Complete U.S. Open Cup Coverage

2012 US Open Cup qualifying

2012 US Open Cup qualifying: Charm City, Maryland Bays advance to USASA Maryland final rematch

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An experienced Charm City squad was a 3-1 winner over a strong but young Baltimore Juniors team on Sunday paving the way for their entrance into the US Open Cup Maryland state final March 4. On the other side of the bracket the defending champion Maryland Bays blanked Christos FC, 2-0, in the second match of the semifinal doubleheader at Western Regional Park in Woodbine despite using a field player in goal for the overtime affair.

The championship pairing in two weeks’ time will be a rematch of the 2011 final between Charm City and the Maryland Bays, a pair of clubs that have been to the past two Region I tournaments, respectively, as representatives for the state.

Charm City capped a hard fought first 45 against Baltimore Juniors when Scott Zakroski delivered a picturesque volley into the upper corner off a Lou Brunetti cross in first half stoppage time to give Charm City the momentum going into the half.

The game, however, got chippy after the break, including Ben Pardew being taken down in the penalty area.  Baltimore Juniors’ Dan Martinnsen was ejected for the foul as it was a denial of a clear goal scoring opportunity, but Charm Cmarity missed the kick from the spot when Baltimore Juniors keeper Tom Durkin tipped the shot wide.

Not to be deterred, Charm City kept their foot on the gas and came right back down the field. Wiji Jones delivered a perfect cross, his third assist in two games, and Tommy Appel-Schumacher headed it in for the 2-0 advantage on 62 minutes.

Baltimore got one back in the 80th minute when Andrew Stoenfeld hammered in a free kick from distance.

A chance at equalizing was dashed though for Baltimore when Wiji Jones, showing a penchant for game sealers, tapped home his second late goal in as many weeks. It was the result of a strong individual effort from Luke Pardew beating his defender down the end line and going hard in the box before finding Jones for the tap in for a 3-1 win, giving Charm City an aggregate score of 12-2 over the opposition through two rounds of play having won 9-1 the week before.

While the first match was clinched for certainty in the late stages, the second contest went the distance as the Bays and Christos played to a scoreless stalemate for 90 minutes. The Bays would advance through to the final with a pair of strikes in the final three minutes of overtime.

The deadlock ended in the 117th minute via an Andrew Gillis goal, deep in the second overtime assisted by Will Beckman.

The scoring was capped off by a Jon Ports empty netter as the Christos goal was open after the whole team had pushed up in search of an equalizer in the waning seconds.

Christos had their chances in the second half, but failed to capitalize while the Bays displayed the form that delivered them the 2011 State Open Cup title.  Making the victory all the more impressive for the Bays was that they did it without an established goalkeeper.  Matt Beale played in goal for the Bays, a change from his usual role as a defensive outside midfielder.  According to coach Bryan Bugarin, regular keeper Phil Latham is expected to be back in goal for the final.

Bugarin used to play for Christos himself before the Bays were formed in 2009 as a result of a reunion of a group of talented post-collegiate players who rose together through the youth ranks.

“The players’ comfort with each other shows on the field.” said Bugarin. It is certainly reflected in the clubs all-time record of 69-7-6.

The final is a rematch of last year’s championship clash, a game that went 5-1 in favor of the Bays courtesy of four Marco Mangione goals.  The Bays will be without Mangione this time around as he signed with GD Tourizense of the Segunda Divisao (Portuguese third division) in January.

It is the third consecutive year in which Charm City has reached the final, though in 2010 the state skipped the contest and sent both finalists directly onto the Region I tournament without crowning a singular champion.

Charm City player/coach Pat Crawford is looking forward to the challenge. “The Bays won the league last fall with a 14-0-2 record, they are well coached, are always technically sound, and I’m sure they will be looking to get back at us after we beat them 3-0 in the fall,” he said of the opposition.

The championship game will be held on March 4 at the same field where the rest of the games have been held: Western Regional Park (Field #5) in Woodbine.

