The highlight of the last weekend's President's Cup youth tournament was great soccer, but the tilt was notable as well as the weekend the sun finally decided to make its grand and glorious entrance onto the spring stage.
The Twin Falls Rapids Soccer Club staged its annual President's Cup tournament, May 17-18, at various venues around the city. The tilt attracted 70 teams in 12 different age divisions, including 15 teams from local club, Sawtooth United F.C.
"All the players had a blast. What a great tournament," said coach and club vice-president Richard Whitelaw.
Gillian Hatch's U-17 girls and Ken Morrell's U-13 girls both made it to their division's championship games.
Morrell's kickers played the Utah Firebirds to a scoreless tie before falling on penalty kicks. Still, the result was notable as SUFC lost to the same squad 6-0 just a month ago in Boise.
"The girls have worked really hard and shown so much improvement," Morrell said.
SUFC's U-17 girls (2-2) finished second after a 4-2 loss in the final to Twin Falls Rapids.
"We had great goaltending throughout the weekend by Hunter Thompson, Lina Klumpp and Maddie Kate Currie," Hatch said. Aimee Evans finished with six of the team's eight goals.
Tripp Hutchinson, a player with the U-10 boys, defended his title in the Battle of the Goalies competition.
Sawtooth United rounds out the competitive spring season in Rocky Mountain League games at Bozeman, Montana, May 31-June 1. Results:
SUFC Girls
U-11 (1-2 record, National Division), coach Brisa Ayub. SUFC lost 5-1 to Les Bois; lost 6-0 to Real Boise; defeated Treasure Valley 1-0.
U-11 (0-3 record, American Division), coach Kipp Mills. SUFC lost 6-0 to Les Bois; lost 6-0 to Gate City; lost 1-0 to Boise Capitals.
U-12 Avalanche (1-2 record, American Division), coach Lynn Chaldu. SUFC lost 7-1 to Utah Firebirds (penalty kick by Jordan Fitzgerald); lost 2-1 to Boise White; beat Elko Rubies 2-1.
U-12 Blizzard (0-3 record, National Division), coach Lynn Chaldu. SUFC lost to PAL Meridian, Boise Capitals, TVSC Shock.
U-13 (1-1-2 record, second place), coach Ken Morrell. SUFC lost 1-0 to Meridian (Man of the Match Grace Carroll); won 1-0 over Meridian (MOM Maddie Hendricks); tied Utah 0-0 and then played the Firebirds to a scoreless tie in the championship. Utah won on penalty kicks (MOM Olivia Mason).
U-14 (1-2 record), coach Erika Connelly. SUFC won 1-0 over Firebirds White (own goal, Man of Match Erin Murphy); lost 2-0 to Kickers United (MOM Ali Appleton); lost 2-0 to PVSC (MOM Cheyanne Swanson).
U-17 (2-2, second place), coach Gillian Hatch. SUFC defeated Meridian 1-0 on goal by Aimee Evans; lost to Twin Falls 3-2 with both goals by Evans; beat Mountain Home 3-0 on goals by Evans; lost to Twin Falls 4-2 in championship with goals by Laura Elgee and Lina Klumpp. Most Valuable Players were Kelly Chapman, Meagan Carey, Hannah Hennessy and Laura Elgee.
SUFC Boys
U-10 Black (1-2 record), coach Tim Graves. SUFC lost 6-0 to Firebirds Black; lost 5-2 to Firebirds Red (goals by Danny Graves); defeated Twin Falls U9 4-0 (goals by Walker Whaley 2, Danny Graves, Yuri McClure).
U-10 Yellow (1-1-1 record), coach Richard Whitelaw. SUFC tied Twin Falls U10 3-3 (goals by Garrett Rawlings, Keegan Whitelaw, Jack Goodwin); defeated Twin Falls U9 5-1 (goals by Henry Everitt 2, Jack Goodwin, Keegan Whitelaw, Jordan Bjorkman); lost to Les Bois 3-2 (goals by Jack Goodwin).
U-11 Avalanche (1-2 record, American Division), coach Mark Gasenica. SUFC lost 3-0 to Boise Capitals (Man of the Match Taylor Cooper); defeated Jackson Hole 4-0 (goals Eli Conrad 2, Desmond Porth, George Everitt, assists Austin Savaria, George Everitt, Tanner Josey, MOM Jonathan Scott); lost 1-0 to Idaho Rush (MOM Eli Conrad).
U-11 Blizzard (0-2-1 record, National Division), coach Adam Porth. SUFC lost 5-0 to Boise Capitals; lost 8-0 to Les Bois; tied Boise Capitals 3-3. Man of the Match went to Jacob Peavey, Austin Krentz, Sage Kelly (2 goals).
U-12 Navy (1-1-1 record, American Division), coach Trey Knox. SUFC tied Boise Capitals 2-2 (goals Miles Remington, Stephen Pfeiffer); lost 3-0 to Vallivue; defeated Boise Capitals 4-0 (goals Gus Conrad 2, Tyler Spence, Zack Mizculski).
U-12 White (1-1-1 record, National Division semifinalist), coach Jenni Conrad. SUFC lost to the Boise Capitals 9-4 (goals Bobby Corker 2, Gus Conrad, Eron Bates); defeated Idaho Rush 3-2 (goals Eron Bates 2, Drew Morse); tied Twin Falls 1-1 (goal Drew Morse), lost on penalty kicks.
U-13 (0-2-2 record), coach Aaron Thompson, assistant Spencer Flade. SUFC fell to Kickers United 5-1(goals by Ben Kanellitsas, assist Zach Lindahl; lost 3-1 to Les Bois (goal Reed Matthews, assist Zach Lindahl; defeated Jackson Hole on penalty kicks to play in fifth-place game; lost to Twin Falls Rapids in a shootout, 3-2, after a scoreless regulation stanza.
U-14 (0-3 record), coach Luis Monjares. SUFC lost 2-0 to Idaho Rush; tied Jackson Hole 2-2; lost to Utah Firebirds 3-0. Coach Monjares said "great performances" by Tim Kanellitsas and Cassidy Carson.
