U20 squad brings club its first national title
July 18, 2011
The Canton Celtic U20 men’s team traveled 10 hours to Manalapan, NJ this past weekend and came back as USASA U20 National Champions. In a grueling five-match finals weekend, Celtic avenged a 2-1 group-play loss to Rochester FC (NY-west) by beating them in the final 2-1. The USASA U20 title is the Canton Soccer Club’s first-ever national championship.
Celtic opened group play Friday by losing to Rochester FC 2-1, though Celtic scored in the 3rd minute on a goal by Matt Nedwicki (Divine Child, University of Detroit-Mercy). In the second group match, Celtic got a goal in the final 5 minutes from Etienne Lussiez (Churchill, Michigan) to best Montgomery United (MA) 1-0. Needing just a tie in its final group match to advance, Celtic took a 2-0 lead on goals by Lussiez and Nedwicki, only to see Bethlehem Soccer Club (NY-east) even things up. It was not enough for Bethlemhem, though, as Cetlic went thru to the USASA U20 final four.
Sunday morning, in the semifinal match, Celtic again scored early on a timely 3rd minute headed goal by Nedwicki. Celtic then raced out to a 3-0 halftime lead, and 4-0 victory over Junior Lone Star FC (PA-east), as Moustafa Bazzi (Detroit-Mercy) recorded two goals and Adam Wright (Olivet) one.
In the other semifinal, Rochester FC also beat ABGC La U (VA) 4-0. This set up a rematch between Rochester FC and Canton Celtic in the national championship match. Lussiez got things going in the 12 minute with a sublime left-footed half volley that found the top corner from 24 yards out. Not long after, Bazzi picked up his third goal of the tournament to put Celtic up 2-0 and seal the national championship.
Captain Mitch Reinhart (Canton, SVSU) and assistant Sasha Miskovic (Salem, Duquesne) led a team that included John Krutty, Lachlan Savage, Jeremy Stoychoff, Zach Walega, and Mohammad Pourmandi, all from Salem, Adam Bedell and Lussiez, from Livonia Churchill, Adam Wright, Travis Smith, Matt Ybarra, Marco Bernardini, Jack Brown, Morley Burns, and Kyle Winningham.
Head Coach David Hebestreit was accompanied on the trip by assistant coach Kieran Savage and certified athletic trainer Carly George. The Celtic men’s program has amassed an 84-27-10 record since its inception in 2005 by CSC director of coaching Pete Alexander. Hebestreit, in charge of the men’s program since 2006, has added a U23 and a U20 team, 2 Gerhard Mengel State Cup championships (2008, 2010), 2 USASA Michigan Amateur Championships (2008, 2011), and now a USASA U20 National Championship.
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