Maryland USASA Open Cup Semifinals
Western Regional Park, – Woodbine, MD
Sunday, Feb.  19, 2012

Charm City 3:1 Baltimore Juniors
CC: Scott Zakroski (Lou Brunetti) 45
CC: Tommy Appel-Schumacher (Wiji Jones) 62
BJ: Andrew Stoenfeld 80
CC: Wiji Jones (Luke Pardew) 89

Maryland Bays 2:0 (AET) Christos FC
MB: Andrew Gillis (Will Beckman) 117
MB: Jon Ports 120

2012 US Open Cup qualifying: Dulles Sportsplex Aegean Hawks defeat Atletico VA to regain DC/VA title

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The Dulles Sportsplex Aegean Hawks are once again Open Cup champions of the Metropolitan DC-VA Soccer Association, taking another step to returning to the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup for the first time since 2009. By a 3-1 scoreline, the Hawks defeated Club Atletico Virginia, the two-time defending DC/VA Open Cup champion in the championship game at Long Bridge Park in Arlington, Va on Sunday, Feb. 19.

First half substitute Ernesto Marquez scored twice and Sam Scales added another to return the trophy to the Hawks, who won four straight DC/VA titles between 2006-09 before CAV dethroned them in 2010 and won it again last year. The win clinches the Hawks a spot in the 2012 USASA Region I Finals, which will begin at a date yet to be announced.

The Hawks opened up the scoring in the 40th minute on a play that began out of the backline and pushed out to the attacking third, down the left wing. The ball was played to the top of the box which began a clever display of one touch soccer, with Michael Goldman touching it to Guilherme Fonseca, who laid it off to Marquez for the goal.

They continued the offensive pressure after halftime, adding a second on the counter attack in the 53rd minute. Scales, who was selected last year by Sporting Kansas City in the MLS Supplemental Draft, received the ball in the middle of the field and sent a looping ball out in front of Fonseca into the far corner. Fonseca tracked down the ball, crossed it into middle of the box where he found Scales who was had made a run. The former Ohio State Buckeye kept his eye on the cross and volleyed it out of the air and into the back of the net to make it 2-0 in the 47th minute.

Metro DC / Virginia Soccer Association

Marquez, who played his college ball at George Mason University, would add a third just six minutes later. Fonseca sent a through ball to the left midfielder who broke in behind the defense and calmly fired a shot past the CAV goalkeeper.

Atletico would pull one back in the 68th minute when John Carson fed Andrew Richardson for a shot on goal that was saved by Chris Fenner, but Richardson followed up on the rebound and put it in to make it 3-1.

The win on Sunday was a welcomed one for Hawks manager Jonathan Knight, helping the club get a monkey off their back, as he put it. Prior to the championship game, the Hawks had claimed victory just once in their last seven meetings with CAV.

“ have had our number,” said Knight. “It was definitely a satisfying win in what has become a fierce rivalry.”

After two years without advancing in Open Cup qualifying, Knight says his team is “hungry again.”

“We added a bunch of new players, and also sent the message to our whole team that they have to be more committed, and they’ve responded,” said Knight. “There’s a lot of potential with this group and I think we could make a run at qualifying for the Open Cup, as well as winning a national championship. But we still have a lot of work to do.”

2012 DC/VA Open Cup Final
February 19 – Long Bridge Park – Arlington, Va.
Dulles Sportsplex Aegean Hawks 3:1 Club Atletico Virginia

Scoring Summary
AH: Ernesto Marquez (Guilherme Fonseca) – 40th minute
AH: Sam Scales (Guilherme Fonseca) – 47th minute
AH: Ernesto Marquez (Guilherme Fonseca) – 53rd minute
CAV: Andrew Richardson (Unassisted) – 68th minute

Dulles Sportsplex Aegean Hawks lineup: Chris Fenner (GK), Alan Golden (Mateus dos Anjos – 60th), Pat Selwood, James Kpainay, Lonnie Carter (Michael Montross – 70th), Erwin Diaz (Ernesto Marquez – 30th), Michael Goldman, Sam Scales, Devlin Barnes, Guilherme Fonseca (Ricky Schramm – 75th), Scott Larrabee

