Three AYSO squads are Western champs
Capturing the AYSO Western State Championship were members of the Manhattan/Hermosa All-Star team consisting of (front row, left to right) Rebecca Fox, Madilynn Collins, Charlotte Kwon, Rebecca Rytz, Ella Dvorchak, Isadora Scott, Kayce Weber, (back row) Coach Krista Skinner, Shea Steggel, Lindsay Skinner, Grace Partin, Isabel Wilmot, Sophia Scott, Payton Murray, Emily Champion and Assistant Coach Todd Collins.
Three of four AYSO Region 18 All-Star teams from Manhattan and Hermosa Beach claimed championships at the Western States Championships held at the Kern County Soccer Park in Bakersfield on March 18.
Competing against the top teams from California, Oregon, Washington and Nevada, the Region 18 Girls U14, Boys U10 and Boys U12 teams from Manhattan/Hermosa won titles while the Boys U14 squad fell in the semifinals.
The GU14 team dominated Agoura Westlake 8-0 to claim their title while outscoring opponents 68-5 during the season.
The BU12 squad defeated Burbank and the BU10 team edge Van Nuys, both recording 3-1 victories.
The championships were the 12th, 13th and 14th that Region 18 has amassed over the past five years with 12 coming since 2016.
“This has been an unbelievable season for our All-Stars, with six teams coming out of Area 1D play to compete in the Section 1 tournament,” said Andrew Lelchuk, Regional Commissioner for Region 18. “And with all six of those teams playing in Section 1 championship games, and having four triumph to move on to Bakersfield was a watershed moment for our Region. This is what AYSO is all about – creating great experiences and long-lasting memories. We are focused on our region continuing to put more resources toward instruction and mentoring for our volunteer coaches so that all of our 3,500 players can have great experiences like these teams.”
AYSO was founded in Torrance in 1964 and is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. The original group of devoted soccer enthusiasts started the organization out of a garage with nine teams. Today, the national non-profit has more than 50,000 teams, nearly 900 leagues, and 500,000 players nationwide.
For more information, contact Andrew Lelchuk at commissioner_region_18@ayso18.org or visit AYSO.org.