NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS | July 2, 2018 2:27 pm | Matt Murray
MTOC Weekend Caps Off Amazing Spring 2018 Season!
It was another successful spring for all of our BAYS teams in 2018, with multiple division winners and every team competing hard week in and week out! Needham Soccer Club… View Article
It was another successful spring for all of our BAYS teams in 2018, with multiple division winners and every team competing hard week in and week out! Needham Soccer Club would like to send a big Thank You to this dedicated group of coaches, players and parents for all the time, energy and commitment to both the club and their teams this season. As a result of all the hard work we would like to highlight a few of our teams who went above and beyond this past spring.
Starting things off with our Girls U9 team in their first ever season of BAYS Travel. It was a great first season together for the 3rd Grade girls, scoring over 65 goals and playing some really good soccer along the way. A super talented group with high expectations for the seasons ahead. The girl’s fell just short of finishing a top their division with an impressive 8-2 league record. They also participated in the Wellesley Tournament over Memorial Day Weekend going 4-0 and having a lot of fun in their first ever tournament together!
Boys U9 Crew went undefeated in their first season at the Travel level. After a remarkably hot start in their first 5 games in the lower divisions the boys made enough noise to be promoted up the ranks in a rare mid-season move to D2. While the new move would certainly mean tougher competition, it also meant it would effectively eliminate their chances at finishing on top of the division as their 5-0 record would not be carried over to the new division. Ultimately given the boys no chance at finishing the season in first place. However that didn’t stop them from trying and on the final day of the spring the boys had given themselves a chance to do just that. While they did all they could, again going 5-0 in the second half of the season, they didn’t get the help they needed and fell just points shy of first place on only a half a season of games! Truly a remarkable first season for our newest members to BAYS and leaves everyone excited about what lies ahead for this group.
Girls U10 Rhinos had an eye opening season of ups and downs as they embarked on their first journey through the daunting D1 ranks of BAYS. While the winning results were hard to come by for the Rhinos, the product and process of play was something to be marveled at. Trusting the process is hard enough when the results are going your way and one of the hardest things to do in sports when you consistently end up on the wrong side of a close game. However the grit, determination and commitment to playing the game the right way was rewarded for the Rhinos in the Needham Memorial Day Tournament as the girls played up at the U11 division and walked away from the long weekend Champions!! The girls commitment to each other and to playing the game the right way will surely pay off in the long term and the club is excited to follow that development into next Fall and beyond!
Girls U11 Strikers Won the BAYS Spring 2018 Division 1AA championship going an impressive 8-2 with a +12 goal differential this season. The girls showed an impressive improvement over the past year in not only their touch but their entire approach to putting the ball on the ground to play out of the back and build chances by connecting passes and working together. A true team from back to front and start to finish that showed a tremendous amount of team chemistry and grit all season long as they took on the best that BAYS had to offer and came out as Champions!
The Boys U12 age group saw not one but both of our Travel teams come away from the spring 2018 season atop their respective divisions! The Needham Storm boys finished as Champions of D1/A2 and the Needham Warriors finished as Champions of the highly contested D2! While unfortunately the Warriors were given a very unfavorable matchup in the first round of the Presidents Cup and ultimately fell to Framingham, we could not be more proud of how committed the team was to trying to play their game and fought all the way through the final whistle.
The Needham Storm on the other hand had quite a different run through their tournament as they flew through the Presidents Cup earning themselves a spot in the Massachusetts Tournament of Champions. After going undefeated on Saturday’s group stage the Storm had qualified for the semi-final match. The boys handily defeated Fishermen Tridents in a 4-0 win or go home scenario, earning them the chance to play in the State Championship Finals just hours later! Unfortunately game number 5 in just 24 hours proved to be too much for the boys to continue their impressive run, falling 2-0 to the LYSA Panthers and finishing as runners up. While some will argue it hurts more to come so close and not finish as champions, the lessons learned through this whole run will certainly make this group of boys better in the long run!
Girls U14 United, won the spring Bays section Division 1A going 8-1-1. This spring, United led the section in goals scored (22) and defensively recorded 4 shutouts. United played in the Revs jamboree in February winning all 3 games and also was the runner up in the Natick Columbus Day Tournament Division 1 U14 bracket. While their run at the Presidents Cup fell shorter than hoped, these girls truly had a remarkable season that set the standard of play for all of our NSC girls to follow!
This was the final year of Needham Thunder after competing in BAYS for the past 9 years. After roughly 150 BAYS games, 300 practices, 100 Tournament games along with Winter and Summer training the team has accomplished what it set out to do.
Thunder has won 2 State Championships at U14 in 2015 and at U16 in 2017 . In 2016 Thunder lost in the Semi-Finals and this year Thunder made it to the MTOC Finals at G12-PG. Even though the team is comprised of G10/G11 players the boys took on the challenge to represent BAYS to take on the best teams at the oldest age group G12-PG. The highlight of the season was defeating a very tough South End team to qualify for MTOC and then defeating a very talented Brockton team in an amazing performance in the tournament.
This group of boys have continued to work hard to develop over the years and have consistently been challenged to play against the highest competition possible. Through teamwork and incredible commitment to train hard, they have been successful at the highest level. The boys have always competed with dignity and respect.
“I am honored to have coached these boys over the years and lucky to be part of an unforgettable experience. I hope that the confidence they have each built, the friendships and bond they have formed, the life lessons they have learned and the memories they have created through this journey will always stay with them.” – Coach Lee
Thank you to these and all of our BAYS teams on a truly remarkable season from start to finish! None of this would be possible without the help of all of you!