Club Atletico Virginia lineup: Derek Biss (GK), John Bello (RB), Phil Purdy (CB), Tremaine Chinapoo (CB), Dave Leon (LB), Josh Dodds (RM), Javier Castro (CM), John Carson (CM), Andrew Richardson (LM), Yoni Berhanu (FWD), Billy Whittington (FWD)
Subs: Bryant Meckley (Josh Dodds), Stephen Macurdy (John Bello), Nolan Rodman (Andrew Richardson)

Recent DC/VA Open Cup champions:
2012: Dulles Sportsplex Aegean Hawks
2011: Club Atletico Virginia
2010: Club Atletico Virginia
2009: Dulles Sportsplex Aegean Hawks
2008: Dulles Sportsplex Aegean Hawks
2007: Dulles Sportsplex Aegean Hawks
2006: Dulles Sportsplex Aegean Hawks
2005: Lex United
2004: LCC International
2003: Dynamos FC
2002: LCC International
2001: Virginia Beach International
2000: LCC International
1999: Zorba FC
1998: LCC International

2012 US Open Cup qualifying: Mass Premier Soccer thriller highlights opening round of Massachusetts tournament

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Four teams have advanced to the semifinals of the Massachusetts Open Cup qualifying tournament, with the goal of moving on to regionals.

Boston Olympiakos needed overtime, while Mass Premier Soccer survived an eight-goal thriller that required penalty kicks to punch their ticket to the final four. Meanwhile, Battery Park Gunners had no trouble with Strela Negra, hammering them 7-0, while Mass United FC got a free pass when CF Canon Sportif were unable to field a full squad and forfeited.

Olympiakos faced a stingy defense in Boston Cambridge Somerville Eleven (BCS XI), but they came away with a 1-0 extra time victory. According to the Olympiakos website, they launched 73 shots at the BCS XI goalkeeper with 32 of them on goal, and only one found the back of the net. The breakthrough came in the 8th minute of extra time when Quievon Correia served a cross into the penalty area and found Samuel Appiah for the game-winning goal.

Boston Olympiakos  are looking to return to the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup for the first time since 2008. Last year, they won the Massachusetts Open Cup championship, but lost to Danbury United (Connecticut) 2-1 in the opening round of the Region I tournament. The year before, they lost to Emigrantes Das Ilhas in the Massachusetts Open Cup final. In 2008, they qualified for the Open Cup but lost to the Western Pass Pioneers (USL-2 , Third Division professional) 2-0 in the First Round.

Olympiakos will face off with the Battery Park Gunners in the semifinals, a team that cruised through their opening round match with Strela Negra, 7-0.  The two will play at Madison Park High School in Roxbury, Mass. at 1:30 p.m. on Dec. 11 with a spot in the state championship game on the line.

The other semifinal will take place at the same field and on the same day at 11:30 a.m. It will feature Mass United FC, the beneficiaries of a first round forfeit by CF Canon Sportif, and Mass Premier Soccer.

Mass Premier Soccer: 2011 Massachusetts Open Cup champions
Mass Premier Soccer won last year's Massachusetts Open Cup championship

Mass Premier Soccer reached the final four in thrilling fashion, defeating East Providence Sports in the eighth round of penalty kicks, 7-6, after finishing extra time tied at 4-4. The contest was a rematch of last year’s Region I opening round contest in which MPS advanced, 4-1, to the semifinals. East Providence advanced to the regionals a year ago as the lone entry from Rhode Island, but were placed into the Massachusetts qualifying tournament this year due to the club’s participation in a league based in the neighboring state.

Most of the action took place in back-and-forth seven-goal second half after the first 45 minutes finished with MPS clinging to a 1-0 lead. Matt Hoff scored the lone first half goal on a bending ball from the left wing.

