 05B North Blue picked up four points in Fort Worth and came away on top of a three-way tiebreaker for first place in the 18U Boys age group.
- Solar 04B Ajdukovich finished an unbeaten 19U Boys campaign with a shutout win in Fort Worth, as it won the division with a 7-0-1 record.
GIRLS
- After dropping its Saturday matchup, DKSC 09G Naizer bounced back for a dominant win on Sunday to win the 14U Girls age group. It took first place thanks to a tiebreaking early-season win against Sporting OK 2009 Girls, who finished level with DKSC on 12 points.
- Villarreal NTX 08G clinched a first-place finish in the 15U Girls age group with a 2-0 win against FIERCE 08G, which finished second.
- FC Westlake Elite 64 07G 2 recorded a 3-1 win on Sunday to complete a 7-0-0 first-place campaign in the 16U Girls age group.
- Every goal mattered in Sparta FC 04G’s 4-2 win against Houston Dynamo Dash YSC Dash Beaumont 04/05 PA on Sunday. The result forced a three-way tie at the top of the 19U Girls age group, and a goal differential tiebreaker helped Sparta secure first place.
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The Frontier Conference is one of 13 Conferences in the USYS National League. Teams competing in the National League Conferences have the ability to qualify for their respective USYS Regional Championship and qualify for the following season’s Conference Playoffs.
The Conference Playoffs are part of the newly announced national event structure within the National League — giving all teams in the National League a unified pathway to earn their place into National League P.R.O. and compete for berths to the USYS National Championships.
For more information on the Frontier Conference, including schedules, scores, and standings, click here.