That lead didn’t last long as East Providence countered a couple of minutes into the second half by sending a ball across the box to the onrushing Anthony Petrarca. The former Cape Cod Crusader (PDL) and Western Mass Pioneers (USL-2) midfielder tracked it down and volleyed it into the back of the net with an acrobatic scissor kick. Shortly after, Hoff gave MPS the lead once again when his low cross was redirected by a defender and ended up beating his goalkeeper for an own goal. About 10 minutes later, East Providence leveled the match when MPS defender Derek Nobrega took down Kyle Teixeira in the penalty area and the spot kick was awarded. Teixeira, another former USL-2 Pioneer, converted the penalty kick to make it 2-2.

For the remaining 30 minutes of the match, East Providence pushed several players into the attack, trying to go for the win, but the MPS defense held strong and the game went into overtime. Key in the effort was goalkeeper Nick Armington, who made a fantastic diving save in the final minutes of regulation.

As if the opening 90 did not have enough drama, the visitors from Rhode Island amped up tension with a strike two minutes into extra time. Teixeira schooled the MPS defenders, popping the ball over the midfield before touching it around the centerback and firing a volley past Armington.

Approximately eight minutes later Nick Christman put the match on level terms again when he drew a penalty created by an excellent individual effort when he snared the ball while speeding by a defender attempting to shield the ball out of play. Christman would have to wait for the celebration as the East Providence goalkeeper made a dramatic save, but followed up the attempt and put in the rebound.  Three minutes later, Yoshio Kaneko picked up the ball at the top of the box and sent a floating cross to the back post where Nick Figueredo buried a volley for a 4-3 MPS advantage two minutes before the two clubs switched sides for the final 15.

With both sides exhausted, MPS was looking to keep East Providence from creating more fireworks. But the December evening continued to resemble the Fourth of July. With five minutes remaining, hearts skipped a beat on the MPS bench when a shot rang off Armington’s post. Two minutes later, however, another mistake proved costly as Teixeira got another crack from the spot when Pumelele Magubela took down an East Providence striker dribbling through the box. Teixeira completed his hat-trick by slamming the ball into the roof of the net, sending the contest onto penalties.

Neither goalkeeper had much luck in the early stages of the tiebreaker, though Nobrega’s attempt went in off the underside of the crossbar in the fourth round and Cross’ shot trickled in over the netminder’s hand in the fifth. Still tied, Magubela was first up for MPS in sudden death, but his chance at redemption went horribly wrong when he attempted an unusual stutter-step attempt and missed the goal three yards wide. East Providence, however, failed to take advantage as the next shooter missed high.

With both converting in the seventh round and Bedig tallying for MPS in the eighth, Armington made the final statement of the night with his head, literally, as his save sent the ball ricocheting off his head and away from the goal.

2012 US Open Cup qualifying: Greek American Atlas thrash Pancyprian Freedoms to regain Eastern NY crown

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New York Greek American Atlas: 4-time Open Cup champions (1967, 1968, 1969, 1974)

On a cold November evening , the New York Greek American Atlas, four-time US Open Cup winners, reclaimed their Eastern New York title with a 4-0 win over 3-time Open Cup champion New York Pancyprian Freedoms. It was their second meeting in nine days, and it took place at Belson Stadium on the campus of St. John’s University. The Greeks won the last meeting in league play 2-0 and with the win in the championship game, they have booked a place in next spring’s USASA Region I tournament, with a spot in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup on the line.

Keith Detelj scored a pair of goals for the Greeks who, with the win, earn their first Eastern NY Open Cup title since 2007, breaking a string of four straight by the Freedoms.

Play became chippy right from the kick off, as it was obvious that these two shared a fierce rivalry. Throughout the first 20 minutes of the contest, the teams had an equal share of possession, with both teams fighting through the midfield, hoping to take a much-wanted lead.

The Pancyprian Freedoms had the first real scoring opportunity when Stefan Dimitrov hit a low cross sent in by Anastasios Polydefkis wide off the mark.

It was the Greek AA who made the first breakthrough about nearly midway through the half. A cross from the left flank found it’s way to Keith Detelj who put it past Freedoms keeper Chad Calderone and gave put the Greek Americans up 1-0 after 22 minutes.

Neither keeper saw much action after Detelj’s goal, but the midfield battle that had begun at the start of the game continued until the ref blew the whistle for halftime, no yellow cards given, though there were plenty of opportunities.

The second half of the contest picked up right where it left off for Greek AA. They held a majority of the possession and created more goal scoring opportunities by consistently winning the ball in the midfield. The game’s first yellow card finally came in the 56th minute, as midfielder John Koutsoundis came in hard on one of the Greek AA players. The Greeks continued to press forward, trying to increase their one-goal lead and they were rewarded. A handball in the box led to a penalty kick and Ben Arikian stepped up to the spot and beat Calderone to the right, as the keeper dove the opposite way to make it 2-0 in the 62nd minute.

Greek AA didn’t have to wait long for their next goal, as Detelj fought off two Freedoms defenders to slot home his second of the night and the third for the Greeks in the 64th minute. Shortly afterward, the Greeks received their first yellow card of the night, as Josh Trott came in with a hard tackle a few yards from the penalty area, but the Greek AA were unable to capitalize.

Down three with a little more than twenty minutes to play, the Freedoms attempted to fight back. In the span of five minutes,  Freedoms attacker Julio Cesar Dos Santos struck from about 3 yards from goal, but it was handled by Greek AA keeper Steven Diaz. Dos Santos’ second attempt, a volley from about the same distance as his previous attempt, was also kept out by Diaz with some ease.  The Freedoms fought hard in the game’s last minutes, with a header by Dimitrov sent just wide of Diaz’s goal.

The Greeks made the Freedoms pay with a counter attack, with Paul Shaw chipping the ball from a few yards out past  Calderone to seal the victory and make it 4-0 Greek AA in the 72nd minute. With that goal came the final whistle, and with it advancement to the USASA Region I tournament. The Greek Americans will continue their quest to return to the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup for the first time since 2005 as Region I tournament begins in the spring of next year.

“I thought it was a great win tonight, and thought we thoroughly deserved it,” said Michael Todd of the Greek Americans. “We worked incredibly hard, the guys, everyone on the team, especially the guys coming off the bench. I thought we thoroughly deserved the win and I’m glad we’re in the next round of the cup.”

Martinos Kyprianou, coach of the New York Pancyprian Freedoms was disappointed with the result.

“To beat a team like this, you need to be on top of your game. Clearly tonight we were not,” said Kyprianou. “The effort was there, but we had no concentration. We missed scoring opportunities, they scored on 95% of theirs. And that was the difference of the game.”

The new champions took the toughest road to get to the final, having begun play in the opening round, while the Freedoms earned a bye into the championship game as the winners of the Eastern NY Super Cup tournament in September. After defeating the Manhattan Kickers in the first round 4-2, they narrowly escaped the NY Athletic Club in the next round 1-0, and needed an 89th minute goal from Jamal Neptune in the semifinals to knock off the Barnstonworth Rovers by the same score.

2011 Eastern NY Open Cup championship results
(Winner qualifies for the 2012 USASA Region I tournament)

Round 1
NY Athletic Club 3:1 NY Olympiacos
NY Greek American Atlas 4:2 Manhattan Kickers

Round 2
Barnstonworth Rovers 2:1 NYC Albania
NY Athletic Club 0:1 NY Greek American Atlas

Semifinal (winner plays NY Pancyprian Freedoms in the championship game)
Barnstonworth Rovers 0:1 NY Greek American Atlas

Final
NY Greek American Atlas 4:0 NY Pancyprian Freedoms

Past Eastern NY Open Cup champions (US Open Cup finish)
2003: Greek American Atlas (Did not qualify)
2004: Greek American Atlas (US Open Cup Round 1)
2005: Greek American Atlas (US Open Cup Round 1)
2006: Pancyprian Freedoms (Did not qualify)
2007: Greek American Atlas (Did not qualify)
2008: Pancyprian Freedoms (US Open Cup Round 1)
2009: Pancyprian Freedoms (Did not qualify)
2010: Pancyprian Freedoms (US Open Cup Round 1)
2011: Pancyprian Freedoms (US Open Cup Round 2)
2012: Greek American Atlas (?)

2012 US Open Cup qualifying: Croatian Eagles win Wisconsin in PKs, earn USASA Region II berth

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From Wisconsin Soccer Central

Ilya Ksenidi (West Allis Hale/UW-Green Bay) scored late in extra time and was one of five Croatian Eagles players to convert during penalty kicks as they got past the Milwaukee Kickers 5-4 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in the Wisconsin Open Cup final Sunday at Croatian Park in Franklin.

It’s the first state title for Croatians since 2006, the last time they entered the tournament – that year, they also beat the Kickers 5-4 on penalty kicks after a 1-1 tie in the championship game. As state champions, the Eagles earn a spot in next spring’s US Adult Soccer Association Region II tournament, which traditionally is a qualifier for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.

The match was scoreless through 90 minutes and the first 15-minute session of extra time before Danny Bauer (Marquette) gave the Kickers the lead in the 106th minute, poking a shot past Croatians goalkeeper Bryce Boyd (Milwaukee Marquette/UW-Milwaukee).

But the Eagles found an equalizer with approximately three minutes remaining. After the Kickers cleared the ball out, Croatians midfielder Scott Raymonds (Brookfield East/UW-Green Bay) got it back on the right side and fired from about 25 yards out. Ksenidi was cutting across the box and got a touch on the shot, redirecting it past Kickers keeper Kevin Strong (West Allis Hale).

The Croatians made all of their penalty kicks, with Aaron Schroeder, Mike Narciso, Ksenidi, Jason Willan and Mohammed Sethi (Mequon Homestead) – who scored a last-minute winner to beat Bavarian SC 2-1 in the semifinals – each successful from the spot.

Craig Charlton, Niels Berg (Plymouth), Ryan Richgels (Madison Memorial/UW-Whitewater) and Thomas Sweeney (Milwaukee Marquette/Marquette) converted their attempts for the Kickers before Brian McGuire’s shot went over the crossbar.

The Kickers nearly went ahead in the first period of extra time, but Mike Vukovic went down his knees to clear a ball off the line for the Croatians.

For the most comprehensive coverage of soccer in Wisconsin, visit www.WisconsinSoccerCentral.com

2012 US Open Cup qualifying: RWB Adria first to qualify for USASA regionals, defeat AAC Eagles in Illinois final

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RWB Adria - 2011 Illinois Open Cup champions. Photo: Ninos Alexander

Sixteen days after the Seattle Sounders were crowned Lamar Hunt US Open Cup champions for a third consecutive year, qualifying for the 2012 tournament kicked off in earnest with the Illinois State Final. In a meeting of two well-known clubs, RWB Adria became the first team to advance to a USASA regional tournament, posting a 2-0 victory over rival AAC Eagles Thursday in front of a reported crowd of 400-plus.

The Chicago duo of RWB Adria and AAC Eagles have long been powers in the region, representing USASA Region II in the US Open Cup on eight occasions during the modern professional era (1995-present). While the Eagles have been the more successful club in advancing to the US Open Cup by qualifying five times since 1995, RWB was the dominant side of the two in the Illinois championship.

Two years ago, the Eagles snapped a three-year streak of RWB winning the state crown, winning the Illinois Final, 2-0, to reach the regional tournament. AAC then blitzed Minnesota’s Fire SC, 8-3, before being edged out in the ‘Win and You’re In’ semifinal via penalties, 5-3, after a 3-3 road draw against KC Athletics.

After coming so close to reaching the 2010 tournament, the Eagles dominated in the Region II first round last year with a 7-2 win over FC Indiana that was just short of earning the first berth, setting up a Illinois showdown with RWB, who won a 6-4 overtime road thriller against Detroit United. After falling behind on an early seventh minute Boris Smoljan strike, AAC answered back via a surprise player – center back Piotr Kolasinski. He nodded home the equalizer in the 14th with Mark Golik giving the club the lead before the break. Kolasinski would convert from the spot in the 55th to double the advantage and locked up the match on a curling 19 yard free kick in the 75th minute for a hat-trick to give AAC Eagles a 4-1 victory and a spot in the 2011 US Open Cup.

This year though, the Eagles will need a second chance via an invitation to the regional tournament after falling to RWB Thursday. One of the changes that may have turned the table was the move of the standout Kolasinski, who helped lead RWB to the victory this year.

Igor Stijepic was the key figure in giving RWB the advantage in the match, collecting a throw-in on the right wing and driving up the flank before crossing the ball in to Charlie Trout for the finish in the 20th minute.

The contest livened up with a pair of penalty kicks in about a five minute span in the late stages of the match. The AAC netminder and his left back collided with an RWB attacker, sending Adria to the spot. Semir Mesanovic would convert the penalty to give RWB a two-goal command with 20 minutes remaining.

Five minutes later, a handball gave the Eagles a chance to start a rally, but Pawel Otachel’s attempt right at the keeper was stopped by Igor Dimov, smothering AAC’s hopes of a comeback.

RWB Adria pose for a team photo after winning the 2011 Illinois Open Cup championship. Photo: Ninos Alexander

While Illinois is the first to finish its 2012 US Open Cup qualifying, several other states are also under way. In Region I, Eastern Pennsylvania and Eastern New York started their tournaments over the weekend and the semifinal of the Wisconsin state tournament is already complete.

Scoring Summary

RWB: Charlie Trout (Igor Stijepic) 20
RWB: Semir Mesanovic (penalty) 70

Lineups
RWB – Igor Dimov; Robert Younger, Charlie Trout, Joey Carver, Piotr Kolasinski, Admir Ljeljak, Igor Stijepic, Vlad Baciu (Alex Loncar 85), Taylor Bond (Ifeanyi Okorie 45), Semir Mesanovic, Jani Galik (Boris Smoljan 60)
AAC – Not available

2012 US Open Cup qualifying: Sethi’s late goal sends Croatian Eagles to Wisconsin final

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From WisconsinSoccerCentral.com

Mohammed Sethi (Mequon Homestead) scored in the 90th minute, lifting Croatian Eagles to a 2-1 victory over Bavarian SC in the semifinal match of the Wisconsin Open Cup on Sunday afternoon at Croatian Park in Franklin.

The Croatians advance to play the Milwaukee Kickers in the state final next Sunday at Uihlein Soccer Park.

Kickoff is set for 3 p.m., with the winner qualifying for the U.S. Adult Soccer Association Region II tournament – the top two teams in that tournament typically earn berths in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

Sunday’s game was a rematch of last summer’s Wisconsin Adult Soccer Association Major League playoff final, which the 10-man Bavarians won 2-1 in extra time.

Aaron Lauber (Franklin/UW) gave the Eagles the lead, finishing off a breakaway in the 35th, but Billy Meier (Racine St. Catherine’s/UW-Milwaukee) tied it up for the Bavarians by scoring on a scramble in the box in the 55th.

It appeared the teams were headed to extra time again until Sethi, who spent time with Major League Soccer’s Chivas USA earlier in his career, scored on a shot from the top of the box in the final minute of regulation.

The Croatians last won the state Open Cup in fall 2005, getting past the Kickers 5-4 on penalty kicks following a 1-1 draw, and went on to earn their fourth US Open Cup berth in spring 2006. The Kickers lost to the Bavarians in the state final in fall 2006, ’07 and ’08 before turning the tables in 2009.

For the most comprehensive coverage of soccer in Wisconsin, visit www.WisconsinSoccerCentral.com

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